Surprise, customers are not very happy with their banks online, new comScore data shows. Where are they falling down? Customer service. So how then are the big retail banks using social media to bring answers to their sometimes frustrated account holders?

UK banks aren’t, that’s for sure. None of the major UK banks have active Twitter or Facebook accounts dedicated to responding to customers. Some of the banks have unofficial Facebook pages, like HSBC, started by members of the community. And Barclay’s even has an active Twitter account dedicated to posting tips about how to make more money. No customer service, though.

Which banks lead the way in social media customer service? You have to head across the Atlantic. Bank of America is one. They have a Twitter feed dedicated solely to helping out confused customers and they actively brows the Twitterverse for any negative sentiment to cure. And they don’t keep banker’s hours. In fact, from the looks of it, BofA has a team of five people working full-time to cure online ailments. If you take a look at its tweet history there are plenty of promising signs:

Citibank appears to be the best equipped, however. Much like BofA, it has a Twitter account dedicated to helping people with credit card issues:

But the real virtuousness of Citibank may come from its (relatively) well-rounded social media presence. They have a decent (“strong” even by banker standards) fan base on Facebook with active postings by the company, and they have a snazzy new blog offering videos, financial tips, and links to the rest of their customer outreach online.

But the sector as a whole still scores poor marks with social media customer service. Relative to other major companies, like Coca-Cola for example, or even other customer-facing industries like retail or travel, banks are almost entirely absent from social media circles. Some of this could be blamed upon an ambiguous financial regulatory environment, particularly in the UK, that scares most banks away from this kind of enlightened outreach. But we’re not going to let them off that lightly: truth is it’s a cultural issue that banks are still reluctant to address.

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