The toll-free number.
The email to tech support.
The Tweet?
Is Twitter the natural evolution of customer service? The immediacy and transparency of tweeted support is all the rage, with defined case studies (@ComcastCares, @JetBlue) and emerging software to enable and track it.
The software support is the more recent and intriguing development. CRM behemoth (more than 50,000 corporate customers) and SaaS superstar Salesforce.com released an add-on that automatically scans the Twitter-sphere (using some flavor of Twitter search). If tweets matching pre-defined keywords are located
Co-Tweet (currently in beta) enables corporations to have multiple tweeters involved, but keeps tweets synced and organized across the enterprise. Early testers include Ford, Pepsi, JetBlue, and Alaska Airlines. Advisors include members of the Twitter royal family @pistachio and @guykawasaki.
It’s clear that provision of customer service via Twitter is going to expand, at least in the short term. This scenario has clear (at least to me) pros and cons.
Consumer Benefits
1. Speed
Customer service on Twitter is defined by rapid response. Thousands of companies are actively eavesdropping on social media conversations, enabled by Radian6, Techrigy, Spiral16 and other software. Those that are choosing to engage the consumer are typically doing so by addressing concerns in real-time. No “an agent will respond to your request within 2 business days.”
2. Frictionless
In an effort to reduce costs, most medium and large companies have made getting help about as easy as booking a Michael Jackson concert tour in the Bible belt. Automated menus. Lengthy hold times. Outsourced staff. You’d think companies would WANT to know when their products have an issue, but that’s not the message they’re sending.
It’s different on Twitter. It’s hassle-free complaining. You bitch about something, and if the company is engaged, they tweet you back and try to help. It’s like being able to press “0″ for an operator without needing a phone.
Company Benefits
1. Cost
I haven’t seen any reporting on this yet, but I believe Twitter-based customer service is incredibly cost-effective on a per resolved issue basis. Why? Consumers have to get right to the point. No four minute preamble detailing that they were “with their Aunt Gert when they brought the product (may she rest in peace)”, and that the “weather was frightful that day. A real Nor’Easter.” Just 140 characters of complaint. In an era when call center efficiency is measured by the second, this is a meaningful advantage.
2. Translucency
The notion of “transparency” is a big one in social media circles, but I prefer Beth Harte’s more realistic use of “translucency” since companies will not and cannot be truly transparent. (Trust me, my first job was at McDonald’s and you don’t want full transparency re: the nature of Big Mac sauce).
As Tony Hsieh emphasized at his SXSW keynote, and I referenced in my post about Please and Thank You, there are two advantages to being publicly helpful. First, other people see you being helpful, and that improves overall brand perception. Second (and this is really big in a Twitter context), other people see your answers, so they don’t have to ask the same question.
Customer Drawbacks
1. The Great Unknown
Just about everyone knows Comcast is on Twitter. But is Sony (I’m actually having a TV problem right now)? Is Trek bicycles? Is the company that made the cork flooring in my laundry room that’s looking a little sketchy? Is Diet Dr. Pepper?
As a consumer, I know every brand has a phone number, a Web site, and an email address. Twitter engagement is still VERY circumstantial. I have to guess whether the brand I need to communicate with is involved. That’s inefficient, and a hassle.
2. Shouting from the Rooftops
Certain customer service issues (mainly those where the brand is clearly at fault) are ripe for Twitter enablement. But sometimes, the consumer shares the blame, and needs help for a problem that might be better handled in a quiet, 1:1 fashion. I’m thinking of the “I didn’t read the directions, and now my hair turned green” scenario. Do you want to tweet that to all of your followers?
Company Drawbacks
1. Lack of Account History
One of the most useful components of modern CRM systems is their ability to pull up complete account history during the call, email, or live chat. The agent knows what you’ve bought, when you’ve called before, whether or not you’re a kook, etc. On Twitter, the customer service representative has very little information (possibly not even your real name). That makes service provision tricky.
2. Ephemeral
The new software developments above may assist in this regard, but a big problem with Twitter customer service is lack of record-keeping, I can see Comcast agents printing out Twitter conversations via Twitter search in an effort to log number of contacts.
What do you think? Should all companies get involved with customer service on Twitter? Only certain industries? None?
I LOVE Twitter as a customer service instrument. Both from the consumer and business side. However, the concerns you raised Jason are dead on.
However, I advocate…rather be on there then not be on there philosophy. It’s free to use. Why not give it a shot?
Twitter makes more sense for some brands than others.
Right now the #1 advantage is that Twitter attracts a large number of media types (both digital & mainstream) so that everything that happens on there gets broadcast way out of proportion to the actual number of people impacted.
Most people are still unaware of Twitter.
For many brands, Twitter is a great place to serve customers and prospects by simply being there.
For other companies, like investment funds, it really doesn’t matter.
I think there’s something very authentic when consumers can share their positive and negative experiences. Even negative experiences can become great opportunities for brands to define (and live up to) their standards. For example, look at Domino’s Pizza with the viral video incident. By quickly responding to the criticism, people applauded them for their response.
