November 27

Are negative reviews on social media expensive

by Torben Rick 1 Comment
Categories: Customer Service
Tags: , .

A single tweet, YouTube video, or Facebook post could turn as many as 30 people against a company, a survey of UK consumers published by Convergys has found. One in three people (30%) affected by bad service now shares their experiences “virally” via the Internet, the survey results have shown. As they do so, they impact the behaviour of dozens of their friends.

These “viral experiences” exert considerable influence. Respondents estimated that each post on Twitter, blogs, video sites, or social media reaches an average audience of 45 people. Two thirds (62%) of respondents said they would avoid or stop doing business with companies they heard bad things about. This trend is particularly pronounced among young people; for the under 20s, the figure rises to 70 per cent. It means a single post could drive up to 30 people away from the company concerned.

Frank Sherlock, Senior Vice President International, Convergys, said:

“The data highlights two distinct trends. The first is that consumers are increasingly unforgiving, with attrition becoming the new customer feedback. They are denying companies the opportunity to make amends for past errors and know that they can easily switch to a competitor if they aren’t happy. What they often ignore are the steps providers are prepared to take to safeguard customer relationships. For example, many companies have the means to offer discounts, credits, and other benefits to remedy the situation.“

“The second trend is that it is now much easier for isolated customer service experiences to take on a life of their own. Just a few years ago, people would have needed to go to some length to broadcast their misgivings. Today, they can reach an audience of millions in seconds, using any number of social media tools. This all happens beneath companies’ radars, meaning companies cannot afford to let standards slip and need to offer a genuinely multi-channel service to address any issues, quickly.”

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 3:44 pm and is filed under Customer Service. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Are negative reviews on social media expensive”

  1. Can bloggers force companies to their knees? on February 11th, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    [...] their customers?Social media has given consumers a whole new voiceAre customers getting in control?Are negative reviews on social media expensive?var fbShare = {url: [...]

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