With the vast world of social media giving anyone with a keyboard and an Internet connection the power to influence perceptions, you'd think that companies would align more resources to customer service. Having seen how organizations like Delta (@DeltaAssist), Comcast (@ComcastCares) and Firefox (@Firefox_answers) use Twitter to respond quickly to customers who need help, it seemed natural to assume that other companies would follow suit and do whatever it takes to meet (reasonable) requests from customers.

I learned the hard way that this is not always the case.

Over the last few months I've used a particular car rental agency when traveling for business. I'd had a good experience with the brand's online reservation system, pickup and drop off locations, as well as its loyalty program, which allowed me to earn points for my frequent flier account. From a brand perspective, the company seemed to create a rather pleasant and consistent customer experience at multiple touch points.

So, when a personal trip came up, it made sense to stick with what had worked for me before, and rent a car from the same company. But, as soon as I saw the serviceman pull the car up at the rental agency I realized that despite all the aforementioned ways the brand had met my needs, the one place it failed to deliver was in the quality of its primary product—the rental car. The car, which was not the class I had specified, was completely covered outside in pollen, mud, and bird droppings, and inside with crumbs and dirt. Plus, the upholstery was littered with multiple stains, not to mention the sticky streaks in the cup compartment.

I was aghast at the complete lack of quality and, after taking a few pictures, contacted the company to voice my frustration. Adding to my disappointment, however, not a single customer service representative contacted me to try to salvage my now sullied experience. While I have yet to receive a direct response to my email, the company did send an automated link to a "Rate Your Experience" survey 36 hours after returning the car. In the day-and-a-half that it took to receive the "Rate Your Experience" survey, I could have just as easily tweeted my frustrations to thousands of potential customers. That said, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind brands that the experience they deliver should be consistent across every facet of the organization. Every interaction the customer has is an opportunity to connect, engage and build brand loyalty. When the experience differs from one touch point to another (i.e., point of purchase, customer communications, customer call centers, etc.) brands lose out on the chance to build lasting relationships with some of their most influential stakeholders.