Did you know that 56 percent of customers who use social media to interact with an organisation say that they feel a stronger connection with that brand?

Moreover, 50 percent are more likely to buy products or services from a company that they can contact via social media. But firms shouldn’t give up on traditional support methods just yet, as just one in six (16 percent) of customers use Facebook, Twitter and the other major social networks to interact with businesses.

Phone (84 percent) is still the preferred contact method of choice for product and service enquiries, ahead of email (80 percent) and via the company’s website (72 percent). However, the benefits of offering a social customer support network are numerous for brands, and those that are slow to provide these tools, implement them poorly or, worst of all, turn their back on them altogether, are likely to suffer the consequences.

(Source: Avaya. Support icon via Shutterstock.)