Recently, I switched from one cable provider to another. I was fed up with the lousy customer service, overpriced cable packages and mediocre reception and internet speed that this particular, let’s call them Bombast, provider gave me. I switched to a different, let’s call them Horizon, company with the promise of faster speed, better picture and sound quality and customer service that doesn’t make you want to start polishing your rifle and head to the nearest bell-tower. Needless to say, in the switch, there was some equipment that was not installed properly. It looked like my days of having to deal with customer relations call centers were not yet behind me. And I would probably still be on hold waiting for the next supervisor in the line of command had I simply used the phone. Instead, I sent a quick Twitter update expressing my frustration, and within minutes, had several replies telling me what I needed to do, how my order was being expedited and a service technician would make our issues their first visit the following day. The two Twitterers from the company gave me status updates, and let me know when the issue had been resolved. We haven’t had any problems since.
Twitter, as with any other communications platform, sees a gradual acceptance of use among businesses. From my experience with the two different cable providers, Twitter offers better and faster customer service than I ever received while spending an evening on the phone to a call center. Companies looking for a competitive advantage should embrace the service, and engage with their customers and potential customers, in a way that is beneficial to both. Had the fictional company Horizon not had responsive representatives on Twitter to help me, I may very well have switched to yet a different company.
