Wall-mounted screens in the new Southwest Airlines Listening Center

Airlines in the modern world seem to use social media one of two ways.  Either as an effective marketing tool with no ability to handle any customer service functions, or as a customer service tool with little-to-no ability to market effectively.  There are a rare few airlines that can do both of these things and one of them is Southwest.  Recently, they began operations in their new Listening Center, a kind of “social media command center” and I had a chance to see how it works.

A better look at the set up in the Listening Center

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become so ingrained into many of our lives.  We have access to them on our phones, tablets, and computers – even on watches – that it becomes so overwhelming.

In some forms it is a great way of sharing things with others, like what you are doing or where you are going.  However, it is also a great tool in getting a message across or being able to get some things fixed.  As social media has grown over the years, it has become more and more apparent that businesses need to address these platforms as a separate communication tool and start to use them effectively.  The Listening Center at Southwest is the first of its kind and is staffed by up to nine people at a time.