Socialbakers recently released its “Socially Devoted” report with data for the first quarter of 2013, and the results show a little bit of everything. On the one hand, the average response has improved, growing to 38%, with an increase over the previous quarter of 6%, after only having improved by 4% in the previous six months. But on the other hand, it remains disheartening that less than half of the questions asked to Twitter profiles get a response.
But what is even more disappointing is the increase in the time to respond, which has been increased by 10%, from 6 hours in the 4th quarter of 2012 to more than 6 ½ hours in the first quarter of 2013.
And the trend tells us that we are getting worse. In the 3rd quarter of 2012 the average response time was 5.1 hours.
Facebook shows us a more pleasant scenario, with companies responding to 60% of the questions fans and followers asked them on the platform in the first quarter, according to Socialbakers. But let’s not rush to fire rockets, just as companies did not rush to answer. They needed almost a full day, specifically 22.6 hours on average, to do so.
Analyzing the most recent Twitter data, Socialbakers has found that in the first quarter of this year, the most “socially delivered” industries were:
- Finance: 62.8% of the questions answered, with a strong increase from 46.1% in the 4th quarter of 2012;
- Airlines: 53.2% from 45.7%;
- Telecommunications; 46.1%, with a slight increase from 43.5%.
Alcoholic beverages (15.6%), electronics (16.7%) and automobiles (20.7%) were at the bottom of the list, although all of them improved in more or less larger percentages since the previous quarter, mainly The alcoholic beverage industry doubled its level of response.
Another related study recently developed by Simply Measured showed us in this sense what 30 of Interbrand’s top brands are doing in terms of customer support on Twitter. The million dollar question would respond to all the messages they receive?
The truth is, only 10% of these brands that have an exclusive channel of customer service through Twitter respond to more than 70% of the messages they receive. The average response is around 42%. Interestingly, in this case, the report also set as the mean response time in 5.1 hours although the fastest case was in 42 minutes.
Consumers and business customers prefer Twitter to make themselves heard
Todos esos datos pueden explicar la frustración que provoca el que las marcas hagan oídos sordos a las peticiones por parte de sus clientes. Según Aspect un aplastante 84% se sienten ignorados, mientras que 2 de cada 3 no consideran que reciben un trato adecuado como clientes. Ante esta impotencia, el 27% decide optar por un canal alternativo, donde un 9% no muestra reparos a la hora de proclamar su aflicción a diestro y siniestro.
According to another survey published by Fishburn Hedges and Echo Research, the rate of customers using social networks to contact brands has increased from 19% to 36%. Of the 2,000 users who participated in the study, 65% consider that social networks prefer to call centers when communicating with the brand, and although the importance of other channels does not have to be relieved, it denotes the growing trend The use of social channels by consumers to establish contact with the brands and get their issues and problems.
It is therefore important that companies respond quickly and efficiently through social networks to those customers who use these channels as an approach that facilitates communication, while also promoting engagement and their sense of belonging to the brand.