The social help desk: examining how Twitter is used as a technical support tool

Chris Lam University of North Texas ; Mark A. Hannah Arizona State University

Abstract

Technical support, a traditional practice of technical communication, is rapidly changing due to the ubiquitous use of digital technologies (Spinuzzi, 2007). In fact, many technology companies now have dedicated Twitter accounts specifically for providing technical support to end users. In response to this changing technical support landscape, we conducted an empirical study of Twitter-based interactions among six companies and their customers in order to examine the nature of the emerging technical support genre on Twitter. Among other findings, we discovered technical support was widely sought among the customers of the companies studied (Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Samsung, Hewlett Packard, and Dell) with nearly 200,000 tweets recorded in just a 38-day timespan. We also found a majority of individuals used Twitter to complain about a brand as opposed to seeking support for a specific technical problem. In our entry, we discuss the implications of these and other findings for technical communication practitioners and researchers who design for technical documentation in social media contexts.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2017-03-22
DOI
10.1145/3068698.3068702
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Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Communication Design Quarterly

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