Top 7 Reasons People Use Social Customer Service, September 2014 [CHART]

Many firms began using social media for some form of customer service just as soon as consumers started tweeting and posting complaints about their brands online—and while the decision to respond to those messages may have been a good one, transferring significant customer service functionality to social sites may not be a good idea. Even for the simplest of inquiries, the vast majority of consumers prefer other forms of communication.

According to research from American Express, 23% of US internet users have used social media for customer services purposes at some point. The reasons they do so, however, most frequently do not involve looking to get help from the firm in question. A majority of people who used social for customer service did so to praise a company for a great experience, and half did so to vent their frustration with a bad one. Just under half wanted to share their experience with other consumers. Meanwhile, what firms might think of as typical customer service—a customer reaching out to a firm for help, and expecting a response—came in fourth place, with 40% of respondents. Read the rest at eMarketer.