Are Brands Engaging Correctly with Customers?

If a brand is only focused on answering phone calls or responding to emails, it may be missing the opportunity to build a community and engage with customers, according to a new report from Accent Marketing.

Text Box: Customer engagement is evolving from toll-free numbers to multiple social media channelsThe report, “Customer Engagement and Today’s Consumer,” reveals that customer engagement is evolving from toll-free numbers to multiple social media channels.

“Our goal was to connect with consumers to discover their preferences for engaging with a brand,” Roger Huff, director, social media and digital strategy for Accent, said in the report. “The survey findings prove that brands need to pay attention, anticipate consumer’s needs, and create natural conversations across all channels, especially social media.”

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

  • CMOs can ensure that they own all of the customer engagement channels, including those traditionally siloed in operations
  • Text Box: 82% use Facebook to speak with a customer service representativeBuild a dedicated team to support alternative channels. Look beyond phone and email to ensure that engagement happens through live chat and social media
  • Ensuring that interaction across channels is seamless for the customer. If a consumer switches from phone to email to twitter, ensure that the engagement specialists can follow the conversation across each channel
  • Using data to segment consumers and send targeted communications that are relevant to that consumer
  • Understanding how your customers are using each channel and define a strategy based on these insights
  • Moving beyond the capabilities of traditional phone engagement to see that consumers can reach trained specialists through each channel

Here are some additional key statistics from the survey:

  • More than 80% of those surveyed use Facebook to interact with a company’s customer service team
  • 72% of consumers only want to interact with the brand when they comment on social media channels
  • 82% use Facebook to speak with a customer service representative
  • Two-thirds of consumers use Facebook to find good deals and promotions, including 80% of Baby Boomers
  • More men than women (34% versus 25%) use Twitter to speak to a brand they have purchased a product from
  • 75% of Millennials find it helpful when other customers/followers respond to a question or comment posted on a brand’s social media channel.

Text Box: “The survey findings prove that brands need to pay attention, anticipate consumer’s needs, and create natural conversations across all channels, especially social media.”  - Roger Huff “Consumers behave differently across channels and if brands are going to create engagement that drives customer loyalty and builds brand advocates, it’s increasingly important for CMOs to understand their customers’ behavior on varying channels,” David Norton, executive vice president of customer analytics and insights at MDC Partners and chairman, Accent Marketing Services, said in the report. “To be a part of the conversation, CMOs need to have a social strategy in place to build a trusted relationship with their consumers and within their social community, ultimately creating a lifetime of engagement on social channels and in person.”

CMOs, according to the survey, need to know what is being said about a brand or current campaigns and promotions.

Text Box: “To be a part of the conversation, CMOs need to have a social strategy in place to build a trusted relationship with their consumers and within their social community, ultimately creating a lifetime of engagement on social channels and in person.” - Roger Huff“Listening is the only way to know exactly how customers want to be engaged with by a brand and taking that information and using it to enhance and modify the brand’s customer engagement strategy,” the report says. “Facebook offers a unique outlet for brands looking to move beyond traditional customer service channels. More consumers are turning to Facebook to interact with brands than any other channel, showing that they expect brands to be prepared to respond and solve customer questions and complaints. Brands looking to take advantage of this opportunity should focus on empowering social media managers to quickly and effectively listen and respond to customer concerns and issues.”

Accent marketing surveyed more than 1,000 consumers in June 2014 through an online survey. Responses were collected from both male and female respondents (aged 18 and older) in the United States.

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