Dive Brief:
- Twitter has introduced two new tools that allow marketers to interact directly with their customers—a big factor in service satisfaction.
- Retailers can now send private messages to consumers in response to a public tweet, allowing for real-time customer service.
- Consumers can also direct-message brands with their feedback following a service interaction to rate the company on their performance.
Dive Insight:
Known for its immediacy, Twitter has long been a favorite social platform for consumers to interact with brands—even if that interaction comes in the form of a public complaint. Now, Twitter is rolling out two new tools that promise to make service interactions easier for both brands and their buyers. Sellers can opt to send a private message to a Twitter user to respond directly to a tweet, and consumers can now offer feedback following a service interaction.
Both features should help brands create and maintain satisfaction with shoppers. Among consumers who had a personalized brand interaction, 77% said they were likely to recommend the brand, according to a June 2015 Twitter post. Among those who had an impersonal interaction, 66% said they are unlikely to recommend the brand.
The services offer Twitter new selling points as the platform struggles to keep users engaged. The direct message is cheap for brands, too, costing as little as one-sixth what an inbound call might cost. Advertisers report that 80% of their inbound social customer service requests arrive via Twitter, and companies such as Hootsuite, Salesforce, and Sprout Social will manage interactions on behalf of brands.
