Nail on the head. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that PR per se will go away--if your brand's reputation is there for all to see, what's the point? Or maybe it's micro-PR; every interaction is a proof-point--a chance to walk the talk or mea culpa when you screw up. Barack Obama said this about the Daschle flap--it's not that we aren't going to make mistakes, it's how we handle them that will show we're serious about change.

I agree - We're finding major brands, startups as well as government agencies asking us for help with feedback from customers and constituents. We live in an instant world where the ability to reach out and be heard should not be taken for granted.

Anywhere at anytime customers are talking about your brand. Either you facilitate the conversation, engage them where they're at - or try to ignore them, either way they are not going away, so you might as well join them...

Marcus... See More
UserVoice.com

@Jay, Jeff Jarvis has written in What Would Google Do that advertising should go away in favor of rock-solid products and services that have input from the community as they are developed.

So now, how does a company's PR reps begin to take these steps while not stepping on anyone's toes in customer relations?

@Kirk, the budgeting question is a good one. But the bigger question in my mind is speed and coordination. How can a comms professional begin to go down this path while not alienating their customer service colleagues?

I wonder what will happen when customer service input becomes so easy (via twitter) that people use it and have an expectation that it will be as good as an manned 800 number. If I call an 800 number it's definitely annoying but at least I get through to someone (usually) and solve the problem (usually). If Jetblue or whomever gets a bazillion ... See Moretweets a day, how will they ever be able to respond? Never thought I'd saythe input side of customer service may have to be a little challenging, just to qualify it as legit.