There continues to be much discussions about the benefits of
Twitter
and the many reasons why an account on their is necessary. What sets
it apart from other social networking sites is the real time post of
its members every second of every day. Many companies are quickly
becoming aware of this fact and have started twitter accounts. Where at
one time commercials and other forms of advertising would post the web
address for a company, i.e.
www.honda.com or
www.pepsi.com, it is increasingly common to see an organization's Twitter address. Diverse companies such as
@Comcast, @Dell, and @Southwest Airlines have been using the site to not only help build brand image, but to have a direct platform for their customers.
Now why is this important to you?
These
twitter address for companies can often be the easiest way to
accomplish many of your customer service needs. The advantage of
immediate conversation, with a company you use for products and
services is amazing. In theory, the amount of time it takes to send a
tweet out and receive a response will be quicker then making a phone
call.
I will give a great example of using Twitter for
this very use. Sometime last year I ordered an AT&T LG VU phone
from the cell phone website
www.wirefly.com.
When the phone arrived to my home there were some problems with the
device. I immediately called and of course was stuck listening to
elevator music while being on hold. As I sat there waiting I got the
idea to search for Wirefly on Twitter and came across their page. I
sent @
Wirefly a
tweet explaining my problem. Before a live person picked up the phone I
was sent back a tweet and then a direct message explaining what I
should do. This saved me an unimaginable amount of time. Now I will not
get into what happened when the second LG VU phone came, lets just say
I am the proud owner of a Black Berry Curve now.
Every experience with using Twitter for customer
service may not work this perfect. One should never discuss secure
information online for starters. It is also wise to remember that you
have no information about the company employee you
are communicating with. With that said, it still can still be a great
way for initial contact and get FAQ's answered. Also, large
corporations are continuing to hire people to work strictly on their
social media sites, and it is possible to build a rapport with these
individuals. This can be a great way to give immediate feed back about
one's experience with a product.
As the popularity of Twitter grows, businesses will
continue to use the site for direct communication with customers.
Discounts, product news & developments, marketing, and customer
service will all be accessible on one page. It seems that 140
characters continues to be just enough, to say a whole lot.