Just this morning, I was speaking with an attorney whose firm consults with us about technology. He insisted that social media really wasn’t relevant and that people really don’t pay attention to it. No matter what I said, he simply was in denial mode.
Sorry, but social media matters, and law firms and all businesses need to be aware of its impact and the need to actively use sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Fast forward to lunchtime. We were on our way to a meeting at the Philadelphia Bar Association. As usual, we boarded a Market-Frankford El train at the Milbourne station. The heat hit us like we were walking into a brick wall. The car we were on had no air conditioning. Nothing. Nada. Zip. And today was supposed to be the second hottest day of the year. Other riders were complaining to others, to themselves, to anyone around.
I took out my phone, opened the Twitter app, and tweeted to Septa: “@SEPTA no air conditioning on market el train 1123 #stifling #hot.” Within a minute, SEPTA replied, “No air at all or blowing hot air? What was the last stop? Direction?” I replied “no air at all, going toward Frankford, next stop 40th street.”
Guess what? When the El arrived at the 13th Street stop a couple of minutes later, they stopped the train, and took it out of service. Now that’s customer service! Thanks SEPTA!
So if you think social media doesn’t matter, think again. And businesses need to recognize how important it can be. Thanks again SEPTA for not only having a Twitter feed, but for addressing problems in real time!
