While people increasingly use social media to contact companies (an increase of 21 percent in first half of 2015), they’re ignored 88 percent of the time.
That’s the equivalent of customer service not answering 1 out of 8 phone calls.
Highlights from the 2015 The Sprout Social Index point out the need for companies to be more responsive and develop effective social communication strategy to meet customer needs.
Social message volume has increased around the world, but company response times are increasing while response rates are decreasing.
Check out the infographic from Sprout Social for more insights into social customer care, how it differs by region around the world, and recommendations for creating better engagement with your customers.
If you prefer, read the text version of the infographic.
Source: 7 in 8 Social Messages to Brands Go Unanswered [Infographic] | Social Media Today
The Urgency of Social Customer Care
Consider this: 7 in 8 social messages to brands go unanswered. Imagine if your customer service team only answered 1 in 8 emails or failed to pick up the telephone 88 percent of the time.
Unacceptable, right? Despite significant gains in perception and value of social media, many brands remain unmoved in the quest to institute a fully functioning social communication strategy.
In the first two quarters of 2015, the number of social messages sent to brands globally increased by 21 percent.
Unfortunately customers are waiting longer than ever to hear back from brands.
- Response times increased by 4 percent
- Response rate decreased by 2 ½ percent
- What’s worse, a staggering 7 in 8 of those messages go unanswered within 72 hours
That’s not to say brands are not engaging, but rather that they have chosen an imbalanced approach. The average number of social posts far outweigh replies.
Currently, brands send 4 times as many posts as replies.
The only industries closing that gap:
- Utilities sends 1.4 times more posts than replies
- Retails sends 2 times more posts than replies
Industries struggling the most with the imbalance:
- Media/entertainment sends 8.4 times more posts than replies
- Real estate sends 11.7 times more posts than replies
The opportunity is ripe for brands to make a greater impact with their customers and, in doing so, gain a competitive advantage.
Quickest Response Time
Which industries are keeping up with responding to important messages?
The consumer goods and services industry has a response time that is nearly 40 percent slower than education, which has the quickest response time.
Although current response times leave much to be desired, there are a few industries that are responding to more messages.
- Both utilities and retail reply to about 1 in 5 messages that require a response.
- Media/entertainment responds to only about 1 in 12 of messages, but that eight percent is getting a response a little quicker than before—a move in the right direction.
Response Time by Region
Message volume has increased all over the world, but there are some key differences based on what region an organization calls home.
Brands in Asia receive more than 3 times as many messages from customers as brands in Europe, Africa, or North America—a 92.5 percent growth in message volume since The 2014 Sprout Social Index.
Message volume has decreased in the Middle East (down 7.5 percent), but the region still saw an 8.9 percent increase in the amount of messages that require a response.
The Middle East has the best response rate at 13.1 percent. Unfortunately, its response time has increased by 14 percent.
Customers of European companies can expect a response 28 percent quicker than they would if they were speaking with a Middle Eastern business.
For better engagement, start with these 4 solutions:
- Develop a holistic social customer care strategy
- Equip yourself with the right tools to execute it
- Actively listen and provide timely answers
- Be authentic
