Using Twitter to Get Customer Service

I’ve read a couple blog posts in the blogosphere about people who’ve expressed their feelings about a specific website or product, and a while later, being contacted by a representative from that website or company trying to resolve the problem. I think the idea is pretty neat, and makes Twitter a great tool for businesses to assist their customers or potential customers.

Some companies such as Comcast and Southwest Airlines are involved in the Twitter community, monitoring and informing customers about deals and other news. These Twitter pages are usually monitored by an employee that responds to a customer concern by sending a direct response using @username or a direct message, which is similar to a private message.

How can you monitor if people are talking about your company or product? Using a site called Tweet Scan, you can type a keyword, such a company name, and a list of Twitter users mentioning that company name or keyword. I think this is a good way to interact with others, and the idea that a company responds to a Twitter user personally will make that user feel like they’re important, which is good online reputation management.