I think Twitter is just one aspect of an entire culture in social media that companies need to respect and be there. At the same time, delivering great products and services so their users are happy. And accepting the fact that not everyone will love their service and to be able to draw the line with conflicted users.
~Joseph
The most frequent complaint I hear about customer service is that people don’t like talking to a rep. at a call center. They want to talk to someone AT the company.
Twitter Customer Service (TCS) does eliminate that issue because it would appear to customers that the person they are communicating with is an employee of the company.
There are still the standard pitfalls of offline customer service; i.e. requests still have to be handled correctly and in a timely manner. But the upside is all of the transparency. For example, content from a company’s twitter account could function as a user-support manual or at least help a create one on their website (GetSatisfaction.com does a pretty good job of facilitating this).
I don’t think every brand on the planet needs TCS, nor do I think it is always the right vehicle for customer support, but it could be used as a customer service clearing house. A way to engage with customers to help them take the appropriate next step to answering their customer service question.
Just my two cents!
Good article. Twitter is a useful customer service tool but it is not as powerful as a site like http://www.MeasuredUp.com that allows for tickets, comments and feedback. However, their is no ignoring the reach of Twitter that might nullify other sites better features.
A smart brand will use twitter as well as other social networking tools to augment Customer Service.
The lack of account history is a good point. I wrote a conceptual post about Twitter and customer support a while back that conceptualizes “scraping” all Twitter available profile information and also making Twitter screen name a CRM Contact field in order to correlate the Tweet Ticket with customer history. http://lexnetcg.com/blog/twitter/crm-and-twitter-integration/
@Stuart – I think the reason for not jumping in is lack of coordination between offline service and Twitter service. Ends up being parallel efforts. The software I mentioned in the OP may be able to help that issue.
@Alan – I concur. Certainly, the “look at me” effect of doing Twitter customer service as an early adopter is attractive. Look at Ford, Comcast, Southwest, Jet Blue. All have received serious praise from mainstream media. Nothing to sneeze at.
@Joe – Bingo. As always, you’re dead on. Twitter customer service is but one tentacle in an emerging culture of truly customer first thinking, led by Net Promoter Score, etc. We will all benefit from this transformation (as consumers).
@Seth – Interesting thought. I wonder how long it will be before you can outsource Twitter customer service. I’d bet about 7 minutes…
@Marc – No question that the dedicated service portals have way more functionality, but lack the reach. I wonder if you couldn’t use Twitter to push people toward measuredup.com et al?
@Steve – I really enjoyed you post. Great thinking through of the processes for making Twitter and CRM sync up. Good stuff.
I want to permanently disconnect from tweeter.
How do I do this please!
It’s next to impossible.
Great article! I agree that Twitter can be a useful consumer rep tool.
However, let’s also consider he source itself…Twitter.
I sent a request for assistance to them. Four months ago. Received no rely. I received an email three weeks ago saying they would get back with me in a few days.
No reply since.
Makes one think, huh?
Marketing people, talking about Twitter amongst eachother, building up an internal hype – so more marketing people jump on the bandwagon and see NO real increase in business from it.
But, as they say, “Gosh it’s cool! and all the other marketing geeks are talking about it. It must work – Chris Brogan said so. Blah blah.”
Your customers don’t care all that much. They want prompt and friendly service, whether that comes in the form of 24 hr customer phone support (with no wait), Twitter customer service, instant online chat sessions, a quick and fair response to their concerns.
So, I ask, WHAT is the big deal in terms or Twitter for customer service?
P.S. Before everyone jumps to Twitter’s defense here, note that I do tweet and it does work – for certain things (like seo, community building, inane nonsense, etc…) I’m just sick of hearing about it being hailed as the second coming. It doesn’t toast my bread, make my bread or solve world peace.
Thanks Steve for the article -current and makes an interesting read.
When blogs first emerged and then became popular the CEOs and marketing people would blog. That was like giving people an inside look into the company. A personalised look.
On the other hand, Twitter gives the company an external magnifying glass into the world of the customer. Usually it is the user who will determine what it should be used for. Let the market or let the user decide. Twitter now and Twitter six months down the line may be different.
Personally, I still am not convinced how it can help in marketing my company’s products.
Thanks Jason,
Your post is really inspirating and exciting. I’m actually doing an undergraduate research on Twitter’s application to business.
I’m going to do a case study on Comcast using Twitter and plan to analyze and categorize the tweets, and finally to come to some sort of conclusion.
I’m still planning it and any comments or thoughts would be appreciated
Just my opinion; I personally feel that twitter as a customer service tool/channel may not be efficient/cost effective.
Twitter as a marketing/research tool to improve products & customer service would make more sense. companies should just gather information from the twitters rather than communicate with them. after all, most of us on twitter to get to know updates on the ppl that we care & vice versa.
That’s a very interesting use of this tool. No matter what, more significant customer service issues would have to be taken offline and managed within CRM itself. But it is indeed a nice time saver and marketing asset when I just want to know when ‘Free Coffee Day’ is. In my own blog, I’ve admitted to be addicted to Twitter myself.