Indian consumers have turned social media savvy: American Express survey

New Delhi: That Indians have embraced social media wholeheartedly is a well-known fact. Now, it has emerged that they have also started using it as a platform to assert their rights as consumers.

According to the annual Global Customer Service Barometer study released by American Express, Indians are far ahead of their global counterparts when it comes to using social media for customer service. Of those surveyed in India, 54% said that they had used social media at least once in the past year to get a customer service response. This is more than twice the average 20% of consumers in other markets, reveal the findings of the study, which was conducted in India and 10 other countries.

According to the survey, the top 5 customer service-related activities of Indians through social media include sharing information about service experience with a wider audience; asking other users how to get better service; seeking recommendations from others about good service providers; praising a company for a great service experience and seeking an actual response from a company about a service issue.

However, as far as complex queries are concerned, many seem to prefer relying on the traditional modes of communication. '25% Indians prefer addressing complex queries to a 'real person on the phone', states the study. Even here, the average is higher at 37% in other countries.

On their part, companies' track record of resolving issues through the social media has been good so far, according to the Amex survey. 'While more than a third of consumers (37%) feel they always have their issues resolved, another 14% say they rarely or never get an answer... 80% of Indians feel companies have improved their response times through social media over the past year, which is far better than other markets,' it says. The findings also highlight the rewards in the offing for companies that are perceived as being sensitive to customers' needs - 87% of the participants in India said that they were willing to spend more - up to 22% more- in return for better service.