A Customer Favorite: ^CT

Surprising and delighting customers is what the employees behind the @TeamTurboTax Twitter do best.

In year two of its journey, the team behind the Twitter account has helped customers get the tax answers they need as easily as possible. And customers, just like Ryan M., are taking note and appreciative of the support.

Christine Thacker was the @TeamTurboTax member who reached out to Ryan M. and got him the solution he needed to make him “happy as a clam.” She is also one of the original @TeamTurboTax members that helped the team reach success in year one when the project was founded. The TurboTax initiative was created to pair customers with tax and tech-savvy employees like Thacker, who is affectionately known on Twitter as ^CT.

Thacker’s eagerness to help, social prowess, and extensive tax knowledge made her an easy choice for the @TeamTurboTax March member of the month.

Intuit Investigative Blogger: What is your background and how does it help you on Twitter?

Christine Thacker: My background is in finance and tax. My career at Intuit began in 2007 as a seasonal employee. Then I moved to the Accounting Professionals Division for a short time until I found my current role.

Intuit Investigative Blogger: What is your current role at Intuit?

Thacker: I am the TurboTax Live Community moderator. I help customers get answers to their questions. Since Live Community is built into our tax product, customers come there often. My job is to not only help them via that channel, but I like to build relationships with what we call our super users in the community.

The super users are dedicated to our product and helping it improve. So I am the go-between for those customers, taking their feedback and giving it to the product developers. Hopefully in the end improvements are made and we have a great product.

Intuit Investigative Blogger: Is that work with TurboTax Live Community what made you decide to join the @TeamTurboTax team?

Thacker: The work I am doing with @TeamTurboTax is almost the same. It’s just a different vehicle. So instead of helping customers via a forum I am using Twitter. And we see some of the same customer questions pop up in both places.

But, I didn’t approach the @TeamTurboTax folks, my team was actually the driving force for my involvement. They became aware of what @TeamTurboTax was doing and then we joined since it seemed like a natural fit with what our roles and skills were.

I was really excited to help especially since it was new and exciting. It is great to be a part of something and see the growth and success it has had so early on in its journey.

Intuit Investigative Blogger: What do you like best about helping customers on Twitter?

Thacker: I love to see them be surprised. What I mean is, some customers are really surprised we even offer this type of support. So when we respond to a tweet it is really great to see them post about our outstanding customer service. It is really gratifying to sit back and know I helped solve their problem and create a great experience.

Intuit Investigative Blogger: Can you think of a favorite customer interaction you’ve had so far this tax season?

Thacker: Definitely. I helped a customer who had an issue and couldn’t get through to our support line. He posted an upset tweet and I responded to him to try to troubleshoot his issue. I ended up helping him over Twitter and shortly after we solved his problem he wrote a blog post about @TeamTurboTax and tweeted his satisfaction.

It was cool to see someone that wasn’t a professional blogger take the time to write this story about our customer service.

Intuit Investigative Blogger: Since this is the second year you have participated in the project, how has @TeamTurboTax grown?

Thacker: I have seen a big change in our team since last year. The overall size of the team has grown of course, but what is really great is that our skill set has improved as well. We have the right people on the team that have the skills to solve customer’s problems fast.

We have people with special knowledge on everything from how to install TurboTax, to specific support for Mac customers, to customer care overall. And we are routing the right tweets to the right people the first time. The entire process is more efficient and reduces wait for customers.

And I am definitely enjoying it. I think Intuit is catching customers off guard in a great way and we are meeting and exceeding their expectations. It is just great to see we aren’t just ignoring this popular channel.

The @TeamTurboTax Twitter account is a way for TurboTax customers, or those considering TurboTax, to get the help they need. What started as a six-person team last year has grown to more than 80 eager employees looking to wow some customers this tax season.

The growth in eager employees however, isn’t the impressive part. The stats are. Since tax season started, employees have interacted with more than 1,000 customers on Twitter so far this tax season.

Carlos is a first-time member of @TeamTurboTax who has had more than 144 interactions with customers on Twitter in less than a month. His passionate approach to making sure customers get what they need on Twitter is amazing considering he is also juggling his day job at TurboTax. Learn more about what it takes to help customers on Twitter like Carlos does on @TeamTurboTax.

Christen Wegner Kelly: What is your background and do you have customer service training?

Carlos Munoz: I am born and raised in Tucson (Ariz.) and am a single father of three kids. I have worked in the technology and customer support industry in the past but most recently was a paralegal.

Christen: What is your role at Intuit?

Carlos: I am a seasonal employee brought in to help with customer support during the busy tax season. My background really helped when it came to making sure customers are happy because I know how to give customers as much help as I could. The great thing is, that is really what this tax team is setting out to do as well, so it is a nice connection.

In my day-to-day work I am a support agent which means I engage with several customers at once. I am usually on instant messenger and on the phone at the same time.

Christen: What made you decide to join the @TeamTurboTax team?

