Customer Service and Social Media

Researching the web I came across a list of Five reasons customer service is better on social media posted by David Griner on The Social Path. Here’s a quick recap of these reasons:

1. Because, for the first time ever, you can stop fires before they start. Companies have long been investing a lot of money in PR firms to investigate buzz around their products and/or services. Now, buzz can be instantly tracked on the web through forums, blogs, and other social sites.
2. It's easy. David mentions Google Alerts, which is extremely easy to use. Google Reader and other readers of this sort can easily be customized to bring you up-to-date information on your favorite blogs.
3. It's flattering. It feels good to have a company write or express opinions on your product. Even if there is negative feedback, just respond politely and you’ll be surprised at the reaction you’ll get.
4. It's a better use of your money than PR or advertising. While you shouldn’t altogether eliminate PR and advertising on the web, social media can replace many of those advertising dollars.
5. A little goes a long way. Instead of the traditional one-on-one outreach, responding to a blog post or forum thread for example can touch many people who view it.

Has your business adopted new methods in its customer service approach to adapt to the changing demographic?