Sprout Social: 68% expect brands to reply on social within a day.
Most consumers expect a brand to answer them on social media within 24 hours, according to Sprout Social's latest pulse survey, with 68% setting that deadline. TikTok (50%) and Facebook (46%) are where people turn first for customer service.
Instagram (44%), X (28%) and WhatsApp (26%) follow. Expectations are tight: 24% want a reply within one to two hours and 14% within an hour. Most people would rather sort problems out privately, with 55% preferring to message a company than to complain in public. Of those who do complain publicly, 33% want the brand to move the conversation to direct messages and 28% want it resolved in the comments. And 27% plan to use social media for customer service more than last year.
The survey also covers the holidays and AI. Half of consumers see October and November as the right time for holiday campaigns, though 49% say they're more likely to buy from brands that start in August. Promo codes from brands or influencers (30%) are the top reason to buy, and social media ties with physical stores (46%) as a source of gift ideas. 84% worry about coming across AI deepfakes, and 38% say that makes them more sceptical of ads in general.
Sprout surveyed 2,250 consumers between 11 and 18 August 2026 but doesn't say which countries they were in, and some questions refer to US consumers, so the numbers work as a benchmark rather than a Gulf reading. Even so, the service findings apply wherever brands are active on TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp: social care needs staffing and a response time measured in hours, not days.
Why it matters
Customers now treat TikTok, Facebook and Instagram as service channels and expect replies within a day, so social teams need the staffing and processes of a contact centre.
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