To provide the best possible customer care, brands should consider separate Twitter handles.

Quality customer service is a way to boost loyalty and drive further sales, which is why many top brands are beginning to create Twitter accounts dedicated solely to customer service. As part of a greater social media marketing strategy, a Twitter handle that answers customer inquiries, calms concerns and helps explain products and features could be a significant benefit.

Customer service on TwitterAccording to a recent report by SimplyMeasured, 23 percent of the world’s biggest brands have separate Twitter accounts to handle customer care inquiries. Ninety percent of these brands that see the most amount of incoming Tweets reply to customers within 24 hours. This is significant, since another report by The Social Habit revealed that customers expect quick turnaround when it comes to responses to their Tweets. One-hundred percent say they believe that they should get responses within a few days, while 67 percent want responses within a day. Some expect almost immediate feedback – 32 percent of consumers expect a response within 30 minutes.

SimplyMeasured reported that some brands are having trouble keeping up with the amount of traffic they see. Blackberry, for example, sees roughly 470 tweets per day. Brands are working to respond to as many Tweets as possible. Nike makes the effort to respond to 74 percent of incoming Tweets, and the sports-apparel company leads all brands in social care via Twitter.

Creating a separate Twitter account to cope with incoming questions is a sound way to boost brand recognition, garner trust and improve customer satisfaction. Representatives that can respond with custom content will make consumers will feel heard, leading them to trust the brand. Brafton recently reported that consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 have high expectations for brands on social media. This age group, the Millennials, expects news and media to come to them, making it essential for brands to find ways to stay connected in every possible way.

Emma Siemasko is a former member of Brafton's editorial team. Emma has experience with blogging, travel writing, industry news, SEO and content marketing. She used to live in South Korea, where she mastered the art of using metal chopsticks.