Social media most reliable point of contact, study finds

A study of 2,000 people has found that social media is the best way for customers to contact companies, it has been revealed.

The survey, which was completed by eDigitalResearch, said that 80% of consumers who had contacted a company through social media had heard back within 12 hours. That compares to 37% who heard back within 12 hours through email.

The research also concluded that social media is the only customer contact point which guarantees a response.

Derek Eccleston, commercial director at eDigitalResearch, comments, “Whilst there are still a limited number of consumers using social media channels to contact brands (our survey showed that just 2% have recently their Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts to get in touch with a brand), it is currently the only channel that ensures that all consumers receive a response following their contact.

If a customer decides that they need to contact a company, their experiences should be the same no matter what channel they use. Obviously there are obstacles (such as the time delay with post) that some channels need to overcome or find a work around for. These results show that there are currently major disparities across customer touch points – measures should be taken to ensure that departments and teams work together to provide the best contact experience possible. Improving the customer experience should be a business wide operation”.