If you believed the hype, you would think the only way consumers are telling their friends and family about customer experiences is via social media. Jimmy had a terrible experience with an airline? He must be tweeting about it. Sally had the best dining experience of her life at the new restaurant in town? She must be praising the restaurant on Yelp and telling her friends all about it on Facebook.
Not so, according to a new study by the Temkin Group which shows social media play a small role in these types of communications. By far, people tell friends and family about their best and worst customer experiences by phone, email and in person. As marketers, the problem is you can’t listen in on those conversations. It’s the same problem marketers have always had.
That’s why, despite the promise and hype of social media for listening to customers, it’s STILL crucial to have a proactive, ongoing, strategic customer listening program.
