CARY, N.C. -

While automotive comes in as the industry least likely to be complained about in a top 10 list of industries most complained about on social media, the industry still has room to improve its response time, shows recent consumer data from Sprout Social.

“People don’t buy cars everyday — so while maintenance issues and product questions can pop up anytime, they may not have as much reason to negatively call out auto brands as they would for the CPG brand that, for example, makes the cereal they eat for breakfast every morning,” Sprout Social director of content Lizz Kannenberg said in an email interview.

“The potential payoff for complaining about your car is different than it is when you complain about your cereal; whereas you might get a coupon for a free box if you complain about your o’s or flakes, you’re unlikely to get a comparable ‘make good’ from an automaker.”

At 12 percent, the automotive industry average response rate on social is higher than the all-industry average at 11 percent. But among the list of 10 industries examined in the Q3 2017 Sprout Social Index, automotive also came in as the No. 6 industry needing the most help with social customer service.

“While the volume of consumer complaints may not be as high, people aren’t getting the responses they’re looking for when they do reach out,” Kannenberg said.

The auto industry’s average response time to consumers on social is 13.5 hours, the second longest average response rate out of 15 industries, according to the study.

“Responsiveness on social is crucial to how consumers view a particular brand. Think through how people are welcomed when they walk into your showroom, dealership or garage. You wouldn’t ignore them point-blank. Extend the same type of welcome to people who reach out to you on social to build the brand, and the customer relationships, that will pay dividends in terms of long-term loyalty,” Kannenberg explained.

Via Survata, an independent research firm in San Francisco, Sprout Social surveyed more than 1,000 consumers online between July 10 and July 14 for the study.