50% complain about brands on Twitter to make them ‘learn from mistakes’, while 17% do it to embarrass
Research from Brandwatch found that half of those surveyed complain about brands on Twitter because they want companies to learn from their mistakes, while only 17 per cent do it to embarrass brands publically.
The survey of 2,000 British consumers found that 36 per cent of online respondents who interact with brands on the internet do so to complain, while 44 per cent of respondents mostly use it to request information.
Giles Palmer, founder and CEO of Brandwatch, said: “Some people just love to complain – you can’t get away from that fact. But 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. They’re behaving a bit like teenagers, and being too petulant to actually see what’s in front of them.
“Speed isn’t enough. 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.”
The survey ran in conjunction with the Customer Service Index, which found that John Lewis was perceived as the best for customer service on the internet, while TalkTalk was the worst.