Brands still crap on social media

Consumers rushing onto social media to contact brands are not exactly getting what they bargained for after a new study claims a third of customers never get a response.
Based on the responses of more than 1,000 people, the research – by management consulting firm The Northridge Group – finds that 26% of consumers choose social media for customer service when they cannot reach a representative through another channel.
However 33% get the silent treatment, and, even when firms do respond, more than 30% of their responses do not meet the customers’ expectations. In fact, social media has the lowest percentage of issue resolution and follow up of all the channels.
Northridge Group executive practice lead for customer experience and contact centre manageme Pam Plyler reckons the survey results suggest that social is a critical channel that is commonly used for escalations, but companies are simply not meeting consumer needs.
She added: “When it comes to customer service, social media just isn’t living up to the hype. While there are added complexities to managing customer service through social media, engagement should not be considered optional. With the right focus, this channel can be effectively integrated into your overall service strategy.”
The survey also found that just 3% of consumers cite social media as the fastest channel for issue resolution, and only 2% cite it as their preferred channel.
In addition, 63% of consumers have to engage with a brand two or more times on social media before a customer service inquiry or issue is resolved. And, while 42% of consumers expect resolution within one hour when using social media, 39% say companies take up to a week to sort out their issues.
One reason for this chaos could be a lack of leadership on digital marketing. A recent study by digital agency Omobono found that marketers might talk a good game, but few companies have an integrated digital strategy and even those which do are not turning to marketing to lead that process.

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