Which Social Platforms Do Customers Use to Contact Customer Service [Data]

Clint Fontanella
Clint Fontanella

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It doesn't take long for businesses to turn social media apps into handy customer service tools.

Social-media-customer-service-survey

Look at TikTok. It's only been around since 2016 and you can already find brands using it for proactive customer service.

MAC Cosmetics is a perfect example. It uses TikTok to post customer reviews and mini makeups tutorials for its followers to try. This not only showcases the brand's products but also creates an engaging online customer experience.

@maccosmetics

There's a ##MACPowderKiss Liquid Lipcolour for every day, mood and occasion. Choose from 17 moisture-matte shades and show us your ##MoodFlip. @mikeilaj

♬ #MoodFlip - MAC ft. Cael D.

As a business owner, you've probably realized that social media is a great channel for providing customer service. But, you also probably discovered there's an array of apps to choose from, and you might be wondering which one (or ones) your business should leverage for customer support.

To find out, we surveyed over 300 people in the United States to see which social media platforms they use first when contacting customer service. Below are the results.

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Social Media Customer Service Survey [HubSpot Data]

Social-Media-Customer-Service-Study

The most notable insight from our survey was that most people preferred to call or email for customer support instead of using social media. Even though social media has gained popularity, it's still not the most common method used for contacting customer service teams. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see whether or not this percentage (52%) decreases over time, as more social media apps are developed and more businesses invest in this medium for marketing and customer service.

Another interesting takeaway is the popularity of individual social media apps. As we can see in the chart above, Facebook leads the way as the most preferred channel for customer service and is used by 36% of survey participants. Surprisingly, Instagram edges out Twitter by 1% with 22% of respondents using it as their preferred social media platform. That's a testament to how popular Instagram has become over the years as it's one of the fastest-growing social media apps in its industry.

One channel that isn't listed in the chart is WhatsApp. WhatsApp is the preferred social media platform for 13% of respondents. This makes for a good reminder that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter — while popular — aren't your only options for customer service. Depending on who your customer base is, and where they're engaging with brands, there are plenty of other channels you can use to support your audience. You just need to understand the types of problems they're facing and the channels they think will provide a solution. That way you can meet them where they're already working and be a convenient resource rather than a pesky bottleneck.

For more interesting data, read HubSpot's customer state of service for 2020.

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