Why Twitter will Dominate Customer Service

“Please listen carefully as our menu options have changed.”

No – actually, I will not. I have had enough!

I’m done being the guy that:

• spams “0” until my finger hurts
• swears vulgarities in hopes there is a quality-control monitor in place to pick-up on my “anger” level
• has to talk to someone half-way across the World who I don’t understand
• waits on hold for 45 minutes being told I’m a “valued customer” by a broken record.

Oh, and I refuse to visit “your online help center”, because you have packed it so full of FAQs and links, I need help navigating that too! All I want to do is talk to a human being!

From this day forward I am making Twitter my preferred method of contact with customer care! Here is why I think you will “follow”:

Why I Tried Customer Service on Twitter

Last week I called Verizon looking to upgrade my service and spend more money. I was cooking myself some dinner and had my mobile phone on speaker, waiting for someone to pick up.

I cooked. I ate. I cleaned up. I hung up.

Call Duration: 45:06

“Ridiculous. Obviously there are not enough people staffing phones,” I said to myself.

Expecting I would have to try again another day & time, I jumped on the computer to finish up some work. TweetDeck popped up some local news. That’s when it hit me! Why not contact Verizon on Twitter? I wonder if they have an account…

Sure enough, there are two support accounts: @VerizonSupport and @VZWSupport (wireless)

I’ll admit it – I never thought they would respond. I never thought it would be quick. I never thought I would get a phone call if I asked for one. I never thought I would be contacted by a rep. in under an hour. I never thought I would be telling anyone how awesome it is, but you HAVE to try it! It really works!

Three Ways Twitter Rocks for Customer Service

Customer service on Twitter is a win for everyone involved:

1. Faster Resolutions

No 20-item menus. No cheesy hold music. No automated robots. No more wasting my time trying to get to a real person! There are 140 characters to communicate what I need from you. I can’t waste your time if I wanted to! You can’t waste my time either! Short, sweet, and to the point!

2. Reduced Cost

Time is money – for both companies and customers. (I think companies forget that.)

These faster resolutions allow you to save your customers more time and for you to save on staffing & operational costs. Just like web chat, customer service reps. can manage more than one conversation on Twitter at once. Efficiency rules the World! Work smarter, not harder!

3. Feedback & Quality Control

Stop paying for third party quality-control and feedback mechanisms. The best feedback comes from honest conversations with your customers. They only way you can have an honest conversation with your customers is to actually talk to them – build the relationship. Tear down those corporate walls and be approachable. Participate yourself! Twitter is FREE!

Fastest Way to Get Help on Twitter

The first time you contact a company via Twitter, it might take a little while – but repeat inquiries will go much faster. Here is how to get the ball rolling:

1. Google the “Company name” + “customer support” + “twitter” to find their account. Example: “Verizon Wireless Customer Support Twitter” Bam, first result.
2. Ask your question…OR
3. Ask their service account to follow you so you can direct message them. “Hey follow me so I can DM you? Thanks!”
4. Is your question complex or are you concerned about privacy like I am? DM a request “I’m not waiting on hold ever again. Please have a rep. call me 555-555-555.”
5. Answer your phone when they call!

Whenever I need help now, I DM the company and ask them to call me. 99% of my issues with customer service departments have been eliminated since I started using Twitter this way.

I am somewhat concerned my recent success is based on the fact many are unaware they can use Twitter for help. However, I truly hope the efficiency and streamlined communication Twitter offers is the real reason I get better results.

The next time you need something, DM the company on Twitter – put the ball in their court!

Tweet at us via @X_YouAreHere or comment below to let me know if it has worked for you!

Tags: social media

This entry was posted on Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 11:52 am and is filed under Show Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.