Almost half of Facebook followers of your brand expect a customer service component.
Consumers are expecting brands to provide customer service options in their social networks. A survey conducted by Oracle found that online users of social networks expect pathways to customer service from the social media site. The expectations include click thrus to customer service departments and instant messaging.
Forty-six percent of Facebook users expected brands to provide customer service options through the social network. Twenty-nine percent of blog followers expected customer service options compared to just seventeen percent of Twitter followers.
Not only do consumers expect customer service options, they also expect quick responses. Over half of Facebook users and eight out of ten Twitter users expected responses within 24 hours or less. Social media is always on and responses to concerns and issues are expected quickly.
The most common reason to follow or like a brand on social media networks is to have access to information. The second most common reason is to access comments from other consumers. And the third reason, at forty-three percent of the respondents, is to receive direct response to questions and concerns.
So as healthcare marketers become more active and engaged in social media, it’s important to provide customer service options as a key component to meeting consumer expectations.
As stated in eMarketer concerning this research, “the potential return for brands that stay engaged on social networks is significant. Customers who have a great experience on social media can easily become brand advocates, and are already in the right place to spread the word.”