Twitter: Putting the Power in the Hands of the Customer

Nowadays it’s the norm for corporate companies to interact with their customers via Twitter. The platform has undoubtedly been hugely influential in social and political movements, but that power is all but lost when translated to the consumerist side of things.

What’s the problem?

Corporate Twitter accounts are treated less as a voice for the industry and more as a customer complaints service. Unfortunately though, many businesses are somewhat unprepared to deal with this barrage of customer issues. While only 39% of UK organisations are able to answer a query on Twitter, a shocking 24% don’t have any presence on the site in the first place.

Although many consumers see Twitter as a reliable platform to resolve issues quickly, the micro-blogging site is one of the least effective service channels and this can quickly result in problems for the brand.

Around 53% of customers expect their questions to be answered within one hour, while 72% expect complaints to be resolved in the same period. The reality is that the average successful response via Twitter takes 8 hours and 37 minutes.

This becomes all the more concerning when you factor in that 38% of people who fail to receive a Twitter response within an hour feel negatively towards that brand, with a staggering 60% taking action against them on social media.

This can quickly convert into lost revenue, as 83% of social customers will abandon their purchase due to a poor customer service, with 15% abandoning the company altogether. This figure rises to 40% following two negative experiences. It’s not just one potential customer you could be losing either, as that consumer will share their story with an average of 53 others, according to research by desk.com.

The potential brand damage

The public platform of Twitter is putting a lot of power into the hands of disgruntled consumers. Previously they would have had to pay premium rates to contact a helpline or waited weeks for a reply to their letter or email. Nowadays, they can bring their issue to the public eye and highlight the company’s failure to their demographic.

While this is a positive for the public, it’s no surprise that PR crises and negative brand reputation are common results of the digitally literate modern day. It is therefore crucial for brands to react and resolve as swiftly and effectively as their resources allow.

Many major corporate Twitter handles now implement measures that automatically respond to complaints with an email address and a request for further information. This is a good approach to reply quickly to a customer on Twitter without having to rely on social managers to resolve all issues within the hour.

Despite this though, some Twitter users are still dissatisfied. Considering it takes more effort on their part, as well as the fact that the average successful response via email takes 61 hours and 39 minutes, it is understandable why they would be less than happy. So what are the alternatives?

How to get the most from Twitter

Ideally, a brand should have one Twitter handle posting out news, offers and promotions, with the ultimate aim of directing potential customers to their sites and another dedicated solely to resolving customer complaints. This is not always possible though, as smaller companies simply cannot take on the necessary number of social media staff.

However, businesses should ensure they have an employee monitoring their social channels at least throughout business hours. If there is no one on the other end of Twitter out of work hours then be transparent. Let online users know your response times by making them clearly visible in your bio section or even labelled in the background images of the profile.

As well as being clear and honest, it is also a good idea to humanise the staff operating the account. Share their name and possibly an image of them as well. This may even persuade users to be more patient and compliant when it comes to customer service, as they no longer feel as though they are interacting with a cold corporate account.

Overall, the most important thing is to take the time to prepare, research and understand what it is that your customers need from you.

Corporate Twitter accounts will likely always be seen as a quick customer service fix that shifts the balance of power on side of the customer. Instead of trying to battle this and direct a wave of complaints to another platform, just put up the proper precautions in order to allow a steady stream of customer to business interactions. A little time and effort will ultimately result in happier customers and a better brand reputation.