Panasonic will now be able to give advice for its televisions, cameras, and Blu-ray players online as the company starts its customer support on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Customers can log queries for customer support representatives and receive replies with further information and fixes, or view product how-tos.

Panasonic’s Director, Customer Care, Brett Buckingham said, “More and more people are turning to social media services to receive information about our products and we see this as an important addition to our customer service capability.”

“This is another way that Panasonic is looking to help customers get the best possible experience from its wide range of products.”

The Panasonic Customer Care Centre currently takes thousands of calls every day from consumers all around Australia, providing technical support and detailed product information. Customer Care consultants receive training and support from Panasonic’s expert team of technical officers and service engineers, ensuring they have the know-how to deliver the best advice and technical help.

A four-person Panasonic support team spent more than a month monitoring social media sites, recording the type of queries posted to sites and the answers provided.

Buckingham said he hoped the Panasonic customer support services would add to, rather than replace the existing knowledge pool. “It is incredible how well versed consumers are about our products, with many queries being solved or at least answered by other members of social media networks around the world.”

“Our efforts can add to this consumer pool of knowledge – particularly when more information is needed or the customer wants to speak directly to the company. It is early days yet but it is also very exciting,” concluded Buckingham.