Retailers’ Customer Service Via Facebook Still Lacking

Online retail rating service StellaService examined the Facebook practices of 20 top retail brands and, for the most part, found their customer service to be lacking.

StellaService posted customer-service questions and comments on the Facebook walls of the 20 retailers, and found that:

• B&H Photo was the fastest to respond, doing so within two minutes.
• Bed Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Foot Locker all responded within 30 minutes.
• B&H, Gap, Bed Bath & Beyond, JackThreads, and Williams-Sonoma were the only five retailers to earn high marks in all of StellaService’s key metrics, responding to questions in wall posts and comments within 48 hours and not deleting any customer questions before 48 hours.
• Eight companies deleted questions posted on their walls, regardless of whether they were answered: Best Buy, Crate and Barrel, Fab.com, Gilt.com, J. Crew, Radio Shack, Rue La La, and Victoria’s Secret.
• 13 companies failed to answer questions posted in the comments section: Best Buy, Bose, Brooks Brothers, Cooking.com, Fab.com, Foot Locker, Gap, Gilt.com, J. Crew, One Kings Lane, Radio Shack, Sur La Table, and Victoria’s Secret.

StellaService also shared the following tips for customers who wish to contact retailers via Facebook:

• Questions are more likely to be answered when posted to walls than when included in comments.
• Check to see if your questions are deleted.
• Avoid offensive language and keep posts precise, but don’t forget to include vital information, such as product numbers and order dates.
• Look for service widgets on the Facebook page.
• Allow 24 hours before moving to plan B, whatever that may be for you.

StellaService Chief Executive Officer Jordy Leiser said:

While retailers have enthusiastically embraced Facebook as a way to engage with consumers, many have yet to fully appreciate social media’s two-way nature when it comes to providing customer service. Retailers need to realize that two days in Facebook time is like two years in real-time. Consumers are used to real-time engagement with friends on Facebook, so it’s unnatural to spend days waiting for any kind of response.

Readers: Have your customer-service experiences with retailers or customers on Facebook mirrored the findings by StellaService?

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

via allfacebook.com