South Africa’s part state-owned telecommunications company Telkom has created accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin in a bid to connect with customers.
Telkom have been slow to take advantage of social media. Their new Twitter and Facebook accounts, launched today, have 88 and 29 subscribers respectively.
Their biggest rival MWEB meanwhile has 3,500 followers on Twitter and almost 16,000 ‘likes’ on their Facebook page.
Manelisa Mavuso, Managing Director of Telkom Consumer Services and Retail, said: “We are embracing these social media sites with the knowledge that many of our customers prefer this communication platform over others.
“The direct interaction and transparency afforded by these sites means that we can truly connect with our customers in way that we have not been able to do before.”
Telkom, which also has a Linkedin page, said they would use them hopes to improve their communication with customers and respond quickly to enquiries and service complaints.
The company said they will use social media to update customers on industry news and industry trends.
Mavuso added: “We believe that this level of engagement and the insights gleaned will aid Telkom in its efforts to improve service delivery and deliver on what customers really want,” concluded Mr Mavuso.”
