Wireless customers prefer social media to voice their concerns

When a question comes up on wireless bill — customers report they get more from connecting on a social media channel like Twitter or Facebook than they do picking up their phone and ringing. So says a new report out today from J.D. Power's 2018 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Studies.

Rated on a 1,000 point scale, social media got 838 points from customers. This option rated even better when help came with some personalized care. Customers clearly preferred interacting with a real person — or thinking they were — as opposed to a automated system. (819 points vs 793 points.)

Reaching someone through a mobile app was the second favorite option for help among those who have contracts with wireless companies, earning 835 points. The most disliked option? Getting on the phone and having to talk to a representative, earning just 797 points.

Brands are making a big push online — not just with pages on social media sites like Facebook, but also with sections on their web sites, where customers can find their own answers through videos, forums, and online instructions manuals. These self-help options rated highly among customers as well. A customer's first choice tends to be watching a video — 90 percent preferred this method of getting some help with a product.

With average email response time from a company now 32 hours, according to J.D. Power, it's not surprising that customers are looking for options that bring them more immediate answers — and keeping them out of the hands of voice-enabled software that never seems to know what they're saying.