Big Four Wireless Carriers Are Failing to Connect With Consumers on Social Media, Study Says
Two-thirds of customers from the big four wireless carriers -- AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint -- expect an answer in less than three hours.
Social media has long been a place where consumers turn to rant about their customer service woes. While some brands have done well at adapting to the new reality, others…not so much.
According to a study by Interakt Digital Marketing, many wireless consumers turn to Twitter for answers to their customer service needs. And they expect those answers to come quickly. Indeed, two-thirds of customers from the big four wireless carriers — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint — expect an answer in less than three hours.
Unfortunately, T-Mobile and AT&T are the only carriers who seem to have a real handle on how to meet this demand, averaging 35 minutes and 32 minutes respectively. Sprint was just over the expectation with an average of three hours and six minutes. Verizon was the biggest offender with an average response time of over 20 hours, the study says.
We could say that the microwave culture of instant gratification makes for unreasonable expectations. However, the report also indicates that one-third of consumers believe their wireless networks oversell and under deliver.
While AT&T may have the fastest response time, the study says that two-in-five consumers think AT&T service is “inconsistent” with the brand image. T-Mobile fared best with only one-in-four customers reporting the carrier service is inconsistent.
The study also indicates that the big four wireless carriers have a hard time engaging with consumers on social media. The top three reasons people follow brands on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms is for promotions, company news and customer support. Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed say they unfollow the brands because they find the content unengaging.
According to the study, “These findings should sound an alarm for the carriers and any brand that interacts with consumers through multiple channels and touch points.” In fact, more than one-third of consumers have already switched carriers due to failure for the brand to deliver. Another 12 percent of consumers are considering making the switch because of these inconsistencies in service and failure to respond quickly enough to customer service concerns.
The problem for consumers is that if they do decide to switch carriers, they may just be trading one company with poor service for another.
Photo credit: fireflythegreat
