As more people join the Internet revolution, companies everywhere are finding that what they knew about Customer Service is changing.  To be fair, the Customer Service industry has been one of the most progressive industries in the digital evolution.  They were the first to utilize work-from-home reps using virtual extensions and remote applications.  This led directly to the outsourcing of reps to countries like India and Mexico, where labor is considerably cheaper.

But with the explosion of Internet apps and social networking, the Customer Service industry is at a cross-roads.  No longer can they deliver excellent customer service using just a call center and email.  Internet users now demand service via other channels such as online agents and Instant Messaging.

In addition, bad customer service is MUCH more of a nightmare in the Internet age.  In the 80’s, if a consumer encountered bad customer service, he or she would simply tell their friends about it.  If it was exceptionally bad, they might even get their story into the paper or on the news.

Now, an angry customer with only a bit of skill can cause a PR nightmare for just about any company by starting their own negative website.  It only takes starting a free blog at places like blogger.com or WordPress.com!  Couple that with some agressive marketing, and a good blog posting or two, and voila!, instant revenge.

To survive in this world, companies need to constantly be searching the web for potential PR catastrophes and be prepared to handle them immediately once found.  Some companies use legal means to get sites shut down, others try a more tactful approach to convert the consume from an angry customer to a fan again.  But some companies are going even further – they are being extremely proactive.

Comcast is one of those companies who are being proactive.  One customer found recently that they actively monitor Twitter for disgruntled customers!