How Nationwide Became №1 for Customer Service on Twitter (2016)
Since the launch of HelpHandles at the end of January 2016, we have been monitoring our index of over 400+ help handles on Twitter very closely. In a commitment to provide transparency across the wider social customer service landscape, here’s our analysis of Nationwide UK (AskNationwide) performance on Twitter.
Summary
AskNationwide consistently out perform their competitors not just within the Financial industry but also globally across customer service on Twitter.
It’s Nationwide’s commitment to delivering thoughtful, innovative customer experiences combined with their capability for delivering operational excellence that sets them apart from other brands in customer service on Twitter.
It has cemented them at the top of our social customer service performance index for the first quarter of 2016.
Here’s how they are doing it.
Productivity & Responsiveness
First Response Time
Response time is one of the most important factors for influencing customer satisfaction. That’s why AskNationwide are quick, their first response time on Twitter is consistently under 10 mins.
Average Response Time
Agreed, no-one likes to be average, but an average response time does give customers a snapshot of what to expect across this channel. In this case, AskNationwide’s average is indeed the same as their first response time, there’s no slipping here.
Inbound Mention Volume
Last week Nationwide received 1,586 inbound mentions on Twitter. They’re maybe not as swamped as Apple Support. But this still puts Nationwide in the top 30% of accounts by inbound volume on Help Handles.
Response Rate
Hard work pays off and AskNationwide are clearly hard grafters. 99% of all inbound mentions are responded to on Twitter. What does that mean? It means Nationwide UK are taking social seriously, they have their house in order and want to ensure you are at the very least acknowledged for taking the time to pull your phone out of your pocket, tapping on that keyboard and sending that tweet.
Responses under 30 mins
Nationwide are efficient. 99% of all responses to inbound mentions are made in under 30 mins. I’d say that’s a good benchmark.
Innovation, Prosocial Behaviour & Delighting Customers.
Nationwide UK are not just committed to providing exceptional customer service on Twitter. They’re innovating and creating exceptional customer experiences offline too, directly in their customers homes across the UK.
For every Nationwide UK mortgage customer who moves home, Nationwide UK sends a surprise home move welcome hamper full of the essentials to get you through those chaotic first few weeks.
It’s a great example of prosocial behaviour, using empathy to connect with customers on a personal level, and it’s delighting customers right across the UK.
There’s a lot of gratitude being shared for Nationwide UK on Twitter.
Are your customers this thankful? Maybe it’s time for a re-think?
Best Time to Tweet
AskNationwide run a 24/7 operation, and by analysing the amount of replies they send throughout the week you’ll most likely get a better response if you send your tweet on Mondays’ between 11pm and midnight, when it’s least busy.
Types of Customer Queries
By accessing the AskNationwide dashboard on HelpHandles, you can listen into a snapshot of the type of interactions customers are having and how long it takes AskNationwide to respond to each mention. It could even save you some time if your issue has already been solved.
Conclusion
Delivering great social customer service isn’t just about being efficient on social, (although it does help). The companies who are doing social well are the ones that are bringing together core functions and talent within the business, working collaboratively and investing in people, infrastructure, tools, and training whilst staying focussed on innovation to deliver great customer experience. By selecting and integrating the appropriate social channels as part of a wider coordinated strategy focused on delivering great customer experience, AskNationwide have become not just best in-class, but also world-class and are now raising the bar for social customer service on Twitter.
Unlock your free company profile on HelpHandles.com today, add your support team profiles and start increasing your brand’s reputation and performance with social customer service reviews and performance analytics for Twitter.
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For indicative purposes all metric analyses have been conducted over a period of last 7 days from (01/04/2016–08/04/2016) Accounts are programmatically scored out of 100 for performance across 4 metrics. Weekly inbound mentions (25%), Response Rate (25%), Responses under 30 mins (25%) and Sentiment (25%). All metrics are available and updated every 15 mins on HelpHandles.com
