Article contributed by Andrew Percival (aka. Laz) of LMT Social Media Consultancy

By now most businesses with a customer facing role will have stumbled upon the idea of a having a Twitter account. It is a great way to talk to your customers and garner feedback in a friendly and casual manner.

But not everyone has quite the hang of such a powerful tool for enhancing their brand.

Case in point;

Last week I had the misfortune to leave my Oyster card on the train to East Croydon. After ringing a friend to see if they could smuggle me theirs through the grating at the side of the station so I could get out they suggested I ask the station staff for help. Those of us who travel on our blighted rail network don’t really expect a lot from the staff so I felt I was clutching at straws in going to them for help.

But my cynicism was washed away when the well oiled machine of customer service at Balham station (where I had got off) sprung into action, managed to find my oyster card based on my vague description of where I was sitting and hold it for me so I could go to the end of the line and retrieve it.

Such fine work deserved  a reward so later that day I decided to broadcast my praise for the good people at Southern Trains  via the loudest medium I have at my disposal, Twitter.

This was easier said than done. Attempting to search for their official Twitter account only came up with two contenders, one train driver with a personal account and another who clearly wasn’t a fan of Southern Trains (and I’ll come back to that later.)

Speaking to the train driver he was pleased his colleagues had gone the extra mile and he pointed me in the direction of the official company account  although he did state “I think they’ve missed the point a little.” I gushed with laudation at Southern Trains and the next day I got a perfunctory reply.

Now, most celebrities I have on my Twitter feed rebroadcast praise from their  followers like attention starved teenagers via the retweet function. Southern Trains did not, a act I find quite surprising considering how precious unsolicited commendations are in social media.

When I receive messages of satisfaction and contentedness on the Twitter accounts I manage it feels like I’ve struck gold and I’m hammering away on the retweet button in a flash so all the world (and especially Google) can see.

One Twitter user who does understand the retweet function is the Anti-Southern Trains account. Clearly not a fan of their service this user recently ran a game amongst their followers whereby people would comment that they like Southern Trains less than whatever they found particularly disagreeable in their lives (usually Nick Clegg or some kind of genital injury!)

So, in not broadcasting good customer feedback when they get it and allowing their Twitter account to be buried underneath a torrent of (quite amusing) customer dissatisfaction I can agree with the redoubtable train driver when he said  “I think Southern Trains have really missed the point a little.”

Article contributed by Andrew Percival (aka. Laz) of LMT Social Media Consultancy