Over two thirds of companies are ignoring the fact that social media is now the preferred channel for unhappy customers to make complaints, according to a new survey.
A.T. Kearney’s Annual Social Media Survey has shown that 70% of complaints are going un-answered simply because social media is not connected to the customer contact centre.
“The fact that so many brands are failing to recognise social media in their customer service strategies is a clear signal that they are finding it difficult to move beyond a simple broadcast mode of marketing to one based on dialogue,” said Brainfood Consulting’s Martin Hill-Wilson.
“Social media is a two-way street – when you communicate your marketing message out to your customers, you had better be ready to listen to their reply; you will lose business if you don’t.”
Social media accounts for up to 20% of the complaints some companies receive, but tough economic conditions have meant that the investments necessary to add the channel to contact centres and customer service strategies have fallen by the wayside.
Complaints made through social media are viewable globally, and have the potential to wreak havoc with a brand’s reputation if not handled correctly.
“The delay in the use of social media in the contact centre is understandable, but this must now be rectified if many companies are to protect their reputations and keep their competitive edge,” said Jim Close, MD of Datapoint, the contact centre optimisation specialists Datapoint.
“Software can be deployed that not only fully integrates social media into traditional complaint resolution channels, but that also forms part of a wider contact centre optimisation strategy,” he added.
“For example, peak times for complaints received via social media can differ from other communication channels and software can be used to plan staff allocation to meet these variations effectively.”
Retail giant Tesco showed me how it’s done at the weekend, responding within the hour, on a Saturday, after I had a traumatic experience with a chicken and bacon wrap…
