Last week, I was trying to solve a few technical problems on the job. One was an issue with a Watchguard firewall device. I won’t bore you with the details. My other problem was figuring out a great way to do time tracking on a smartphone that easily integrates with Quickbooks.

On Twitter last week, I posted a few questions regarding my Quickbooks problem, seeking advice or input from my followers on any suggestions they may have. I even sent a comment @Quickbooks so that Intuit would respond. Their response was lackluster, but in the posting the questions, I received a recommendation on @Tsheets. Within a day I also had a response from Jen Harris, from Tsheets.com and also received a phone call from her. We talked about their service, but also spent about 10 minutes talking about the power of social media for brand development engaging your target consumer.

On my Watchguard problem, I wasn’t necessarily searching for an answer on Twitter. I posted a rhetorical question, perhaps seeking sympathy from a fellow IT person, or a suggestion on how to find an answer. What happened next was interesting. Later that evening, I received an e-mail from Tracy Hillstrom, a product manager for Watchguard. Someone who knew tracy saw my pondering question on Twitter, and forwarded it.

The lesson to be learned here is this:

1.) The outsourced India-based call centers are dead.

2.) Companies are watching their brand image on social media.

3.) Because most social media is public, companies are much more responsive to questions, complaints, and customer service inquiries to keep the public opinion of the brand experience positive.

If you have a customer service issue with a company or product, try using a social media platform like Twitter to get some help. Even if the appropriate people are not following you, companies can monitor their brands through advanced search tools, because of the public nature of Twitter.

But there are some protocols that should be applied.

1.) Be honest, but be tactful. If you are frustrated, be frustrated, but don’t flame the brand, unless there’s no hope to correct the issue. A backlash can occur if you are too negative on these types of services.

2.) Be timely. Things happen quickly on social media, so if you post a question or inquiry, check back often for responses. If a customer service person or fellow “Tweep” (Twitter Peep, or friend) tries to help, but your trail goes cold for a few days, the desire to assist will fade quickly.

2.) Praise the action. If a business or a person comes through for you, be sure to give them their props. Online brand management is all about managing the image, so if you get good service, let everyone know.

Here is a list of companies and brands that are known to be on Twitter. Next time you have a customer service issue with any of these companies on Twitter, give them chance online to resolve your issue.