Firms Using Social Media for Marketing Will Have to Use Social for Customer Replies

By 2014, organizations that refuse to communicate with customers by social media will face the same level of wrath from customers as those that ignore today's basic expectation that they will respond to emails and phone calls, Gartner argues. 

For organizations that use social media to promote their products, responding to inquiries by social media channels will be the new minimum level of response expected by consumers, Gartner predicts. 

“The dissatisfaction stemming from failure to respond via social channels can lead to up to a 15 percent increase in churn rate for existing customers,” says Carol Rozwell, Gartner VP and distinguished analyst.