Companies use Twitter for customer service

Ever get a bill for twice as much as you thought, only to spend 20 minutes on hold trying to fix it? Or have a cable service outage as your favorite team goes into overtime?

We’ve all had these experiences, but as the Internet community grows, consumers are finding power in their voices, and sometimes, more specifically, their tweets.

Comcast’s Frank Eliason is taking customer service to a whole new level, monitoring Twitter’s social networking site for complaints concerning Comcast’s telecom services. The over 2.3 million Twitter users post thousands of complaints a year, usually “tweeting” about a service outage or a frustrating customer service experience.

Eliason, or ComcastCares, is quick to respond, often starting with the simple acknowledgment of a problem. Within minutes, Eliason generally contacts the frustrated consumer via Twitter and then schedules the necessary service calls. Instead of being on hold getting angrier, the client’s concern is handled immediately, preventing other such tweets from disgruntled consumers flooding his, and other potential consumers, screens.

With the Internet becoming a powerful source of viral consumer reviews, companies have no choice but respond and improve their service before the power of word of mouth (or tweet in this case) destroys them. Comcast, and companies like it, that are suffering from an onslaught of complaints, are not only improving their service by instant notification of outages, but also the customer experience.

It’s a win-win situation for both the business and the consumer. Check out other sites like Consumer Reports and Angie's List for reviews before you buy and to voice your consumer complaints to get the service you deserve.

Click here to follow Consumer United's Twitter account.

--Lana Petersson