Christmas market at LIT
Students at Limerick Institute of Technology showed their entrepreneurial flair.
NewsResearch questions use of social media
Research questions use of social media
30.06.2010
There is a lot of discussion about how new businesses should use social media effectively as it is an inexpensive way of marketing, but new research is questioning the business impact of investing the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) shows that what consumers really want from British business is to be able to give comment, post a review or make a complaint directly on companies’ websites.
Providing space for onsite reviews of products and services is five times more important to UK consumers than a company having a Twitter account and three times more important than offering a Facebook page or group, it says.
Just 8pc of UK consumers expect firms to run a Twitter account, whilst marginally more (14pc) expect to able to interact with brands through Facebook.
However, nearly half (41pc) of the British public view an onsite facility to provide reviews of products and services as a standard element of any good corporate website. Indeed, more than half (54pc) of consumers use such a facility when it is provided.
The UKCSI is the national measure of customer satisfaction, gauging all aspects of customer service in the UK by surveying around 26,000 consumers.
Customers will complain on social media sites
“Businesses must wake up to the fact that the relationship between companies and their customers has changed irrevocably,” said Jo Causon, chief executive at the ICS.
“Customers now hold the power, and they expect to be able to make their voice heard by sharing their experiences with the world online.
“By denying customers the right to reply on an open platform, businesses not only irritate consumers - they miss the opportunity to gain valuable feedback, leaving them unaware of, and unable to, rectify problems as soon as they arise.”
The danger is, Causon warns, that consumers will post their concerns and experiences online, where businesses have no control.
“If companies don’t provide a facility to do this on their site, customers will turn to social networking sites to share their thoughts - and if it is a complaint they have to share, their frustrations will be viewed by millions around the world, resulting in significant reputation and relationship damage.”
Image: The Twitter bird
Bookmark with: