Brands are failing to learn from their customers on Twitter and Facebook, claims a YouGov survey commissioned by social media monitoring company Brandwatch. Of the 40 brands analysed only three are the subject of more positive discussion about customer service than negative: John Lewis, Waitrose and B&Q.

John Lewis customer service conversation was far superior in sentiment to any other brand in the study
Source: The Brandwatch Customer Service Index 2012

The online study, which questioned over 2,000 British consumers on brand interaction, finds that half of respondents complain because they want companies to learn from their mistakes. The finding counters the misconception that people's main reason for making a complaint is to embarrass brands publicly, with only 17 per cent stating they complain about a brand for this reason.

Giles Palmer, CEO of Brandwatch, says: “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.”

As well as John Lewis, Waitrose and B&Q being the most positively spoken about brands, the retail sector as a whole emerges as the top performer over the four-month evaluation period. Three of the worst perceived brands are the telecoms providers Virgin Media, Vodafone and TalkTalk.

TalkTalk was by far the most negatively discussed  brand in the evaluation period
Source: The Brandwatch Customer Service Index 2012

Discussing the findings, Palmer says: “Brands in the retail sector were clearly more highly regarded by social media users discussing customer service. While technology and telecoms providers were the poorest perceived overall. Telecoms brands operate in an industry where consumers largely only take to social media in the event of a problem, rather than to praise the brand concerned. This is also the case with utilities, potentially because the brands may not be as ‘fashionable’."

Brands in the retail sector were clearly more highly regarded by social media users discussing customer service

Source: The Brandwatch Customer Service Index 2012

If you want to learn from your customers on social media, Palmer says that reacting quickly without thought is a mistake: “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.” 

Methodology

The Brandwatch Customer Service Index 2012 analysed 40 brands, selected from a shortlist of 92, by the extent to which customer service content about these companies was visible on the social web in the UK from 1 February to 31 May 2012. The terms “customer service” or “cust serv” were sought. Brands were awarded a score that accounted for both visibility of customer service content as well as tone of voice. The 40 brands were ranked with the highest scores denoting the most successful. A score greater than zero pertain to overall positive customer service conversation, a score below zero indicates an overall negative slant towards the brand.