Study finds social media is fastest and most reliable customer contact channel
A new study has revealed that social media is currently the quickest and most reliable way for customers to contact brands.
The survey of 2,000 consumers by eDigitalResearch found that around 80% of consumers who had recently contacted a brand through social media platforms heard back from the company within 12 hours, compared to just over one third (37%) who received a reply within the same time frame when making contact via email.
In addition, the study found that social media was currently the only customer contact channel that guaranteed a response from a brand. Of those consumers who had used social media to get in touch with a company, all received a response to their post, comment or tweet.
The results of the study reveal that how a customer contacts a brand is likely to have a big effect on their overall customer experience. While social media was the quickest form of getting in touch, those who contacted brands by letter waited longest to receive a response – 62% had to wait over 48 hours for a reply.
The study found that, on average, every one in ten customers never received feedback from a brand after getting in touch. In addition, 7% of consumers who had used live online chat facilities in the past claimed that they did not hear back from the company, suggesting that more needs to be done by brands to monitor this emerging contact channel.
Derek Eccleston, commercial director at eDigitalResearch, said: “Whilst there are still a limited number of consumers using social media channels to contact brands (our survey showed that just 2% have recently their Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts to get in touch with a brand), it is currently the only channel that ensures that all consumers receive a response following their contact.
“If a customer decides that they need to contact a company, their experiences should be the same no matter what channel they use. Obviously there are obstacles (such as the time delay with post) that some channels need to overcome or find a work around for. These results show that there are currently major disparities across customer touch points – measures should be taken to ensure that departments and teams work together to provide the best contact experience possible. Improving the customer experience should be a business wide operation.”
Hear the latest mobile retailing strategies and network with like-minded peers at the Retail Bulletin’s 3rd Mobile Retailing Summit, 24th September 2013. Speakers confirmed include The Body Shop, Domino’s Pizza Group, John Lewis, Asda, Miista, IMRG, Historic Scotland, Mobileweb Company, Economist Intelligence Unit, Soleberry Advisory, Star Micronics. Click here for details and registration
