Twitter is now established as a critical customer service platform. For example, data shows that over 100,000 questions, comments and complaints are sent to major US airlines every month. Over 1100 Twitter users participated in the research which sought to discover their satisfaction after a Twitter interaction, and how much they would be willing to spend with the airline in the future.
The research found that prompt customer service via Twitter can reap financial rewards for organisations.
Replying to Tweets has revenue-generating potential
A single, friendly Tweet can give the airline a competitive edge. Customers were willing to pay an average of $9 more to use that airline in the future.
When a customer Tweeted a question or complaint to an airline and received a response, they were willing to pay almost $9 on average more for that airline. At a time when air travel is highly competitive and fares from one airline are nearly identical to others, a single friendly Tweet can provide a quantifiable competitive edge.
The quicker the reply, the more revenue potential
On average airlines took 22 minutes to reply. However, if a response was sent in less than six minutes, customers were willing to pay $20 more with that airline in future transactions. The longer the airline took to reply, the lower the amount customers are willing to pay.
Twitter responses deliver higher satisfaction rates than other customer service channels
Satisfied Twitter users spread the word
A positive interaction on Twitter makes customers much more likely to recommend an airline.
Source: Twitter blog.