MEDIA CENTER

 

Mass mingling: MCI to use social media to further customer connections

SCHAUMBURG, IL — July 06, 2011 — Motor Coach Industries, the leading builder of intercity coaches in the U.S. and Canada, is getting a social life — in social media, that is.

Increasingly, companies across all industries are using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as a way to reach customers who spend more of their workdays on computers, tablets and smartphones. These key social media sites offer instantaneous news about products, training and timely deals and most important, a way for the company and its customers to exchange feedback 24/7.

"We're working to create a whole new system of product news, service and parts information and ongoing customer outreach and instructional information second to none in our industry," said Patricia Ziska, MCI's vice president of sales and marketing Private Sector. "Social media provides lightning-fast channels for customer interaction. This technology is now mature enough for us to manage it effectively and our customer base is ready for it."

MCI's current Internet presence includes its robust website, and award winning online webinar educational series covering a variety of topics and offered free to motor coach operators and their staff. MCI also issues FYI from MCI, a monthly e-newsletter with articles, maintenance tips and announcements on parts specials, sent to over 6,800 subscribers.

"Our move into social media builds on our current Internet presence," said Ziska. "The MCI Facebook page, for example, will include customer-focused content, offer parts specials, and allows for two-way, interactive dialogue."

The social media program, coordinated by Alice Lemon, MCI's web marketing specialist, starts with MCI's official Facebook page, YouTube and Twitter outreach. To further engage customers, MCI will feature social media-only offers placed on Facebook and Twitter.

"We'll hear from customers more immediately, be able to respond accordingly for greater customer satisfaction," said Ziska. "Social media also provides a platform to spread-the-word and advocate the environmental and mobility benefits of motor coach travel to the masses."

Motor Coach Industries, headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, is the largest manufacturer of intercity highway coaches for the tour, charter, line-haul, scheduled service, commuter transit and conversion markets in the U.S. and Canada. The company also operates seven sales centers and eight service centers in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, MCI is the industry's leading supplier of aftermarket parts for most makes and models.

Press contact: Patricia Plodzeen Public Relations, 847-283-0883; or Motor Coach Industries Marketing Department, 847-285-2035.

 

Motor Coach Industries: Corporate Address 1700 East Golf Road, Suite 300, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173 | Phone: 866-MCICOACH

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