Customer service via Twitter - too much to ask?

Recent research has revealed that just 10% of registered Twitter users are responsible for 90% of tweets, and, in another report, we've learned that 80% of Tweeters have fewer than 10 followers, with 30% having no followers at all.

What these stats suggest is that despite all the declarations that Twitter has gone mainstream, it still has a way to go before (and if) it reaches critical mass as a communications channel.

Which is bad news for those of us who are desperate to see improvements in customer service. I've said before how Twitter is potentially a fantastic customer service tool - not only facilitating immediate, synchronous (realtime) communication without the cost and frustration of contacting call centres, but also introducing a proactive approach through monitoring Twitter conversations. Some firms are already using Twitter in this way - most famously Dell, but I've also had good experiences with smaller outfits such as Campaign Monitor.

Unfortunately, those that could really benefit from listening more proactively to customers and solving problems promptly, such as banks, local government departments, utilities and telecomms providers, haven't yet cottoned on.

Personally I can't wait for the day when call centres as we currently experience them are dead in the water, premium-rate phone calls to customer service become a thing of the past and large companies re-connect to their customers via real people operating Twitter accounts, transparently and consistently. Now that's what I'd call customer service.