Social Networking as Critique - Don’t be WaMu

It is common knowledge that Washington Mutual is experiencing some small difficulty securing a stable future right now. This is old news, subprime, blah blah. What I found interesting was an email in my inbox today stating that a Twitter user called WaMuWhooHoo was following my updates. I was intrigued, because it really could have been either an attempt by WaMu to get in the game, or an irate customer, or even just someone hellbent on being funny. Turns out it’s the last two.

Randy’s recent post on the perils of public speaking in an era of real-time commentary is worth referencing here, but this is something different. This is a pseudo-mouthpiece, a mock PR effort on the part of a disgruntled WaMu customer (note the recurring gripes about overdraft charges). This is a PR nightmare for the company, and something that needs immediate attention.

The gut impulse, of course, is to lawyer up and start talking about infringement of trademark and cease and desist. Not only would this magnify and perpetuate an existing disaster, it can only be seen as missing the fundamental point: even in the midst of a bailout, you have to serve the customer. The rank and file teller has to be terrified at losing his/her job. That is the person who is facing questions about the stability and health of the bank. The call center folks are getting the usual calls from irate customers about overdraft charges that suddenly seem like a bank grasping for pennies wherever it can. The calls really aren’t any different, but the context changes attitudes on both sides. This is a time when every customer contact is an act of service recovery.

So you have to find WaMuWhooHoo and send them an email (or a tweet). You don’t threaten to shut them down, you start a conversation. Most likely the guy’s off the deep end already, but you still must engage - and attempt to defuse - his complaints on his terms. You’ve been called out in a public forum, albeit a small one. Attempts to stifle the voice will only result in the issue escalating to larger forums, like, say, the whole web.

This is another reason to have the channel in place before something like this happens. Even if you’re not the mayor of Crazytown right now, the title can be bestowed at any time. Don’t be caught by surprise.