Introduction
The realtime nature of Twitter creates a sense of urgency and this can be exploited in situations where there is an immediate need for keeping customers informed and related calls to action. Note that Twitter remains as ONE of the channels for supporting such situations and not the ONLY channel.
Also, an important thing about Twitter based business solutions to solve some business problems is that implementing them requires minimal IT interference and it is low cost. Flexibility of Twitter also makes it ideal for various business situations.
Three weeks ago I published a post here on the 4 Uses of Twitter in Specific Business Scenarios. I will now present use cases for the High-Tech industry. I have structured each of these examples under 4 sections
- Problem that needs to be solved
- A possible solution using Twitter and
- The Benefits
- Similar Applications where possible
Here are some examples:
Software Patch Releases
- The Problem
- To be effective, software/firmware patches often need to be deployed rapidly. A delay in their deployment may have a significant impact on the business.
- The Solution
- Create a Twitter HashTag/Account for each version of your software product
- Right at the point of sale, encourage your customers to follow this account
- Tweet links to software patches as and when they become available
- Tweets from followers will help in identifying any problems with the patch
- Tweets from followers could be used to collate new issues and the need for new patches and software updates
- The Benefits
- Improved Customer Service and satisfaction
- Improved damage control
- Improved chances of upselling
- Better peer-to-peer interaction amongst customers
- Similar Applications
- Announce release of new versions of Software and Firmware, provide links for download and instructions to install
- Discuss new features released in the product for effective use of product
Virus Outbreak Alert
- The Problem
- Any time there is a software virus outbreak within or outside an organization, it is important that the IT department be able to minimize the potential damage it can create company-wide. This may have a significant impact on the business.
- The Solution
- Create a Twitter Account and HashTag for the organization and IT department
- Right at the time of joining, employees should be encouraged to follow this account
- Tweet details with links to all such incidents and insist on immediate action
- Tweet details with links to all such incidents and insist on immediate action
- The Benefits
- Improved damage control resulting in potentially huge savings for the organization
- Similar Applications
- The effects of a recent incident with a large supermarket where the check-out POS machines were hacked could have been reduced/minimized
- Instances of a Data Breach may need to be publicized quickly and effectively, Twitter provides such a capability.
Keeping FAQ, User Manual for Product current
- The Problem
- There is a very strong need for creating an effective FAQ and user-manual for complex tech products. It is further important that this remain up-to-date and relevant to the customer. Each time there are newer patches, features, upgrades released the FAQ and User Manual have to be updated.
- The Solution
- Create a Twitter account/hashtag for the product and encourage customers to follow and actively tweet their queries, suggestions, tricks and comments about product.
- Listen, collate and organize the customer comments and make changes to the FAQ and user-manual appropriately, periodically.
- The Benefits
- Improved customer service and satisfaction
- Fewer calls to HelpDesk and reduced cost of customer management
- Similar Applications
- Get ideas from customers for product features for future releases, collate them and prioritze based on what you hear in these channels
I encourage readers of this post to add their experiences with using Twitter in their workplace.