Customer Service. All of us had to make one of those calls to a customer service department, and most likely its during a peak call time or when you really need to get someone immediately. You may be able to get an agent live if your lucky, but if you are like me you just press 0 until you get a live person.

In the world of web many people are turning to sites like Twitter and placing issues on sites, such as Get Satisfaction which boasts on its site that ” [its service] is a direct connection between people and companies that fosters problem-solving, promotes sharing, and builds up relationships. Look at this service problem on their site from a user that was upset at Adobe, it looks like the issue is resolved.

When a Stanley Cup broadcast suddenly went black in late April, many Comcast subscribers went to Twitter to find out why.

It was there — not on a phone system with multiple options — they discovered that a lightning storm in Atlanta had caused a power outage during the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins hockey playoff game, and that the transmission would be restored soon.

According to a NY Times article, Omni Hotels has been monitoring Twitter to offer guests surprise perks. For example, Kevin Colón, 35, from Superior, Colo., twittered about his plans to watch the Final Four college basketball championships in April with friends at the Omni Interlocken Resort near Denver. The marketing people at Omni noticed the tweet and notified the hotel. When the group arrived they were escorted to a reserved table with a good view of the TV and offered a free round of beers.

The benefits of posting customer service complaints online seem to be very good. My only concern is about the people who are not connected, what are companies doing for people who are not connected? Any benefits of just calling in to customer service?