Entry by Lindsay Davis, Solutions Marketing Intern, Interactive Intelligence, Inc.
We live in a world where it is now socially acceptable to follow people, where âtweetingâ is used in everyday language, and where we learn to describe any emotion we may have in 140 characters or less.
Thank you, Twitter.
Above all else, we live in a world where corporations can use this simple animated bird-themed website to reach out to their customers and employees while gaining feedback in return. I gained firsthand experience of this during my first few weeks at Interactive Intelligence.
Iâve âtweetedâ before, but it was always meaningless updates about my whereabouts, or what I was doing. Never did I imagine Twitter as a marketing tool, until now. These days if youâre not up-to-date with the latest and greatest, youâre at a huge disadvantage, especially when it comes to company branding and customer service.
With âhashtagsâ and âre-tweets,â a company can tell exactly whoâs talking about them and what theyâre saying. Do you have a question about a product or a webinar? Twitter allows for quick responses and direct messages. A company wants to spread the word about a new demo or contest? Post a link and suddenly itâs available to over 75 million people. The best part is anyone can do it. Twitter prides itself on being user-friendly.
Every year Interactive Intelligence puts on a user forum; a place where customers can come together to learn and share ideas. This year, over 400 customers and employees gathered in downtown Indianapolis for Interactions â10, and Twitter kept tabs on the whole process.
Before the event Interactive Intelligence âtweetedâ about registration deadlines, presentations to expect, award nominations, and keynote speakers to get attendees and prospective guests excited and enthusiastic about whatâs to come. By posting links to blogs, demos, and conference materials, customers were able to interact with @IN_Intelligence before even arriving in Indy. Using the hashtag â#ININ10,â employees were able to see what customers were saying and gain insight about what they wanted and expected out of the event.Â
For the first time, a Twitter feed was at the conference. Displayed online as well as on a 37â plasma screen were any and all tweets about the event, from comments on CEO Don Brownâs opening speech to customers wondering whatâs for lunch. As part of the Twitter crew, I was responsible for monitoring the feed, adding any comments and answering any questions. This was a space where employees and customers could come together and have a conversation, without any verbal communication. It may be impossible to meet and greet 400 people at the conference, but with Twitter, it can happen.
After the closing session, while the computers were being put away, and the chairs cleared out, Interactive didnât have to wait to tally the evaluation forms to know how the customers felt about the conference. Immediate âtweetsâ filled the feed with messages of thanks and appreciation with excitement to go back to work and show what they learned.
Although Twitter lacks a personal feel and verbal communication, it allows immediate interaction, with the ability to offer more. As a consumer, what more could you want? I now follow all my favorite stores, sports teams, and news channels. I get immediate updates on whatâs new and whatâs to come. It allows you to feel like a part of the company. In my six weeks at Interactive Intelligence I feel like I know whatâs going on in all aspects of the business. Iâm in with the ININ crowd.
