▶ The Mobile Generation Is Always On and Everywhere: More than 83% of consumers now own both a smartphone and tablet, according to a recent study released by Contact Solutions. Not only do most consumers use mobile devices, but 91% said their devices are always within reach. The study, which took the pulse of 1,000 U.S. consumers, asked consumers questions about how they use their mobile phones.
Here are some of the results from the study:
• A large majority of respondents (92%) said they would be interested in using mobile apps for customer care support.
• Similarly, 93% of respondents said that a personalized experience with customer service is a priority to them.
• Nearly three-quarters (73%) said businesses are currently doing a poor job with personalized customer care.
• Only 9% of the consumers surveyed said they have not used a mobile device to contact customer service.
• Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) said that interactions with customer service have a big impact on their willingness to continue doing business with a company.
Source: Content Solutions
▶ Don’t Leave Your Twitter Fans Hanging: There were very few investors who waited to jump on Twitter’s IPO when the social networking platform went public on November 7. In a similar vein more than half (53%) of consumers that reach out to brands on Twitter expect a (very) quick follow up, according to a new study.
Lithium Technology recently conducted the survey, in cooperation with Millward Brown Digital. It took the pulse of more than 500 respondents who have retweeted or tweeted about a brand.
The study concludes that it is in a brand’s best interest to respond—and fast. Here are some of the study’s findings:
• Nearly three-quarters of the respondents (72%) said they want a response time of less than an hour if they tweet a complaint about the brand or its product or services.
• On a positive note, 34% of respondents said they would likely buy more products from a company that quickly followed up.
• Nearly half of the respondents (43%) said they would encourage their friends to buy a company’s products if they receive a quick and satisfactory follow up.
• Twitter responses also help ad buys, as 38% of the respondents said they would be more receptive to a brand’s ad message if they have been engaged through Twitter. PRN
Source: Lithium Technology, Millward Brown Digital
The Measurement Myth
Myth: Net Promoter Score, the single-score business performance indicator based on consumers’ answer to the question “How likely are you to recommend our company/product/service to your friends and colleagues?” is a holy grail for public relations (and business generally).
Truth: Despite its popularity, one-dimensional metrics and “holy grails” do not equate. Whether impressions, a custom algorithm or a Net Promoter Score, simplistic scores may tell you “how you’re doing” but not “how you got there” or “what can be done to improve.”
Preferred three-dimensional metrics offer a synthesis of factors that are presented simply but represent sophisticated underlying methodology. For example, PRIME Research created its Impact Score with academic rigor to represent in media analysis the elements which drive awareness and recall: reach (impressions); frequency (volume) and tone (seven-point scale), as well as the material aspects of the coverage (presence, exclusivity, visuals, etc.).
Since the Impact Score ties back to the underlying media coverage, anyone can click on a trend-spike to see the coverage that generated the sharp increase. What is more, the components of this distilled metric are transparent and easily deconstructed to derive insights and actionable guidance, thus completing the progression from “how you’re doing” to “how you got there” to “what should be done to improve.”
Mark Weiner is the CEO of PRIME Research-Americas. If you have a PR measurement myth you’d like to dispel, please contact Mark at [email protected].
This article originally appeared in the November 18, 2013 issue of PR News.