Instead of waiting for people to come to them these organizations are sending their forces out into conversations to provide value and insights. While companies have been getting involved for years, the scale is changing. In just the past few weeks BestBuy announced their @Twelpforce program to empower an entire sales force to speak one to one with consumers. Hyatt has also made a similar move with @HyattConcierge to respond to travel questions from finding a restaurant to directions like any local Concierge would do. These companies are on the forefront of a powerful opportunity – the chance to influence customers with action, not offers.

This is not to say offer based programs have no value but rather that it’s limited by the interest in following the offers themselves. On the other hand when a company becomes engagement based it moves right into the conversation and whether it’s through twitter, Facebook or a topic based forum, there’s a tremendous opportunity to engage and provide value.

In a sense the entire concept of social solutions is a return to what retail once was. Companies are selling value not in terms of discounts or flashy displays but service. A polite answer to a question no one else solved. A helpful tip about where to go, what to do. It’s all welcomed and warranted so long as the source remains valuable. And while Twitter has introduced the concept on a mass scale it’s possible to extend into literally thousands of micro-communities where answers are always welcomed.

Of course engaging on a companywide level is not without risks and issues. Rogue employees can certainly harm a brand’s reputation intentionally or simply by accident. Plans can be leaked out prematurely and a whole list of other risks could certainly be written up if one was so inclined. But as with so many tactics the risk of inaction is even more worrisome. When a company fails to engage and fails to be open to communication the comments pile up, the questions go unanswered and the brand remains a faceless entity dedicated to selling only.

Opening the doors to mass interaction should be something every organization considers and evaluates. The opportunity for great results exists but must be thought through with careful attention to risks and potential challenges. BestBuy has done a solid job of foreseeing many of these issues and building a plan that works around them just as every organization should. After all the last thing any brand wants is its name getting associated with social spam or any other violations. But with a well executed effort there’s a wide open door to provide value that means something using the hands of people who know the customer and products best.