@Dell Consumers...Don't Tweet & Buy

For another class, I’m actually doing a project on Dell and, specifically, how Dell’s underperformance can be linked to its poor customer service. The research we’ve done has been clear: people who have had Dells rarely buy them again because, inevitably, the computer malfunctioned in some way and, after it did, getting it fixed was a terrible experience. Or, we found, for those who haven’t bought Dells, they’re unlikely to because they’ve heard the nightmares of dealing with customer service/technical support. I even had one woman tell me she didn’t know a thing about computers and had no real opinions on the different brands and types but all she knew was that “she’d never buy a Dell” because of its poor word-of-mouth.

So I found it really curious when Friday’s class highlighted Dell Outlet as one of the leading brands on Twitter. While Twitter is fast becoming an essential part of a company’s brand identity and business, at its core, it remains a tool of social networking. Though it’s not actually personal, it seems to be, in some way, a connection between the public and a celebrity or a brand they love.

So what explains the dichotomy? How can a company vilified less for its products than for the way it relates to its consumers be one of the most popular Tweeters, boasting 1,563,244 followers? If 83% of Twitter users are looking to learn about or provide information on products and services (class notes), could it be the discounted offers? Are heavy social media users more savvy shoppers? That seems possible, since heavy internet users tend to be resourceful and creative when it comes to finding information on the web. But are they relying too heavily on the information they receive via Twitter instead of looking at consumer reviews on websites like Best Buy or reading actual, impartial, information about the computers they’re trying to buy?

Or is it possible that Dell is overcoming its reputation as lacking good customer service purely by being accessible via Twitter? Are there 1,563,244 people out there who feel well “serviced” by Dell because they’re able to tweet questions at a blond named Stefanie? If that’s the case, I suppose we should hand it to Dell for cheaply and easily fighting back against their poor word-of-mouth, though we haven’t seen this represented as profit just yet. Maybe soon…?