Best Buy’s Latest Campaign “@Twelpforce”

by Gio Gutierrez

Another big company leveraging social media: mammoth electronics retailer Best Buy is encouraging hundreds of employees to handle online customer service via Twitter. This new initiative called Twelpforce already has over 7,000 followers and is getting a lot of buzz online not to mention they are airing two commercials (embedded below) reinforcing this effort. Traditional Media reinforcing Social Media…

An excerpt from Best Buy:

The promise we’re making starting in July is that you’ll know all that we know as fast as we know it. That’s an enormous promise. That means that customers will be able to ask us about the decisions they’re trying to make, the products they’re using, and look for the customer support that only we can give. And with Twitter, we can do that fast, with lots of opinions so they can make a decision after weighing all the input. It also lets others learn from it as they see our conversations unfold.

When you start, remember that the tone is important Above all, the tone of the conversation has to be authentic and honest. Be conversational. Be yourself. Show respect. Expect respect. The goal is to help. If you don’t know the answer tell them you’ll find out. Then find out and let them know.

This is a fantastic way to engage with Twitter users and social media. I wouldn’t mind being contact by a Best Buy employee if I twittered something in regards to “What LCD TV to buy” as long as the tone is friendly and personal from someone giving me knowledgeable advice; not pushing a sale down my throat.