7 can’t-miss social customer service stats for 2022

Now that the holidays are over and we’ve welcomed a new year, it’s time to crack on with work. To get you all set for the new year, we’ve gathered 7 social customer service statistics that will mark 2017.

1. Facebook and Facebook Messenger represent 17% of the time spent on apps by US customers. (Forrester)

Facebook is far from being the new kid on the block. Many have claimed that the social network isn’t here to stay. But Facebook and Facebook Messenger are still very popular. As proof, look at KLM, the Dutch airline renowned for its immaculate social customer service. In 2016, KLM delivered 50,000 boarding passes via Messenger within just 3 weeks of offering the option.

2. A rapid response on Twitter increases revenue. If a business responds in less than 4 minutes, there’s an opportunity for customers to spend $17.18 more. (Applied Marketing Science for Twitter)

Response time is vital and remains one of the top social customer service metrics. The faster you respond and resolve issues and even exceed your SLAs, the more customers will spend in the future.

3. A social media interaction costs 1 dollar compared to 6 dollars for a call center interaction. (Incite)

Cost-saving business advantages easily make heads turn and convince a company to invest in a particular area. But money-saving goals shouldn’t be your primary motivation – always ask yourself, “Is this investment contributing to our customers’ happiness?”.

4. Responding to an issue on Twitter can make people spend 3% to 20% more. (Applied Marketing Science for Twitter)

Responding, and most importantly, resolving issues not only increases customer loyalty, but it also results in repeat purchases or increased spending. The additional spend varies greatly per industry. For example, if airlines respond to customer issues, customers tend to spend 3% more with the company in the future. For telco companies, there’s an opportunity to increase by 10%. For food services, like a pizza delivery service, that means an increase of up to 20%.

5. Customers in the 45-54 age demographic are most likely to share their experiences of an organization through social media, closely followed by 18-24-year-olds. (Institute of Customer Service)

Contrary to popular belief, Millennials aren’t the leading age demographic to share positive or negative word-of-mouth of their experiences. It’s the older 45-54-year-olds that lead the way in taking to social to vent about their issues with a company.

6. 31% of customers turn to social media to make pre-sales inquiries. (Institute of Customer Service)

Nowadays, customers make well-thought-out decisions before they make a purchase. They rely heavily on their online network when choosing to do business with a company. Almost 1 out of every 3 customers turn to social to ask for advice or reach out to a business. Social media offers an incredible opportunity for businesses to identify the needs of customers.

7. A resolved negative tweet leads to 3x more revenue potential than a positive tweet. (Applied Marketing Science Twitter)

Unlike any other communication channel, social media has a huge opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive one. That’s why a customer experience that’s unsatisfying doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a relationship. Quite the contrary– angry customers and negative experiences can easily be transformed into positive ones.

This year, social customer service will become more and more mature. Companies need to evolve their strategy. A timely response is of the essence, and organizations need to strive for a better issue resolution. In addition to major cost-saving advantages, social customer service can become an important revenue driver.

Are you ready to step it up?