X (previously generally known as Twitter) could have a status for sparking (and pouring oil onto) web flame wars, nevertheless it was truly a reasonably good place to go for buyer assist. Not from X immediately, however as a solution to attain corporations and get assist with their services or products. You might ship a @-reply or fireplace off a direct message—both labored. Generally the help was even higher by means of X than commonplace channels like electronic mail, telephone, or reside chat.
However lots’s occurred since Elon Musk purchased X again in 2022. A lot has modified in the midst of a 12 months, each on-line and offline. The positioning’s new title is simply the tip of the iceberg. Amid huge coverage revamps, some corporations have left the platform altogether. Others have scaled again, partially in response to financial uncertainty. Apple’s shuttering of its social media assist crew (which included help over X) is simply the newest casualty.
And whereas that sucks—firing off a tweet (now publish) is quicker and fewer nerve-racking than countless rounds of electronic mail, lengthy telephone wait instances, or pleading with a chat bot to only join you with a human agent—there’s fortuitously a substitute for Twitter. It’s one I’ve come to view as typically superior, even.
It’s Reddit.
Should you’re not but a Reddit consumer, consider it as a set of supercharged boards. Every subreddit covers a selected subject, with a format for posts and feedback that makes it simpler to skim by means of the conversations. (Significantly, threaded replies are so useful.)
So whereas not many corporations are on Reddit but (alas), those which can be make studying how the positioning works nicely definitely worth the effort. Customer support reps act extra empowered, and so they typically handle your situation immediately from the get-go. No must undergo rounds of following a soul-numbing script. And, bonus: Different customers on the subreddit have usually gone by means of comparable points. Not solely are you able to learn posts about their issues, however your fellow Redditors will typically soar in to touch upon a publish with recommendation sooner than buyer assist will. They might even come to your assist and push again on a buyer rep who isn’t fairly on their recreation that day.
And surprisingly, the companies you could find on Reddit embrace ones with reputations for unhealthy customer support. Take Comcast, for instance. Earlier this 12 months, utilizing their reside chat to ask about sooner add speeds within the San Francisco Bay Space was no higher than studying one of many firm’s press releases—I acquired the identical shallow info with no additional perception. Nonetheless, on Reddit I discovered extra inside perspective in a number of discussion board posts, and that info helped begin me additional forward within the dialog after I posted a query and chatted with the corporate rep who answered.
(Tip: If it’s a must to search on Reddit, don’t use the positioning’s inside search engine. Head to Google and sort “<search phrase or query> Reddit.”)
It’s additionally an awesome place to hit up whenever you’re coping with corporations that run leaner on buyer assist, like low cost cellphone providers (MVNOs). You’ll be able to direct message Crimson Pocket’s crew by means of Reddit, for instance, and so they’re usually higher at fixing issues than the telephone line or reside chat. US Cell has an extremely lively assist crew in its subreddit, too—and CEO Ahmed Khattak can truly be frequently discovered within the feedback in addition. AMD crew members usually chime in on that subreddit, too.
The lesson right here: When one social media web site melts down, that’s when the universe is telling you to search out one other as a way to get the assist you want.
However not Fb. That’s only a burning wasteland. That’s been my expertise lately, anyway.
