Brands Don’t Pay Attention to Customers on #Twitter, Says Study

An analysis of 100 of the world’s top consumer brands has found that those using Twitter respond to just one in five tweets from followers, including messages asking for help or support.

Using Interbrand’s 2014 list of top brands, Freshdesk looked at the companies’ Twitter response times between December 15th and December 22nd of last year – the pre-Christmas period – and found that brands responded to just 22 percent of tweets directed at their primary Twitter handles.

Other key findings from the study:

• The top 100 brands averaged about 1,000 mentions a week
• American Express and Samsung rated as the most responsive brands on Twitter, replying to nearly 100 percent of tweets directed at them
• Less than two in five (37 percent) of the top 100 brands have separate Twitter profiles for customer support/help
• When brands did respond to tweets, it took six hours on average when directed to primary handles, and three hours for specific customer support handles

“When consumers reach out to their favorite brands on Twitter, they expect a response, especially if it’s a message asking for help or support,” said Jill Soley, vice president of marketing for Freshdesk. “Companies that fail to respond to these messages are missing an opportunity to connect with their consumers and build brand loyalty. This analysis shows that the top global brands have a long way to go when it comes to supporting customers on social channels.”

(Source: Freshdesk.)