One of the best opportunities afforded to businesses on Twitter is the ability to form and foster genuine relationships with customers and prospects. This doesn’t happen just by signing up for a Twitter account. Businesses successfully using Twitter spend time talking with the people who follow them and they make the effort to follow them back. They encourage a two-way dialog and listen to what their customers have to say whether it’s good or bad.

I’ve worked closely with BrasseriePavil to learn about their business and then discuss with them the various ways they can use Twitter to connect with their customers and prospects. Over the last few months they’ve worked hard to engage people on Twitter. They enjoy the ability to converse with their customers and prospects. They communicate regularly with followers about new menu items. They love offering specials that only their loyal Twitter followers know about. They take reservations via Twitter. And, yes, they address customer dissatisfaction on Twitter.

Some businesses might be afraid to come out and say, for all to see, “We hear you. You weren’t happy. What can we do to make your experience with us better?” Not all businesses want to admit that they’re not perfect. But Brasserie Pavil isn’t just any business. After five months on Twitter and with over 900 followers, they’ve learned to use the power of Twitter to help them turn dissatisfied customers around. And they’re savvy enough to appreciate that customers–especially those on Twitter–want to be heard.

By monitoring Twitter and other social media sites for mention of their brand (for both positive and negative discussions); by making contact with unhappy patrons right away; by asking about the problems the customer encountered; and by doing what it takes to make the customer happy; they are opening up the conversation and, if all goes well, steering it back into a positive direction.

Are you harnessing the power of Twitter to help your business achieve customer service goals? Why or why not?

Here’s another take on Brasserie Pavil’s customer service win on Twitter by Liana Evans at SearchEngineWatch.com