Consumers get social for service
Fed up with long lines in-store or on the phone, many customers are turning to online communities to get answers to their retail problems.
A new survey conducted by Forrester Research suggests 27 percent of American consumers sought help via online communities in 2011, which is up from the mere 27 percent who did so two years ago. This behavior was especially common among Generation X (41 percent) and Generation Y (39 percent) consumers.
"When consumers seek customer service assistance through online communities, such as consumer forums, consumers typically post a question about a concern they have about a brand or product, and may get responses from other consumers who have experienced similar concerns," Internet Retailer notes, citing the report.
Retailers need to be cognizant of these online communities to maximize the support process. Simply being a part of forums or message boards shows that brands care about their customers and aren't letting complaints or service questions go unanswered.
On that note, retail brands should similarly be operating a profile on social networks to answer any inquiries.
