14 DAY TRIAL // Twitter has been maturing after the huge growth spike it saw at the beginning of last year. It’s been adding new features and even buying up Twitter app makers, but the one thing that many have been expecting and that Twitter itself has talked about for quite a while now, its pro accounts for businesses and brands feature, has been missing in action. That’s about to change soon, though, the feature, dubbed Twitter Business Center, is now in beta testing and will be rolled out gradually to everyone.
The site has sent out invitations to a few businesses, asking them to test the new features. Others were testing the Twitter Business Center (TBC) as early as December last year. Businesses that get invited to the beta test will get a number of tools to make managing their Twitter account a lot easier. There are also a number of features that come in handy for companies.
One feature that businesses will be able to take advantage of with TBC is account verification. Verified accounts were rolled out almost a year ago, but were only available to celebrities and other public figures. At the time, Twitter said it would introduce it for brands and businesses as well, but that hasn’t happened so far. Verified accounts are an obvious feature, ensuring users that they’re getting an official response.
TBC comes with a dashboard to set up the account and customize it to whatever the companies feel necessary. One of the more interesting options available allows these accounts to receive direct messages from anyone. Normally, you have to follow someone before they can send you direct messages. This option should be very welcomed for brands wanting to connect with their customers or even small businesses doing some sort of customer support on Twitter. Twitter hasn’t said when to expect the Business Center to be available to anyone or if the current options and feature set are final. [via Mashable]