Last week, Twitter revealed a new service for businesses - a feature that allows them to assign and manage multiple contributors under one account.  Primary account holders can grant access to multiple users, which permits those users to post tweets on that company’s behalf.  A link to the author is then included in the byline of the company tweet.

One of the main benefits of having contributors is giving followers insight into the people behind an account - “making the business to consumer communication more personal.”  Beyond that, the feature allows for centralized news, information, and conversation without the hassle of multiple users logging on to one account, or multiple accounts run by separate users.

Not every business account has access to the feature yet while is still in beta testing, but you can check out Starbucks or Twitter to see how they use contributors, or view behind the scenes screenshots on Mashable.

Using contributors may not be beneficial for every business - some will want and need separate accounts for different purposes, or maybe one account with one owner is enough.  Twitter has also indicated that it is only the first of many new business-specific developments, so maybe a future service will be a better fit.  But no matter how a business decides to use Twitter and its features, active listening and engagement are still the most important keys to building relationships with people important to their success.

*Image courtesy of Mashable.com*