Using Twitter as an effective Customer Service channel….<\/p>\n
Author: Colin Shaw<\/p>\n
Customer Service in 2010 is no longer just about call centres<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Matt Saunders over at Trendplanner.com<\/a> has written a great summary post of examples of how Twitter has become an effective Customer Service channel. Brands need to learn to coexist in the same channels that their services live in, but also the online environments that their customers inhabit. If you\u2019re a telecommunication company, offer customer service over SMS. If you\u2019re an online retailer, offer live chat.<\/p>\n Most importantly, if your a social or public facing brand \u2013 you should be participating in social media. Twitter offers a cheap, easy and quick way for your customers to talk to your brand or organisation. Matt\u2019s post lists a number of examples of other brands that are currently successfully using Twitter as a customer service channel.<\/p>\n Getting your tone of voice and some behavioural principles is key to keeping a consistent customer experience<\/a> across all mediums, a topic of which Matt really hits home with his final point:<\/p>\n Of course customer service isn\u2019t the right purpose for every brand, for some it will be about entertainment (see redbull<\/a>) for others it will be about the most efficient way to post special offers (see Dell<\/a>). The key is that brands listen and respond to what their customers want, and if they\u2019re sending you @ replies every hour with complaints then it might just be a customer service channel they\u2019re after. If it\u2019s customer service they\u2019re after, then make sure you can deliver, you need dedicated staff with real knowledge of the brand and the etiquette of Twitter (see habitat<\/a>), and remember an abandoned profile with a phone number is not customer service.<\/p>\n