According to a recent study, just over half (54%) of UK Fire and Rescue Services struggle to record their response times to inbound messages and enquiries across their social media channels. With inbound enquiries from residents and other stakeholders increasing overall and the number of social media accounts being managed by the services also on the rise, tracking KPI’s such as response time is key to effectively serving stakeholder needs on social.
Social media is a vital channel to communicate with their key stakeholders. Of the organisations that responded to the recent FOI survey, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service were found to have the most social media accounts at 85, with 46% of other services reporting a rise in the number of accounts online. It must also be noted that 38% of organisations reported an increase in the number of enquiries they received year-on-year whilst just under half (46%) of respondents failed to provide trend information, due to not recording current or historical figures.
One third of organisations (33%) reported an increase in the number of people who manage and respond to enquiries.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service was found to have the quickest response time averaging 2 hours 6 minutes, whilst managing a total of 16 social media accounts and an average of 760 enquiries at the start of 2019. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service also shared a similar response time across its 6 social media accounts. At the opposite end of the scale, estimated total response times were around 9 hours.
A staggering 62% of organisations were unable to report a change in response times over a period of a year which, in addition to the number of inbound enquiries, could have a negative impact on how effectively UK Fire and Rescue Services engage their communities on social media. Being able to track and monitor data across social media platforms is essential in regards to tracking how local residents and other stakeholders are kept informed.
Fortunately, social media tools such as CrowdControlHQ can help support the management of these accounts and enhance the efficiency of the UK’s emergency service communications. Not understanding the effectiveness of your response time on social can often reflect the quality of service provided to stakeholders. With inbound communications increasing overall and the number of accounts also on the rise, tracking KPI’s is key to effectively serving stakeholders on social. By tracking performance rates, it will allow the UK’s Fire & Rescue organisations to easily identify the areas of improvement in their social customer service and essentially allocate the appropriate resources necessary.
For more information, please visit: https://www.crowdcontrolhq.com/
