While brands are increasingly embracing social media to respond to consumer needs research shows that customer satisfaction levels online have not improved.
The study suggests that brands are choosing quick responses for customer service when most consumer complaints online are a wish for change, not response.
"Some people just love to complain – you can’t get away from that fact," says Giles Palmer, CEO and founder of Brandwatch. "What our results also show is that consumers are sharing information via social media because they genuinely want brands to be better at what they do. The problem comes when brands think they know best."
The survey of over 2,000 British consumers on brand interaction found that 50% of respondents complain because they want brands to learn from their mistakes.
The research reveals that that 35% of adults interact with brands to complain and 44% interact with brands online to request information.
Palmer says that brands should pay attention to customer feedback and complaints on social media platforms, while cutting back on automated responses.
"Speed isn’t enough," says Palmer. "Too often, when faced with a negative comment brands are too quick to ping back an automated message. Perhaps this is the industry’s fault for placing too much emphasis on speed of response. It’s not about speed: it’s about understanding what your customers are taking the time to tell you, learning lessons, and acting on this feedback."
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