An instance where Twitter makes an efficient CRM tool: when it’s used to supplement help desk software. Yesterday, Canadian help desk software company Expinion.net launched Twitter capture technology with its version 3.0, giving subscribers to the on-demand service the ability to track support results on the social media site.

Several companies use Twitter for customer service ends (like digital-services provider Comcast), and it is very helpful for finding troubled customers before they come to you. Companies can find out what’s being said about their brand and products, and reach out to them with Twitter directly from the help desk administration, to offer support and find a solution. There’s also a branding bonus with Twitter integration: since the stream is crawled regularly, this method of customer support is good for public relations and for driving traffic to the company’s website.

With Expinion’s Twitter capture technology, relevant tweets are actually stored in the help desk platform, along with other tickets and internal projects. Furthermore, users can track progress made with each tweet over a longer term. Many CRM sectors are finding it difficult to incorporate the unstructured data coming from social networking sites, but it’s nice to see that one such sector can actually make good use of Twitter.

Technorati Tags: Expinion.net, HelpConnection.net, on-demand help desk, Social Media, Twitter