Communications issues with brewpubs, taprooms, etc...

C'mon, this is so Minnesotan. Call or stop in to the mysterious brewpub you elude to, and share your ideas about social media. Harping about this in this manner is not effective.

 

I bet they would be super friendly over the phone as well!
I find it amazing that between two people a simple call can't be made.

I don't know what other type of feedback you're expecting here.

Good luck, Happy holidays!

 

Could they be busy? Maybe they are kegging a super rare beer for the holidays.

I bet they are closed Tuesday evening and Wednesday. Try them again...maybe they have some time to respond

 

If a company (breweries included) has a 'contact us' link and/or encourages using e-mail to contact them it is an acceptable form to communicate with them. If they do not respond in a somewhat timely manner that is poor customer service. If a company wants you to contact them using a telephone, U.S Mail, ect, they shouldn't have an e-mail contact available.

Many companies prefer e-mail as their main form of communication because with all the mobile devices in use they are able to respond without the hassle of being stuck behind a desk.

 

No feelings one way or another on this, but I have called taprooms on a couple different occasions with no answer...so hes not complaining about nothing.

I still go to them, but knowing if a beer im interested in is on tap would be nice. I agree that social media is the easiest for them. I look at @surlytap on twitter all the time, and have to say im more likely to go there because I know exactly whats happening (hours/beers/food). Although, the surly taproom was one of the places that didnt pick up the phone, but I know how busy it gets...so I see both sides of the coin I guess.

 

While some breweries/taprooms/restaurants/bars give out incorrect information (Groveland Tap we're looking at you) or don't respond, the only way you'll know what taps are still on is to call the establishment. If you don't get an answer, call again. Social media is another avenue to ping them but never a sure thing. I've also been known to go to an establishment anyway...even if they don't respond. If I want that beer I make every effort.

 

Honestly, anything a business "puts out" be it flyers, webpages, tweets, facebook, etc. Should be kept up to date. It's all "advertising" and typically people don't read the info assuming it might be wrong.

If you can't answer emails, don't put up an email address. If you can't keep your beerlist up to date, don't list it. Any "wrong" info from a business is a potential disappointment to someone. Why on earth would you want to disappoint your potential customers?

 

I would think every brewpub/bar/beer store would want to get their hours out their via social media around the holidays. Lots of people in town visiting or off of work to come in and spend money.

Honestly, social media/mass email can reach thousands of people quickly. Saves the hassle of having hundreds of people calling your joint to find out your holiday hours.

 

Somebody pick up a phone...er I mean email somebody......to end this thread already!

OP acknowledged that he could've just had his wife call, for Christ sakes.

Social media isn't going to get you all the answers you need in a timely fashion.

 

I know exactly what brewpub this before i even opened the thread. You get a plenty of misinformation even when you call. The competition is pretty thick these days. Social media really can help you separate yourself. Staying in front of people on SM is extremely important. Updates on what is on tap each day and what food truck is at the brewery are vital. Some will keep doing a great job on SM and others will lose out on revenue day after day.

 

Feels like I just stepped into the Grumply's Roseville thread all over again

Zap - please tell us the name of this establishment so someone can call them for you. Please.

 

I emailed 5 or 6 breweries before we did our bike pub crawl last summer with 30 or so people. Only Dangerous Man replied. I will say Harriet was awesome when we arrived a bit early, and all of them were fun stops.

I totally agree that there is a shocking lack of customer service in these crazy brewery boom times. Why doesn't every brewery hire a "customer relations" intern? Responding to emails and keeping Facebook and Twitter up to date is not that hard.

Anyway, I fully approve this rant.

 

I am 100% with you on this. Except for a couple of rare exceptions, this is the case across most breweries, brewpubs, beer bars, distributors, etc. in MN. I moved here 9 months ago and I feel like I actually traveled here from CA in a time machine that not only moved me geographically, but also took me back to 1998 (specifically in regards to this issue). And I always take heat from people about complaining about it, but this is a big element to the success of a business right now. If you doubt that, just take a look at Red Cow, especially since that girl Shannon took over. She knows how to work each outlet and finding the balance to be informative, without overwhelming, she took note of what people wanted to see on their beer lists and made those modifications and for anybody who has visited that place since it opened, you can't deny how much the beer community turn out has continued to grow in response to all of this social media and tweaks to their internet presence. They always had a good turn out of locals right from the start, but I am talking specifically how working social media can make an impact on the business. For anybody who was at that Surly event from about a month ago, you probably get the idea, especially if you were also at the similar Muddy Waters event about a week earlier or later (don't remember which), that had only a small fraction of the turn out. In fact, I was only at the Muddy Waters one, because I happened to be in the neighborhood and just stopped in. I had never heard that there was any Surly event happening.

Except when I see somebody else post about it, like this thread, I have given up on pointing out the obvious. You are not making any unusual request of a business that should be doing this to begin with. This isn't something specifically necessary for somebody who may have a little hearing loss; we are less than 2 weeks away from 2014 and I don't think that it is too much to expect businesses to technologically pull themselves out of the 1990's. These are the boom times for this industry, with businesses expanding in every direction, yet so many of them refuse to put one full time person on payroll to handle internet, mobile and social media, when all it means is more business for them? Puhleeze.

 

I did read the thread so I did see the bit about it being hard to hear sometimes when you call, but to me picking up a phone is always superior to e-mailing.

I work at Beertopia in Omaha, and I am always surprised at the questions that get e-mailed that could have been answered over the phone very easily and quickly. I just always assumed it was less sociable people that e-mailed.

Anyways, I feel like e-mail is dead (so yes in that sense I wish we got rid of it) and it is all about phone-calls, social media, and texting (just communicating in general, not specifically related to beer).

 

Besides the "less sociable" people. I can email while I'm in a meeting at work. While I'm in the bathroom. I can email when I'd like an answer "eventually" but I'm not in a hurry. In many ways email is far more efficient because it's asynchronous. I don't want to listen to the phone ring. I don't want to potentially be put on hold. I want to fire off my email, and get back to business, and then read the response when it arrives.