Twitter is cool, but it’s not magic. It’s part of your communications toolkit, and it probably fits with at least a few of your departments or functions: customer service, PR, marketing, product development, human resources, etcetera—all of whom are already using a bunch of tools to connect with people.

For instance, you may think of your account as an information booth where you share tips, links, promos and so forth, but people will likely come to you with questions and complaints. You still need a way to respond to those customers appropriately, perhaps from within your customer service department. We’ve too often seen corporate accounts that post messages like, “@customer: That’s a shame. Email us for help.” And then there’s no email address given. For a customer who’s already having a problem, that sort of reply simply amps up her frustration. Much better to provide specific contact info, or even take the conversation to DM, get the customer’s contact info, and then have customer service follow up.