Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, once said, "You know, if you make a customer unhappy they won't tell five friends, they'll tell 5,000 friends." Never has this been truer than now in the age of social media and Twitter.

Not only for promos and marketing anymore, Twitter is now a place where customers are going for customer support. If you're not using Twitter to find out what your customers are saying and helping them, you risk being left behind. A few reasons to take Twitter seriously as a channel for service and support:

1. Twitter Lets You Act Fast on Service Issues

One of the most noticeable aspects of Twitter is that it’s instantaneous, and for your business, this can have serious advantages when it comes to customer retention. Make a rule to keep response times under “X” minutes. When you see someone with a service issue, send an @reply to them asking if you can help. If it’s a bigger issue, then take it to phone or email.

2. You Can Build Trust with Transparency

When you maintain an open dialog with your customers and keep them informed at all times, you’ll earn your customer’s trust. Be truthful and transparent, even when it’s difficult or inconvenient. You’ll see the results.

3. When You Do Wrong, You Can Make It Right!

Customers who are not making buying decisions based solely on price are looking for a thoughtful approach to customer service. So when a problem happens, find unique ways to surprise and delight customers, keeping them satisfied and making your brand memorable.

Here’s an example of something that happened to our customer, Boloco: During a free burrito giveaway, a customer got a parking ticket while waiting for her burrito. She tweeted about the very expensive experience. Boloco could have just responded with a simple “sorry that happened,” but instead, they used the opportunity to surprise and delight the customer by paying her ticket. Result: lots of social buzz, and a positive story in The Boston Globe.

Did These Tips Help You? Would You Like to See More?

Are you ready to explore new ways to increase your performance on Twitter, and integrate Twitter more effectively into your customer service strategies?

For more in-depth discussion download this free ebook and subscribe to the Desk.com blog.