Brands and organizations that can respond quickly on social media may have more going for them than they realize. A March 2013 Simply Measured study of the Interbrand Top 100 Brands on Twitter shows that if an organization is able to consistently respond to customer questions and issues on Twitter in under an hour, they have a true customer service differentiator on their hands.
The new study looks at the Interbrand Top 100 Brands in the world and how they’ve interacted with social customers over the last three months. It found that the 30 brands in the top 100 with customer-support-dedicated Twitter handles (including Nike, Ford, Microsoft, American Express, Dell and others) have received more than 198,000 inbound tweets in the last quarter and delivered more than 82,000 support responses.
Eight of the top 10 brands have improved their response rates over the past three months, but only three – Nike, American Express and Microsoft – have also reduced their average response times. Yet just one brand, Microsoft, has been able to consistently deliver customer support responses in less than one hour – improving their average response time by 73% over the last quarter.
The study also shows a steady increase in customer activity on Twitter. Since December 1, 2012, combined brand requests for customer support on social networks have increased by 25 percent.
The Rising Return on Social Care
Brands rising to the occasion when it comes to responsive social customer care are seeing big returns on customer satisfaction, engagement and brand advocacy. According to NM Incite, 71% of consumers who experience a quick and effective brand response on social media are likely to recommend that brand to others, compared to just 19% of customers that do not receive a response.
In terms of response expectations, a Social Habit survey notes that 32% of consumers expect a response within 30 minutes of their inquiry, and 42% expect a response within 60 minutes. If your brand can meet or beat this, you’re delivering customer wow that only one of the Interbrand Top 100 Brands in the world is currently able to match.
If your brand is currently not utilizing a social monitoring and response product, this differentiator is certainly something to consider. Answering the phone within 30 minutes is an expectation; answering on social within 30 minutes is exceptional.