Carlos: When I was going through my customer service training we got a quick training on how the tax team uses Twitter. I was one of the folks they tapped to help since I have had my own Twitter account for years.

The great thing about my job is that I am already engaging with tax customers. So the @TeamTurboTax is just an additional channel for me to watch. Most customer service agents have to be able to multitask, and that comes naturally to me now. At my last customer service job I learned how to multitask and juggle work so that you aren’t short changing any customer.

The great thing about Twitter is it is a little more lenient because you don’t have to answer immediately after they post something like in a chat format. You can take a minute or two. So if I am on a call I can work with that customer for a few minutes and then respond to the Twitter post.

I am using the @TeamTurboTax Twitter feed about an hour or two a day.

Christen: What do you like best about helping customers on Twitter?

Carlos: The funny thing is, I didn’t really understand the extent of the help I was going to be giving customers in the beginning. But we are doing something really unique at Intuit. We are able to be really proactive out there on Twitter because we are interacting with customers who typically just wanted a place to vent. Most likely they weren’t going to call TurboTax customer support and were going to give up. Our role is to go out there and find out what is wrong.

Within 10 minutes, often I am talking to them about their issue and getting it resolved. And since we sought them out, it is really a great moment to see how happy they get after we solve their issue.

Christen: Can you think of a favorite customer interaction you’ve had so far this tax season?

Carlos: Recently I spoke to a woman who was complaining online saying TurboTax wasn’t letting her e-file. Within a few minutes we responded, figured out what her problem was, and resolved it. Afterwards, she was tweeting how much she loved TurboTax.

She had about 1,500 followers so it was really great to see her tweets and think that I helped one person but could have possibly helped hundreds of her followers.

This is what it is really all about—customer service. And what is the coolest part is that all of this starts with us being proactive.

While we can’t clear your busy schedule of household tasks, @TeamTurboTax can tell you how to account for your family members at tax time, how to report your charitable deductions, and much more. @TeamTurboTax is just one of the ways TurboTax helps you get your maximum refund with minimum worry or hassle.

If you’re still getting used to Twitter, don’t fret – we have a great alternate for you. You can a free answer to your tax question by visiting Free Tax Question until January 31st.

Intuit began as a company that uses innovative ways to get close to customers, such as founder Scott Cook’s infamous “follow-me-homes,” where he’d watch customers manage their finances so he could learn how to build a better personal finance product. TurboTax uses social media is to bring customers together and provide tax expertise (example: Live Community) or gather feedback (see: Inner Circle) and most recently to connect directly with customers existing platforms, like Facebook and Twitter.

This year, TurboTax connected 40 tax and tech experts from across the company with customers in need on Twitter using @TeamTurboTax. The @TeamTurboTax team addressed hundreds of questions from Feb. 1, 2010 through the tax deadline. About 71% of those we asked decided to recommend TurboTax after their interactions with the team.

While using the best tools to connect with customers is always important  at TurboTax, we don’t want to forget to show you the most important part of making anything this big a success: the people behind the team. With @TeamTurboTax, the subject-matter experts, from seasoned CPAs to technical gurus, were the secret sauce to making our customers happy campers.

Last week we celebrated the end of tax season and inducted the employees that make the team what it is today into the @TeamTurboTax Hall of ‘Twame.

Below we highlight seven of our 40 best and brightest: our Customer Advocate, MVP, three Process Gurus, and two Go-Getters. As you’ll see, not only did we evolve the means by which we deliver customer service, but the way we measure it too.

Our Customer Advocate, Christine Thacker, is a TurboTax Live Community Moderator day-by-day. This tax season, Christine helped the most customers on Twitter this tax season (and she’s even a Twitter newbie!). Being a part of @TeamTurboTax is a natural fit for Christine, who sees @TeamTurboTax as a great way to build relationships with customers and an extension of her work in Live Community. Christine says, “I’m so happy that I have opportunity to participate. My favorite part of the tax season was seeing retweets from customers that were ‘wowed’ by their @TeamTurboTax experience.” When not tweeting or otherwise helping customers right and left, Christine spends her days with her two children, volunteering in her son’s kindergarten class, or doing anything from relaxing to gardening outdoors.

What is in the DNA of an @TeamTurboTax MVP? Far more than Twitter expertise, so it seems. Lee Ferris, CPA and 30-year tax season veteran, brings her tax expertise to TurboTax customers on Twitter by participating in @TeamTurboTax. While not tweeting, Lee is busy as tax expert for a broader team built around getting customers answers fast, and managing tax experts from various states, from Alabama to Oregon. Lee’s favorite moments helping customers this tax season involved helping grandmas understand if they can claim their grandchildren as dependents, and military spouses understand new tax laws. Lee’s favorite thing about using Twitter to answer tax questions? How short tax answers can finally be! When not helping customers or TurboTax employees keep up with tax law changes, you can find Lee reading, watching CSpan2 Book TV!

