Air France and KLM, which used Twitter as a customer relations channel, announced almost simultaneously last week that they were putting an end to this practice. Maybe the first of many? It is possible but it is unlikely to have a major impact on customer service in the tourism world.
Twitter, a very popular customer relations channel
Twitter is a very popular customer relationship channel for many brands, especially in the travel industry and especially in the airline industry where the need for immediacy in case of problems is even more important than elsewhere.
But if it has become something normal today, it was not always the case. Brands have been slow to adopt the channel, mainly for reasons of maturity and culture. Twitter was seen as a communication tool and was owned by the communication department. When some people came up with the idea of doing what is now called social servicing, they were often met with a barrage with the only explanation being “we’re not going to answer the customers in public!
But the customers were there, calling out the brands, and the deafening silence in response only reinforced their frustration while degrading the image of the brands in question.
Then the dikes gradually fell because it was no longer possible to do otherwise. At Air France, which we particularly followed at the time, it was a team of enthusiasts who took matters into their own hands (on the occasion of a “snowy episode” which had paralyzed Roissy if I remember correctly) even if it meant going by force because the situation was dramatic and customers were demanding answers. Things were a priori simpler on the KLM side, due to Dutch pragmatism.
Then things became normalized, the system was industrialized and made scalable, sometimes to the detriment of the passion and humanity of the original team, but it was inevitable
And so, at Air France, KLM and many other airlines, Twitter has become an essential customer relations channel.
Air France and KLM abandon Twitter for customer relations
A few days ago, Air France and KLM announced the end of their customer service on Twitter.
An announcement that obviously surprised many people but not us. And we are surprised that this did not happen earlier for Air France as for others.
The recent evolution of Twitter
Twitter’s situation has been tumultuous since its acquisition by Elon Musk and some brands, without abandoning it, have already stopped investing in advertising, like United, because of their fears about the evolution of the platform and its image. But until now, none of them had decided to reduce their activity, and especially not the customer service.
But Twitter must become profitable at all costs and the social network has decided to charge for access to its API, a decision that obviously does not suit Air Francce-KLM.
What exactly is it about?
When a business uses Twitter for its customer relations, it does not process messages individually in the application; this would be unmanageable on a large scale. So is connect Twitter to a customer relationship management solution, messages arriving from Twitter are forwarded to it, assigned to agents, tracked etc. And the agents’ responses are fed back into Twitter. For this to work, there must be a bridge between the two tools so that they can talk to each other. This is the role of the so-called API (Application Programming Interface).
Until now, access to the API has been free, but now it will be charged, especially for businesses sending a large volume of messages, and this is the problem. In the case of Air France the sum of 50,000 euros per month is mentioned.
Air France prefers to redirect its customers to its other channels.
Did Air France make a mistake?
I read on some blogs that this decision would hurt Air France more than Twitter. Maybe, unless this is the beginning of a more global movement.
To understand Air France’s move, which we believe will be followed by other businesses if Twitter doesn’t make concessions, you have to understand that since the time when the social network became a privileged customer relationship channel many things have changed.
And to start with there are alternatives! Air France, for example, is on Whatsapp since recently and it is certainly not by chance. The airline has also been on messenger for longer.
Today these platforms are widely used by all types of audiences and I don’t think there is a single Twitter user who isn’t on either one! The airline just needs to make it more visible how to contact them through this medium.
Indeed we can think that this will frustrate some users but it will only last for a while as Whatsapp and Messenger are part of almost everyone’s daily life and, in any case, more than Twitter.
The real question to ask is: “Is it worth 50,000 euros a month?“. Obviously for Air France and KLM the answer is no, and with the existence of alternative channels with an even wider audience this is also our opinion.
What will happen next?
Will other businesses, other airlines, follow Air France and KLM’s lead? We are not psychic, but we think the chance of this happening is quite high and it would make sense. Unless…
Indeed, since Musk’s arrival, Twitter made many reversals, approximations or change of heart. That the API becomes paying is the sense of the story, and Twitter is not a philanthropic business, but if too many customers are reluctant to pay such sums we can think that Musk will turn back and come back with pricing conditions that will be more acceptable. Provided that in the meantime those who have deserted the platform do not realize that they have lost absolutely nothing in the exchange…which seems quite likely to us unless staying on Twitter is also seen as a question of image.
Bottom line
The financial conditions imposed by Twitter for the access to the API of its application are considered too important for Air France and KLM which stop their customer service activity on the platform, sending their customers to other channels at least as popular. Until others follow? Bluffing before coming back?
From our point of view and under such conditions it is likely that over time other businesses will leave the blue bird network to chirp elsewhere.
Indeed, if Twitter used to be the place where customers were, they are now also many elsewhere and Twitter, without reaching a large enough audience, may not be so essential anymore.
Image : Twitter by rafapress via Shutterstock
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