For over a decade, Netflix subscribers have turned to Twitter for service updates and customer support from their favorite streaming service. However, as of June 30, the birds are no longer singing as the streaming giant silenced its @Netflixhelps account for good.
After 13 years of dedicated service and 900,000 tweets, Netflix quietly cut its customer support ties with Twitter. With over 270,000 followers, it seems unusual that a company would cut ties with such a substantial audience.
The OG account began back in 2009 when the streamer was still focused on sending rented DVDs through the mail. Its first tweet informed possibly perplexed viewers that the horror film “Let the Right One In” had different subtitles on the DVD from the theatrical version.
The DVD version of Let The Right One In has different subtitles than the theatrical release.
— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) March 26, 2009
The loss of Twitter support reportedly has nothing to do with recent cutbacks within the company. A Netflix representative stated that the team wants to focus on providing its customers with the best experience within its platform instead of relying on third-party apps. Customers are still able to contact Netflix by phone (depending on which country they’re in), via online chat through its website, or through its in-app messaging system on iOS and Android devices.
Netflix has shifted gears quite a bit since losing a wealth of subscribers in the past six months. While the second quarter of 2022 wasn’t as bad for the streamer as first suspected it might be, the world’s largest streamer still lost nearly one million subscribers during that period. To combat the churn, Netflix handed 300 employees their pink slips while also capping their content budget for the next few years.
The streamer also faces licensing and content woes as it moves forward with an ad-supported subscription tier. After teaming up with Microsoft, the streamer reported its new pricing option should launch in early 2023. Shutting down its @Netflixhelps Twitter account may be part of this new, refocused approach. By consolidating its help desk avenues exclusively into in-house platforms, it may be positioning itself to better handle the problems associated with adding a new tier — and keeping at least a portion of customer concerns from being social media fodder.
For its 270,000 followers, @Netflixhelps will be missed. While cutbacks within Netflix itself may not be the cause, the streamer is gearing up for a big change that will assuredly increase support requests. Taking Twitter out of the equation may be the best way to ensure Netflix can take care of its customers as it prepares to push its ad-supported subscription plan out of the nest.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.