on Twitter solves tech support issues in 140 characters or less.

There may be complex cases or a request for a phone call from a customer, but Dell agents also converse with customers in many ways-they troubleshoot issues in 140 characters in and answer a customer's question on , in the , on and a few third-party discussion forums as well. The goal is to stay engaged and provide a resolution in the same channel the customer initially used.

One key factor any business needs to look at is how to effectively listen, engage and measure a social customer support strategy.

"You can't just measure effectiveness by how many tweets or Facebook posts you're putting out to the world," Cleveland says. "You have to have a qualitative handle on reaching those who have the most influence and getting the right kind of information out there."