Unhappy customers who complain to firms on social media receive £32 on average to settle gripes, survey claims
- Businesses pay an average of £32 to those complaining over social media feeds
- The numbers using social media to complain are low at 15 per cent of adults
- Of those using Twitter and Facebook, 28 per cent were given a discount or gift
- The four rules to follow when using social media feeds to make a complaint
When you have a gripe with a company what's your usual course of action? Spending hours on the telephone, writing a well-scripted letter or taking to Twitter or Facebook to air your grievances?
Those that do use social media when they're having an issue are apparently receiving an average of £32 each, according to new research, and some have received more than £500.
But the numbers using social media platforms to complain are still relatively low with 15 per cent of adults saying they take this route.
UK businesses pay out an average of £32 to customers when they complain via social media
Traditional complaint procedures usually involve reporting an issue either by phone, email or letter but a major advantage of using social media is the speed.
Of those that do complain in this way, 55 per cent said their issue was resolved quickly and 28 per cent said they were then given money off or a goodwill gift.
The research, from comparison website Gocompare.com, asked 2,000 adults about their complaining habits.
The results showed that men were slightly more likely to use social media to complain than women, with 16 per cent of men compared to 14 per cent of women challenging brands over social media.
But women were more likely to get their complaints sorted, with 58 per cent – compared to 52 per cent of men – having their issue resolved when complaining this way, while men received an average of £40 each compared to £26 for women.
Along with complaining on social media, 28 per cent of respondents to the survey said they also praise companies on Twitter and Facebook when they are impressed by them.
Consumers using social media to complain say they get quicker responses from firms
Gocompare's head of money, Matt Sanders, said: 'Many companies now use social media channels like Facebook and Twitter to build greater engagement with their customers. As this research highlights, consumers are becoming savvier, demanding a higher quality of customer service and taking the conversation out of the control of brands.
'Social media channels have become a key component of a company's customer service strategy with most brands having dedicated accounts to respond to and deal with negative comments quickly and efficiently, and quite often with a more personal touch.
'Many people dislike confrontation and find complaining in person or over the phone quite difficult, even when their consumer rights are being ignored.
'Whether you're a seasoned complainer, or uncomfortable about calling out a poor product or service, using social media is an increasingly common and, for many consumers, successful way of getting your issue resolved.'
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