Customer Service Via Social Media is Growing, But Still Small

While many businesses have realized that social media is an important part of their customer service strategy, for most companies (41.2% of those surveyed), it constitutes only 5% of their customer service issues.  Facebook and Twitter are the major social media channels used by companies to meet customer expectations and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

When I read this article, I was surprised by the low percentage of customer service issues being solved via social media.  It seems that every company from Con Edison to airlines to the FDNY has a social presence, but that most people still prefer to pick up the phone and call a customer service number, even if that means getting stuck in an automated menu of choices.

In the end, I think people want to feel like they are being heard by a real person when they reach out to customer service, and they will tend to use whichever channel feels most personal for a particular company.  Companies have the chance to offer this personal touch very easily using social media (as compared to a call center), and I believe that the proportion of customer service issues being solved via social media will only increase.

Social Is Still a Small Part of Customer Service