STRATEGIC TURN FOR TWITTER?
A shift to customer service
Wayward microblogging network Twitter could be moving toward becoming primarily a customer service portal.
The slumping social media platform recently announced it would launch a new feature allowing businesses to give multiple customer service representatives their own direct messaging profiles so they can respond to users with a more human touch. The feature, being piloted by T-Mobile, allows companies to deploy multiple agents under one Twitter handle, and also helps them clearly indicate when an automated bot is fielding questions.
The move is one in a series of steps that Twitter has made in the last year to emphasize its platform as the digital customer service portal of choice. In September, Twitter unrolled a new set of special features for customer service profiles, making direct messages more prominent and allowing businesses to indicate specific hours when profiles are manned by agents. Several months earlier, the company instituted a new tool making it easier for customer service conversations to switch from public to direct messages when personal information is exchanged.
For a large segment of consumers, Twitter has already replaced the customer service call center as the go-to platform for questions and complaints.
When my Verizon FiOS was acting particularly finicky during the Super Bowl, my husband and I both reflexively took to Twitter. The public nature of the platform provides a sense that someone is going to be accountable for whatever injustice has befallen you.
But it’s not just a win for customers. For businesses, it’s the world’s best focus group and enables real-time insights for brands.
These are tough times for Twitter. Last year was marked by flat revenue growth and a decline in advertising sales. This year, shares are down more than 5 percent and are about 40 percent lower than when they first debuted on Wall Street. One of the reasons Twitter has had such a hard time winning over Wall Street investors is because the company lacks a clear strategic innovation focus. You might think the company would’ve found a way to monetize President Trump’s love affair with 140 characters — but it hasn’t.
It similarly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with its video service Vine, which it recently announced would shut down.
But Twitter as a customer service portal is practical. CEO and founder Jack Dorsey has said companies that use Twitter for customer service see a 19 percent lift in customer satisfaction. Several studies have reported that users have come to expect a nearly instant customer service response on Twitter, a testament to its potential evolution in that space.
That’s why it also makes so much sense for Twitter to buy either Zendesk or Freshdesk, two customer service software companies that are gaining momentum.
Automating multistep responses and enabling instant problem resolution are just a few benefits of Zendesk and Freshdesk. Artificial Intelligence technology ensures that these systems will continue to get smarter over time.
Both software platforms already integrate with Twitter. In fact, most tweets from customer service agents are probably sent through the Zendesk or Freshdesk platform. But a fuller integration could transform Twitter into the only end-to-end customer service solution. And with an $11 billion market capitalization and $544 million in free cash flow, the network could just about afford an acquisition of one of the two major customer service platforms, which would go a long way toward stabilizing its future.