There can be no doubt that social networks are providing the real-time customer service opportunities that were unavailable without them. Recently, the CEO of SocialBakers released a statistic that seems rather alarming considering how many companies are pushing and promoting consumer contact through networks like Facebook and Twitter.
The average response time to customers on these platforms is 28 hours.
Twenty-Eight Hours is Unacceptable
It seems out of line that so many businesses are urging customers towards resolutions on social media networks while making them wait for so long for acknowledgement or help. We know of many who are definitely doing it right and those who are positively doing it wrong.
- A recently analysis has revealed Delta AirLines has one of the fastest average response times of 11 minutes on their
@deltaassist account. - A South American mobile carrier known as Claro responds to over 60% of their Facebook customers in less than ten minutes. On Claro’s Facebook page, often there are tens of thousands of wall post in a 24 hour period.
- Big name fast food companies are also stepping up their game on their Facebook fan pages with Chick-Fil-A, Wendy’s and Pizza Hut all had an average response time of under 1:30. With each of these sites having over 1,000 fan’s posts on their walls.
- A recent study on customer response time on social platforms in the Auto Industry show that they only bother responding to 17% of their customers at all.
So while some industries as a whole, such as the airlines, have set benchmarks for social media communications, others, like the auto industry, seem to be focused elsewhere. Co-Founder of Social Media Club, Chris Heuer believes that the reason for the lapse could be the difference between those businesses that are focusing on the purely financial aspects of their ROI, investment and return. He believes they are doing so the their own detriment because they are failing to recognize how the market itself has changed, how it now requires a more holistic approach.
The Social Element
Why create an outlet for consumer feedback on Facebook or Twitter at all if you are not planning to be fully engaged?
Heuer shared,
“To understand the new market conditions, we should expand our concept of the nature of the returns we might garner and the significance they bring.”
A big part of consumer returns is their connectivity to a chosen brand. Since social media allows this connectivity in real-time, it is vital to be active on those platforms. It is very important to remain true to what you have offered your consumers. If you have advertised that you will take complaints, compliments, and feedback on your social platforms, be sure you have an employee in place who will be there to respond to those attempts from consumers to reach out. You may need to determine if your company needs its own social media department, or if you will handle the feedback personally. Being responsive is the core component to many social marketing efforts.
Are you tracking your social media response times? What tools are you using? Have you had successful results from measuring your metrics?
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