A survey of Chinese consumers from November 2010 to January 2011 shows that the use of social media for customer service by Chinese consumers has almost doubled in the last two years.
This media is now seen as a viable alternative to the phone, and about 30 per cent of Chinese consumers get in touch with customer service by using social media to get answer to their queries.
Ovum has also reported a significant increase in the number of Chinese consumers who seek advice from customer service representatives via Web chat and Web self-service channels.
Discussion boards and forums were found to be the most popular uses of social media by Chinese consumers for customer service.
New forms of media
Use of Web chat or Web self-service has increased in the past two years. Today more than 60 per cent are using these channels as compared to less than 20 per cent two years ago.
But a direct call with a customer service representative is the most popular option to solve problems among Chinese consumers.
"We expect the use of social media for customer service will quickly catch up with Web chat and Web self-service channels. The number of Chinese consumers using social media for customer service today is significantly higher compared to the UK and US," said Ovum analyst, Aphrodite Brinsmead.
"In emerging contact centre markets such as China, consumers are keen to experiment with new forms of media. Contact centres must evolve with their customers, providing information via the Web and responding to social queries on forums to ensure that customers receive accurate product and service information."