Hi, my name is Jeannine, and I’m addicted to Twitter

Posted by on 6 May 2009 | 0 Comments

Tags: social media

Growing at a staggering rate of 1,320%, Twitter is undeniably the “next big thing” in social media. I used to think Twitter was utterly inane and just the latest way for egocentric MySpace fiends to get attention.

But then I signed up, found some people to follow and discovered how educational and entertaining it can be. And now? Well, let’s just say it’s been two minutes since my last Tweet.

The more I experience, the more I realize that perhaps Twitter isn’t about spouting, touting and shouting. Maybe there’s something bigger going on here that is more about listening. Especially if you’re a business.

The quintessential example? @comcastcares, a.k.a., Frank Eliason, Comcast’s Director of Digital Care. Frank had the idea to use Twitter as a customer service tool when it was discovered that users were tweeting up a storm of complaints — ranting about technical difficulties and service interruptions. Imagine the negative effect on Comcast’s image. So armed with a computer and an über-friendly username, it was Frank’s Tweets to the rescue.

Now, Frank uses Twitter to search for mentions of Comcast complaints and begins a conversation with an @reply to offer his assistance. He engages the disgruntled customers in real, back-and-forth conversations through strings of direct messages, and helps them troubleshoot the problem, or will even schedule a service appointment. His customers start out enraged and frustrated, but end up surprisingly content. Now that’s great customer service (not to mention a great use of social media).

Since Comcast’s revolutionary move, a number of other companies Twittered up, quickly realizing its value as a market research tool. Starbucks used it to disprove rumors brewing about the company’s involvement in a war protest. Dell plugged into their users’ chatter and found ways to improve their laptops. The New York Times even speculated that Twitter could one day be used to predict outbreaks of disease. (Let the record show that I coined the terms “twiage” “quarantwine” and “electronically transtwitted diseases” first.)

So the next time you’re compelled to actually respond to that definitive Twitter prompt, remember what Frank taught us. For businesses using Twitter, it’s important that you listen as much as you Tweet.