If you have a business, chances are you have an official Twitter account. If you're not on the platform yet, it's time to sign up because Twitter just released new customer service tools for businesses.
Brands can now add a "Send a private message" button to their tweets. Followers can still start a public conversation with brands on Twitter but now, moving into direct messaging is easier and faster with a single click on the new button.
But that's not all, brands can now aslo discreetly request for feedback from their online patrons after a customer service-based interaction. These new Twitter features are beneficial not only for companies, but customers as well. Online customer service is becoming more prevalent because of the widespread use of social media.
Customers who go to Twitter for inquiries can privately share some personal information without the whole Twitterverse's prying eyes in the background.
"Direct Messages are a great way for customers to have a private conversation with a business. Customer service conversations often start in Tweets, but then need to transition to a private channel when personal information is required," Product Manager Ian Cairns writes on the Twitter company blog.
Twitter is incorporating these new business tools with its current line of customer service features through collaborations with Sprout Social, Salesforce, Sprinklr, Spredfast, Lithium, Hootsuite, Sparkcentral and Conversocial.
The new Direct Message option was rolled out Thursday and brands such as Starbucks and Delta are already using it. The new Customer Feedback feature should be available in the next couple of weeks.
Twitter's new business tools are manifestations of how brands embrace social media as a top marketing platform. With these new tools, brands can utilize social media as a powerful customer service tool where they can address refund cases or other sensitive service matters that customers would never dare share in a public feed.
But Twitter went further in helping businesses strengthen their customer service efforts. Twitter is now giving businesses the option to conduct a survey on their followers using the Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) formats.
Customer interaction and feedback are crucial in any business. These new options will help both business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing professionals in their lead generation and lead nurturing efforts.
