Twitter as a Service Channel

Since March 2006, Twitter has grown into a main online community. Chapter 7 of Delivering Effective Social Customer Service talks about Twitter as a service channel. It is a great tool for companies to help customers when they have problems. Carolyn Blunt and Martin Hill-Wilson discuss how Twitter is used by people and companies.

Many people use Twitter on a daily basis. Blunt and Hill-Wilson provide some interesting facts. One in three people check Twitter during their commute. One in four use Twitter while shopping. Also, people who use mobile devices are 40 percent more likely to access Twitter multiple times in one day (168). These statistics do not surprise me. Twitter is a great way to get real-time updates. We want to stay informed, whether there is breaking news or a friend shares good news.

There are a number of tips that Blunt and Hill-Wilson give to companies, but three tips really stuck out to me. The first tip is for companies to acknowledge issues quickly. When we have a complaint, we want an answer now. We do not want to wait for hours or days for a response. Another tip is to be as human as possible in the response. People do not want a generic, automated response. One way to show a human side is to use initials or first names to end a response. This shows a personal side of the company. The final tip is for companies to be empathetic. You want to show customers that you understand how they feel. The phrase "I am sorry" is very important.

Twitter is a great way to assist customers with their questions and complaints. In today's world, when we have a question, we want an instant answer. When we get that instant answer, we are more likely to thank the company on Twitter and other social media sites. By including a name or initials in the response, it shows a human side of the company. I think Twitter will continue to be a main service channel for many years to come.