Thoughts on Twitter

I am beginning to use Twitter, along with several free services that augment it, for keeping up with topics that are trending in real-time related to my job. No matter where you turn, you seem to see, hear or read something about Twitter these days. Large corporations are taking advantage of search tools to monitor every mention of their company on Twitter and respond in real-time to those mentions, whether good or bad. Ostensibly, this has the effect of fostering a closer relationship with those customers and potentially reducing customer service costs down the road. A simpler explanation is that customers are reacting positively to this new real-time customer service model, as evidenced by Bloomberg’s report on Comcast’s rising customer satisfaction scores. (Could the hiring of 15,000 new customer service reps since 2007 or proactive network monitoring be the reason for the improvement, or is Twitter really responsible?)

I can understand why Twitter is perceived as a revolution for customer service, but I also understand very well how the traditional contact center is organized and managed. If you think about it, Twitter is fostering a reversal of the model for customer service that has been developing in the contact center space for more than a decade.

Let’s say you are having a problem with your new widget, and you think it may need to be returned to the manufacturer for warranty service. It is incumbent upon you to 1) look up the manufacturing company’s phone number, email address or website URL, 2)  call, email or navigate to the company’s customer service department, often passing through several layers of self-service interaction, FAQ’s, or automated responses, 3) wait in “queue” - yes, email or web chat requests queue just like phone calls these days and 4) finally end up at a live person who may be compensated to wrap up your call as quickly as possible. Everyone is accustomed to (although apparently not happy with) this level of customer service these days, and the technologies that enable these companies to “do more with less” have a measurable ROI (or more commonly a reduction in TCO).

It should come as no surprise that the Twitter dynamic is so refreshing and is geting so much attention from the media.

If you think about it, all this focus on Twitter is pointing companies toward a paradigm shift in customer service. Instead of waiting for customers to become angry enough or frustrated enough to contact a company about an issue, Twitter allows companies to actively monitor and respond in real-time to even the slightest dissatisfaction. This “touchy-feely” brand of customer service is refreshing to customers who have felt like companies really don’t care about their problems. Put simply, Twitter is a public forum where customer’s voices are amplified and their complaints can go viral. Addressing customer needs on Twitter provides an equally public platform to service these customers, who may then go on say something positive about their customer service experience. The “win” for the company is tangible. The increased attention to customer needs is simply putting the personal touch back into customer service.Twitter offers its users the ability to muse about their passing concerns, issues, thoughts and feelings in 140 characters or less. Twitter offers companies the opportunity to be proactive about customer service, heading off customer issues before they become phone call, email or web chat worthy (potentially more expensive service channels) and get some free media coverage for their efforts. But this new interaction channel raises important questions. Can this new customer service paradigm scale? Will Twitter spark a lasting revolution in the customer service contact center? Will other companies begin to increase their staffing, as Comcast has, to offer this new brand of customer service? Will the ROI or reduced TCO be there to justify the investment in tools and training 6-12 months from now? Will customers join Twitter in order to take advantage of this increased level of customer service? Will they stay and participate once their needs are met?

The strength of Twitter, in my opinion, is that it provides a single platform for both users and companies alike to interact. Companies have always had the ability to be more proactive about customer service. They weigh the possible gains in market share, increased sales, higher customer satisfaction scores, and positive press against the real costs of maintaining that level of interaction. Even the best companies sometimes fail to resolve every customer’s issues, no matter the interaction channel. Twitter may make it possible to service more customers with a near-realtime, personal interaction at a lower cost. Corporate Twittering for customer service requires human resources to drive the service interaction and therefore has a real, measurable cost. Once the hype (and user base) for Twitter plateau, companies will be better equiped to measure the ROI from an investment in their Twitter presence. I am anxious to see the results.

I am a Sr. Principal at eLoyalty (a Cisco Partner). The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent eLoyalty’s positions, strategies or opinions.