Even as more and more shoppers seek to gain access to retailers through social media—with some studies indicating that 20 percent more of them will be contacting retailers through this channel than did so last year—and even with plenty of warning of the trend, retailers continue to lag when it comes to responding promptly and providing the kind of service that consumers regard as necessary.

For example, while about three-quarters of retailers have the capacity and ability to respond to customer requests via e-mail, only about 20 percent can do so through Twitter, and a little more than half even have operations in place to respond through Facebook. And even when they have these capabilities in place, retailers are not using them very effectively. A customer reaching out for support would wait an average of just under 8 hours for an e-mail response. On Twitter and Facebook, the average response times were both longer than a full day—far more than modern shoppers are willing to wait.

Specifically, another study revealed that shoppers expect responses from retailers within about 6 hours for both e-mail and Facebook, and within 1 hour for Twitter. Clearly, retailers are too slow in all these channels, but the gap is particularly worrisome when it comes to Twitter. People want their tweets addressed almost immediately; instead, retailers that respond, if they do at all, take an average of 31 hours to do so.

The seriousness of this gap is notable, because failed customer service on a social media platform is nearly tailor-made for going viral. Therefore, retailers should take a few main points to heart in developing their social media–driven customer service. Primarily, they need a stronger sense of urgency, such that they offer at least some response right away. They also need well-trained social media customer service providers, who express empathy and authenticity, without resorting to angry or negative responses that customers could share immediately with their vast social media networks. Finally, better integrated customer service operations can help ensure that the social media response is in line with what the company’s data indicate the customer wants and needs.

Discussion Questions: 

1. Are retailers meeting customer expectations when responding to e-mail and social media?
2. What can retailers do to improve their communications with customers through e-mail and social media?

 Source: Tom Ryan, Retail Wire, November 9, 2015