Top brands reply to eight times more Tweets than typical brands on Twitter and receive ten times more mentions because customers know they will address their questions, according to new research.
Sprinklr, the Customer Experience Management (CXM) platform for modern enterprises, partnered with Twitter to publish the report, From AM to DM: Twitter customer care in a 24/7 world.
Based on an analysis of nearly half a billion Tweets from the past year, the report identifies the best practices shared across industries for customer support on Twitter.
Sprinklr’s analysis found a 15 percent increase in customer care inquiries on Twitter from March to June 2020 during the global coronavirus pandemic. Over 70 percent of millennial Twitter users say they’ve used social media to comment on the quality of a company’s customer service. So what does it all mean? A strong customer support strategy on Twitter is increasingly important for brands in every industry.
Key findings
The report analyzed Tweets from brands in 11 different industries to identify the top performing brands practicing customer support on Twitter.
To determine best practices, the analysis relied on a new, robust measure for the quality of customer support on Twitter: The Sprinklr Care Score. This is a system for scoring and ranking brands based on seven weighted indicators of Twitter care performance, including response rate and volume of brand replies.
According to the report, the companies with high care scores demonstrate the following behaviors:
- Go beyond expectations. Top brands reply to 8x more Tweets than typical brands on Twitter and receive 10x more mentions because customers know they will address their questions.
- Respond quickly. Top brands respond 3x faster than other brands on Twitter. Airlines are most likely to deliver a swift response.
- Take ownership of mistakes. 78 percent of retail brand handles that excel at customer support take ownership of customer problems in order to build trust.
- Act human. Brands that excel at personalized customer support have 6x more followers than brands who are still developing their care practice.
- Use a separate handle for care. According to the report, 80 percent of financial services companies that excel at customer care offer a dedicated support account on Twitter. Brands that list hours in their Twitter bios have a Sprinklr Care Score that is nearly 50 percent higher than brands who don’t.
“The conversations happening on Twitter are unlike anywhere else,” said Joe Rice, Lead Product Solutions Sales Manager, Twitter. “Brands have the opportunity to connect directly with their customers, but there’s no singular answer for how brands should execute customer care on Twitter. This report paints a helpful picture of current industry trends and which best practices add value for customers. Whether your company has a sophisticated care strategy or is looking to get started, there’s something for everyone to learn from Sprinklr’s analysis.”
“Millions of people come to Twitter every day to talk about what’s happening and to interact with brands. Making these customers happier starts with making Twitter customer support a priority,” said Ragy Thomas, CEO & Founder, Sprinklr. “Brands can use our analysis to understand what best practices in their specific industry build brand loyalty on Twitter. With these insights, brands can create and optimize a smart care strategy.”
