Social media is the preferred customer service channel for just 2% of customers, far behind other channels such as phone (43%) and email (22%), this according to a Parature survey of roughly 1,000 United States adults.
Yet, respondents are not shy about using social media to interact with brands: 35% claim to have asked a customer service question on social media, while 35% have complained about a brand and 52% have praised a brand. 51% among those that got a response said it gave them a somewhat or much more favorable view of the brand.
The survey does not detail whether the response was for a question, praise, or complaint. Research from Bazaarvoice has shown that brands can benefit from responding to negative reviews. Even so, a recent survey found that 1 in 5 brands rarely, if ever, respond to complaints on social media.
It is interesting to note, however, that survey respondents are more likely to take to social to praise a than complain about a brand, as previous research has found that consumers are more likely to share bad than good service experiences.
Nevertheless, recent research from NewVoiceMedia suggests that half of US consumers will tell friends and colleagues not to use a business following an inadequate customer service experience – while 7 in 10 will recommend a company following a positive experience.
Overall, 59% of the Parature survey respondents who interacted with a brand on social media (be it praising, complaining, or asking a question of it) said they received a response from the brand. By comparison, Socialbakers data indicates that US Brands responded to just 38% of Facebook useres’ wall posts in June, down from February’s high of 59%.
When looking for a rapid response, however, social media is not the preferred choice. When asked which channel they would use if they needed a fast or immediate response, a dominant 57% of respondents cited the phone, followed by live chat (24%). Just 1% of respondents said they would use social media.