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Product category: Market research
News Release from: SPSS | Subject: social networks
Edited by the Marketingservicestalk Editorial Team on 08 May 2008

Social networks are 'customer insight
blindspot'

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Almost 90 per cent of companies are failing to analyse customer information from social networking sites, according to a recent survey by SPSS, provider of Predictive Analytics software.

Other modern methods of gaining consumer insight, such as text messaging and blogs, also ranked low in the poll with 47 per cent of companies choosing phones as their main customer surveying technique This is despite 82 per cent of businesses reporting social networking sites are a useful source of information

"The survey highlighted what is essentially a customer insight blindspot," said Colin Shearer, Senior Vice President of Market Strategy at SPSS.

"While traditional contact channels are still applicable, businesses need to recognise and capitalise on the shift toward social networking or they are missing vital insight.

"Typically, consumers are more candid on social networking sites and tend to reveal their true feelings about a company or service.

"These sites offer the opportunity to canvas customers on a global scale, unrestricted by language or distance barriers".

Shearer continued: "Once businesses tap into online data from social networks, they can be overwhelmed by the amount of information available.

"SPSS' text mining software helps businesses turn masses of unstructured data into something more manageable and useable.

"It allows organisations to focus on and analyse only the most valuable information, bringing a whole new wealth of customer insight to their fingertips".

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