Best Buy has assembled a Twitter army dubbed the Twelpforce — 500 members of staff who are prepared to help answer customer service enquiries on the micro-blogging service.
Twitter users can address their tech questions and customer service enquiries to @twelpforce, and then a ‘twelper’ will reply directly to that user. The Twelpforce’s replies can also be seen on the twelpforce Twitter page.
Membership of the Twelpforce is open to all staff, says Best Buy, which has posted on the web details of how employees can join Twelpforce plus a series of Tips & Expectations the company expects Twelpforce members to adhere to. Here’s what staff need to do to take part:
Enter your Twitter ID and we will add your tweets to the stream of other Best buy employees who tweet. Customers will be able to see and search what we’re talking about. You will also be able to tweet under the collective Best Buy Twitter handle of @twelpforce. Simply add the hash-tag #twelpforce and your tweet will show up under the twelpforce handle and credit you with a line at the bottom of the tweet — ‘via @mytwitterhandle’.
Best Buy has also unveiled a new online suggestion box, IdeaX. Consumers can submit likes, gripes and ideas, which are immediately posted in a social voting and commenting system where other users can add their thoughts and vote for their favourite ideas. In addition to publicly airing its dirty laundry, Best Buy is essentially “crowdsourcing” innovation, since every idea submitted becomes property of the company.