@TeamTurboTax is all about how we help customers as quickly and easily as possible. Our three Process Gurus, Zak Jacobson, David Kanter, and Ben Kanspedos are part of the Hall of ‘Twame because of their focus on quickly finding innovative ways to help customers even faster during a very busy tax season.

Zak Jacobson, Process Guru and software engineer at TurboTax, has been part of a variety of projects at TurboTax, including the team behind the sweet new iPhone app from TurboTax, SnapTax. Zak, a long-time Twitter user in his personal life, joined @TeamTurboTax because he feels using Twitter to reach out to customers on a personal level is not only a great idea, but a perfect application of Twitter and social marketing. In his spare time, you can find Zak snapping pictures around San Diego and elsewhere.

David Kanter, Process Guru, spent six years as an operations manager at Intuit before moving into our Customer Care organization. David’s pedigree makes him the perfect match for TurboTax customers in need: operations expertise, a customer-centric attitude and a passion for social media. David is an early adopter of Twitter, and in fact, secured many Twitter accounts for major Intuit brands before the rest of the company rallied around the cause. His favorite experience this tax season? When one customer said “eureka!” once he was able to solve their problem. This gave David a case of the warm fuzzies. When not tweeting or working, David enjoys playing with his four-year-old, playing rock guitar, and attending SO3 concerts in San Diego. You can also find him running in San Diego through Balboa Park.

Ben Kanspedos, Process Guru, creates training content for TurboTax employees. An avid Twitter user himself, Ben appreciates when companies he reaches out to for help on Twitter take the time to respond. As a result of his own experiences, Ben thinks using social platforms to answer questions and provide targeted information has so many benefits for customers. Outside of work Ben likes playing with gadgets, listening to music and searching for the perfect beat.

Tons of customers are out there talking about TurboTax on Twitter, but since @TeamTurboTax is so new, we need to let them know we’re here to help. Our two Go-Getters, Kim Bayne and Lucy Beard, helped connect the most customers with @TeamTurboTaxthis tax season.

Kim M. Bayne, a Go-Getter and Twitter veteran, is a senior technical writer and content developer at TurboTax. Her focus on customer and agent facing support content makes her a perfect match for supplying customers in need with helpful tidbits fast. Kim is an avid blogger herself, and was at the forefront of watching how companies would use Twitter. Kim joined the @TeamTurboTax team because she wanted to return to using Twitter for Intuit and helping customers. Kim’s favorite case of helping a customer this tax season took place when she helped a frazzled customer with login issues via chat. Kim quickly got the customer’s login information late at night when the customer needed help most. Outside of work, Kim is an avid crafts artisan and loves researching the business applications of augmented reality. She plans to live long enough to experience a Star Trek holodeck in her lifetime.

Lucy Beard, Go-Getter, and a customer care analytics manager, focuses on data most of the time. Her passion for connecting customers with the right expert brought her to the @TeamTurboTax team, where she helped customers during odd hours (when they need it most!). When not using Twitter for work, Lucy uses it to find out more about her favorite topics, like geocaching or David Beckham. Her favorite way to have a ball with customers on Twitter? Finding out what customers were going to spend their refund on. Lucy says, “…they get excited to tell me about the new pair of jeans, the student loan to pay off, or a wedding they are saving for. It brings it home that TurboTax makes a difference in people’s live and puts more money in their pocket.”

Did @TeamTurboTax help you on Twitter this tax season? Share your story in comments!

Do you have tax-time questions? Now, you can Tweet TeamTurboTax for answers.

Starting today, taxpayers on Twitter can tweet questions to @TeamTurboTax and get fast, free answers from a team of tax, tech and TurboTax® product experts providing help and advice to make tax time easier.

TurboTax^®, the nation’s best-selling tax preparation software from Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), created @TeamTurboTax in response to the growing use of Twitter by customers. Twitter users now top 75 million people worldwide.

What we’ve done with @TeamTurboTax is enlist the passion and knowledge of TurboTax employees to assist Twitter-savvy customers. With expertise in everything from tax matters to product questions and technical support, the team will answer product questions, troubleshoot problems, and resolve customer service issues.

As the lead for this project, I can tell you we’ve seen people are increasingly going online to file their taxes. Now they can just as easily go online to get answers from @TeamTurboTax on Twitter. This expands the options people have to get answers – whether it’s on Twitter, on the Web or on the phone.

The team here at TurboTax continues to pioneer new ways to use social technology to help customers easily do their taxes. Three years ago, TurboTax launched its Live Community, now used by more than 10 million people, to provide instant answers from TurboTax users and tax experts online.

In addition to submitting question @TeamTurboTax, Twitter users can also follow the site to see what questions have previously been asked and answered.

We hope you find this new way in which we’re interacting with you will help make tax time even easier. We’re committed to helping our customers where and when they need it.

Tweet you later!

Scott