Social networking can be a useful tool for providing customer service within your companies customer relationship management (CRM) program. 

Integrating more channels of communication with your patrons can only offer genuine support.  Twitter is just one example of social networking that can bring you and your customers closer together.  Connecting through social networks promotes quick and comfortable dialogue that benefits all parties.

A Web-based approach to CRM applications offers lightening fast services for both the company and the customer.  Tweets are messages comprised of 140 characters or less. They are short, direct, and to the point, and incorporate useful business strategies for handling customer issues. 

For small inquiries and questions, twittering may be the best route. Problems are resolved efficiently, and solutions are offered with care.  In addition, time is managed more efficiently because your support staff can offer simple solutions in minutes. For more complex problems, customers can be referred directly to a knowledgeable staff member.

Overall, Twitter proposes some useful tools for providing excellent customer service. Here are a few reasons why Twitter might be a good addition to your company:

Have You Heard The Rumor Going Around?

Track what people are saying on Twitter.  Simply enter a keyword that directly relates to your business, and find out.  Good or bad, your company can benefit from knowing what people think about the products and services that you offer.  This information can provide valuable insight into the customer's point of view.  With this kind of information, your company can decide what areas need improvement and where you excel.  Customers are often very candid, but use this to your advantage.

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old…

Searching current conversations on the Web works, but it can be a passive approach.  Ask your customers to follow you on Twitter.  Promote you customer service tactics to patrons by placing a shortcut on your website.  Customers do not know you are using Twitter until you make this information known. So, spread the word. This can be very useful for your staff, but only if customers know it is available. Be proactive instead of reactive, and ask customers to check out your page.

Be a Chatty Cathy!

Twitter is all about encouraging dialogue.  Customers want to talk about the products and services that they use.  Engaging in conversations with your customers creates a sense of community.  Through discussions, companies bridge the gaps between customers they hold in high regard and themselves.  Twitter is all about persuading customers and sales representatives to exchange ideas and thoughts in a non-threatening manner.

It's All About Speed!

In a culture where the to-do list is always endless, and the day is always too short, our time is treasured.   Offering quick and quality responses shows the customer that you are on top of business and want to be there for them.  Since Twitter is all about short and concise conversations, the waiting and lengthy explanations are eliminated.  It is exactly what most customers want to experience when interacting with salespeople.

Twitter and other social networks should not be the only means of customer contact.  While it can be very useful tool, traditional methods cannot be lost. Communication channels are likely to offer a the most comprehensive customer support information that everyone can appreciate.  Customers and employees benefit from integrating social networking systems into their everyday routines. 

Composing tweets offer convenience to users because messages are always direct, concise, and offered in real-time. However, as previously stated, using Twitter to discover unsolicited opinions also poses advantages.  Businesses using social networking as a part of their CRM toolbox are allowing technology to work for them.

AllThingsCRM.com is intended to be a comprehensive resource for business professionals who want to learn more about the benefits that customer relationship management (CRM) can provide to a company. It's our mission to provide the most reliable, up-to-date information about all aspects of the customer relationship management process, including the options available for hosting platforms, automation, software, custom application development, and infrastructures.

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