New research has revealed that customers have a higher perception of brands that respond to their online comments, yet companies are slow to engage.

Maritz Research surveyed over 1,000 UK consumers and found 58% of consumers have a higher opinion of brands that converse with them on social media with the figure increasing to 71% for consumers aged 25-34, but 85% of those that commented were not responded to.

Additionally, the research revealed that Facebook is the favoured platform for consumers to engage with brands with more than a quarter claiming to use the network to complain, compared with 5% on Twitter.  

According to the research, younger consumers are more likely to take to social media to submit complains, with 52% of 18-24 year olds claiming to vent comments regarding customer experience on social platforms to vent to family and friends.

However, less customer service is expected on social networks, with 51% of those complaining on social networks expecting a response compared with 77% using traditional channels. But for those who received responses to their comments on a social network, 32% of respondents claimed to ‘love it’, said Maritz Research.