Customer Service in Social Media
Maritz Research recently conducted a study on people’s expectations on customer service over Twitter. 1,298 consumers participated in the study by writing complaints or enquiries on company Twitter pages. The main key finding was that only a 1/3 of the companies responded despite how 86% of the consumers who didn’t receive a response expected one specific to their comment.
More importantly, the study revealed that of all the consumers who participated in the study, it was women aged 35 and above who would of most liked to hear back from the company, almost 10% more than the average respondent.
The fact that it was women aged 35 and above that expected a response the most doesn’t surprise me. Women are behind eCommerce. The female purchase cycle online makes up the backbone of eCommerce sites, especially mums 30 years and older.
Anxiety is one of the key factors that can affect the success of your presence online. So not only do you need to eliminate all possible points of anxiety on your website, you also need to address anxiety in other online aspects of your brand, like social media.
This of course also relates to Facebook, where it is has become far easier to post complaints. Facebook users no longer have to like a page to post on it. Beforehand, users might of thought it was not worth it if you have to like the company you are about to complain about.
The customer service tab has also been removed from Facebook directing users to post their complaints directly on a company’s wall. If you don’t reply not only will you potentially loose a customer but also their friends too.
It’s important in customer service to address complaints or enquiries straight when they arise. But if the complaint is being voiced through social media, I’m going to say it is CRITICALLY important you address it. Not only will it be obvious to the user that the issue has been ignored, it will also be visible to their friends and to other customers. Don’t risk it.
For a successful online presence don’t only focus on eliminating anxiety through your website, you also need to focus on social media as well, by addressing any enquiries or complaints from your customers.
