Generally, I praise brands for being on Twitter. I love to see how different companies use the network to connect with their customers. But here’s a different question- what about the customers who don’t even know what Twitter is?

I’m not aware of any wireless company who currently has a representative on Twitter- my cell phone provider included. The last time I had a problem with them, I was on the phone for over two hours. I was not pleased. I’m an impatient millennial and even though I have nothing else to do, I have no time for this. Not to mention wasting my precious wireless minutes…

Had this company been on Twitter, I could have contacted them there. But they aren’t. However, this is probably not a big of a problem for them (yet), because I’m guessing the majority of their clients are not on Twitter (yet), either.

So what is a corporation to do? One company who handles this swimmingly is Comcast. I’ve praised them before, and I’m about to do it again. Comcast has customer service representatives who can be reached through their website. You engage in a live chat with someone who can help you solve your issue right then and there. I used this service to straighten out a billing blunder with them. I was immediately attended by a representative, and my problem was solved in minutes.

And Comcast is on Twitter, too! I could have probably asked Frank, but I know how busy he is.

I know other companies take a similar approach to customer service on the web as well. The downside to this, though, is that customers have to reach out to these companies by visiting their website to receive this kind of service. My point is that companies should take a more comprehensive approach to customers on the web, and not only be on Twitter- they should be monitoring their reputation everywhere they can. Are brands reaching out to customers in other ways on the web? What else are they doing, beyond using Twitter?
-Liz Giel