Digital Trail

When the Bath Bus Station Customer service blog and Twitter account hit the scene it made a big impact pretty quickly. For a company like First, so besieged by negativity and bad press (on the whole justified) it was a breath of fresh air to see them engaging with the customer at such a level that showed personality, empathy and above all, a desire to make things better.

The blog launched on October 13th 2008 and introduced itself in a polite and engaging manner. By the second day of blogging, they were answering the questions that the humble early adopters of the blog were all asking, ‘Why does a bus station need a blog for its customer services? Buses go from A to B, they breakdown halfway and are usually late, a blog isnt going to help me with that is it?’

The blog’s line was:

“In the Customer Services Department at Bath Bus Station, we are always looking for new ways to keep in contact with our customers… providing updates about local issues, events etc, and discussing the problems that matter to you so we can work to improve the quality of service you enjoy.”

Over the nine month duration, of what is termed as a social media experiment, the blog and Twitter account brought us such delights as Diversion – Service 5, numerous service updates as and when they happened and my favourite blog post, ‘Lost Property‘. Perhaps the greatest success story was the provision of detailed and honest updates throughout the disruption caused by the snow chaos in February.

Bath, as a destination has been richer for its pioneering use of social media when relating public transport to those that use it and for First, it was a true feather in their cap to put funding and resources behind the venture, it is just a shame that when cuts need to be made, the customer service element is what goes out the door, especially when their profits are up!

Of course these cut backs are common place in larger organisations. First will be streamlining their customer service workforce and decamping the overall operation to a regional arm in Exeter, another common practice in itself.

It is a great loss that this service is being axed. I can not think of a customer service presence across any social media platform that I have found more engaging and informative-even as a non-Bath bus user. Perhaps it is too late to instigate a Twitter petition and I dont envisage the 605 followers of the @bathcsc Twitter account turning their pictures First Bus blue in solidarity but First have let themselves down once again.

The experiment comes to an end as of Friday 26th June. I for one have taken great pleasure and learned a great deal about how to be the voice behind a company presence online in my own employment. I hope that the online media savvy operators of the service are not facing unemployment as a result of First culling their activities and hope that First reconsider their position.

Considering a lot of my life choices and the directions I take (predominantly in choosing holiday or day trip destinations) are based on the simple rubric of “Does it have a Crazy Golf course?” Imagine the giddy thrill I got to find that not one but two were coming to me!

Cabot Circus, the shopping megalithic cathedral of consumerism that exists in Bristol is to make jolly good use of some of the vacant spaces where in any other economic climate they would be filled with such shops as Zavvi or Woolworths.

Overpriced CDs and crusty 1980s Pic ‘n’ Mix move over-you had your chance-as of July 11th we must now play golf and of a fashion which deviates from the societal norm, so as to be deemed ‘Crazy.’ (NOTE: in Bath, just a short hop from here, they call it ‘Adventure Golf’ so as not to attract the Riff and or Raff)

Such a visionary, entrepreneurial and downright thrifty approach is the stuff of recession adaptation and ingenuity, something that the Marketing Donut have been highlighting lately.

Dubbed as the “best mini golf course in the world,” this facility should satisfy all ages and all summer-even if it is a wet one. According to the Bristol Evening Post, the golf experience will incorporate”a live volcano, a jungle, a temple and a swamp with waterfalls, as well as two balconies overlooking the courses with a bar and cafe, serving alcohol and food.”

The organisers say that a gaming experience will last 2 hours and that may just be the reason why despite the fact the use of space is a recession busting moneymaker of some originality and enterprise, the cost is a touch eye-watering – family tickets will cost £20, and single tickets from £5 to £7.

I am more than willing and eager to give it a go and will be honing my skills or lack thereof in the coming weeks on the Wii! I shall report back in due time and hope that the venture is a recession busting delight and not a double bogey of doom.