Dell's Social Outreach Services provides support for 2,000 to 3,000 customers per week via social and, according to Duty, achieves a social resolution rate of 97 to 98 percent. Internally, the customer support resolution process is just like any contact center process, only agents are using social listening and engagement tools.

"We use a partner's listening tools and engagement console to help organize the social conversations we are interested in," Duty says. "Our agents use these tools to find, listen and engage with the customer."

When Dell SOS agents spot these tech support-related conversations, they use internal support tools to research a case, figure out the right solution and go back to the social engagement console to provide the customer with a resolution.

Dell's social customer support strategy is similar to those on the other platforms it supports. The biggest difference is that customer expects a much faster response and resolution on social platforms than, say, an email-based inquiry.

Another difference is in the policies that agents use in social media compared to traditional contact center methods. Call centers, for example are usually scripted; agents use a strict set of procedures to resolve issues for customers. In social, companies tend to empower agents to make decisions and work without a script.