Eggblogg

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.

What I get out of using Twitter

I'm often asked 'what's the point of Twitter?' and in many ways the answer depends on the context.

They may mean 'what's the business rationale for using Twitter?' Or 'why does anyone use Twitter?' Or sometimes it's just 'why on earth do you spend time on that Twitter thingy?'

Twitter is like any large gathering - there are people sharing interesting news, private jokes, asking and answering questions. There are open discussions, people watching and listening, others touting their wares or showing off, others sharing stuff they doing, seeing or learning. There are the loud ones, the quiet ones, the excited ones and the bored ones.

I got into using Twitter when I first heard about it, early in 2007, because it's my job to keep up with what's new on the web. But it was a year or so before I started getting anything much out of it. Now I use it as a social network, a research tool and a way of sharing knowledge and experience with many great people, some in my industry and others completely not. Some of them I knew before, some I've subsequently met, others I will no doubt meet at some point, others I'll never meet.

Just to give you an idea, this week on Twitter I've:

...discovered the top 12 social media stories this week
...followed people's comments on a controversial Prime Minister's Question Time
...learned how beautiful a Sussex morning can be
...promoted my eTips blog post
...discussed whether to attend an industry event
...laughed at a spoof 'ebook' promotion
...recommended a supplier to one of my contacts

But, I hear you saying, what about the question 'what's the business rationale for using Twitter?' More on that in a future post!

In the meantime I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on what you get out of Twitter, or, if you're not a Tweeter, what your perception of it is.