Should customer service Twitter?

If you're wondering how best to use the micro-blogging Twitter interface, here is an interesting idea: as a customer relations tool. This week three large corporations launched Twitter pages on their websites specifically for customer relations. Qwest Communications International, Comcast, The Travel Channel and Starbucks are among the first companies to use the social feature this way.

by Kristina Knight

For Qwest, the platform works by having seven company representatives monitor the Twitter page 24/7. These representatives provide consumers with support is a near-real-time environment. Consumers can ask questions about their current service or prospective clients can ask about the Qwest offerings more generally. Questions can cover many subjects from billing to high speed Internet service and even technical support.

Why use Twitter as a customer service tool? Because consumers are clamoring for customer service, both online and offline. Rather than have your client wait in an automated hold line - which many consumers say is a terrible communication option - consumers can ask their questions and have an answer in a matter of minutes.

Not only do consumers get their questions answered more quickly but if a question has a negative answer - such as 'no, we aren't located in your area', the customer service rep can give consumers a direct link to a contact form that would allow them to request a local location or similar local service option. This gives consumers a voice and an automatic connection to your company, a kind of customer service that has been missing in recent years.

Tags: customer satisfaction, customer service, social marketing, social networking, Twitter