Survey: 70% of social media complaints ignored

Recent research in the UK found that 36% of consumers, 18 million people, are using social media to 'talk' to companies, up from 19% eight months ago. Two-thirds of consumers (68%) say it allows them to find their voice and 65% say it's a better way to interact with companies than a call centre.

However, A T Kearney's survey reveals that a whopping 70% of complaints are going un-answered. Why? Because social media isn't being integrated into customer service centers, despite the channel now accounting for 20% of complaints.

"The delay in the use of social media in the contact centre is understandable, but this must now be rectified if many companies are to protect their reputations and keep their competitive edge," says Jim Close, managing director of Datapoint.

"Social media tools are for two-way dialogue with customers as well as a (mostly) one-way marketing channel. They differ from more traditional media because often the interaction is globally-visible and there is potential for massive reputational impact. The organizations that learn this lesson the fastest - and use contact centre systems to do this effectively - will be the ones that win the customer retention race."

Tags: CRM, customer contact, customer service, social marketing, social media