Social Media Support

One of the great things about social media, specifically Twitter, is that you can almost instantaneously talk to someone at a brand if you are having an issue with their product or service. This has become so normal, that Twitter began adding badges to profiles sharing this. I actually just noticed that they updated their badges, which used to simply say “offers support,” on those accounts. Now, it also tells you when an account will be most responsive.

I really appreciate the fact that brands have adapted to providing support in this way, because I think it’s easier for the consumer. Typing out an email can seem a bit too formal and it just feels more like a hassle, whereas typing out your problem in 160 characters just seems less tedious. Providing support this way is beneficial for brands too, in my opinion, because it shows its consumers that they’re trying to help them 24/7.
And while I appreciate that support, I think it’s also important to train those people who manage these accounts to be able to answer just about any question without having to send an email.
While I was scrolling through Twitter recently, I noticed that Benefit Cosmetics had replied to a customer telling her to email someone when it comes to specific product questions. The customer was just wondering how long a product should last before drying out. I know that I’m being a little picky here, because I think Benefit generally does a great job with answering customer questions through Twitter, but I just couldn’t help but think that don’t these reps have a document with products specifications that would answer questions like these? Just my two cents…
I think overall Benefit’s support is helpful and engaging, but I kept seeing them ask users to send an email for a variety of reasons. Take the work out of it for the consumer and gather the information through Twitter and then pass it along.
Just to give some perspective, I think Starbucks’ Twitter support is great. They’re knowledgeable about what goes into the drinks, the deals going on, and what is and isn’t available. And scrolling through a few days’ worth, not a single user was asked to send an email with more details.
Any other stories about awesome (or terrible) experience with brand support through Twitter?