Social media is playing a big role in how a CEOs interact with their firms' customers, according to a new IBM study.
The IBM 2012 Global CEO Study asked for the opinions of 1,700 CEOs across 18 industries on their attitudes towards customer service, social media and human capital.
It found that 57 per cent of CEOs across the UK/Ireland believe that social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, will become just as important as face-to-face time with customers in three - five years time, reports
managementtoday.co.uk.
However, only 16 per cent of CEOs currently use social business platforms to connect with customers.
Surprisingly, only 15 per cent of CEOs believe they will be using 'traditional media' to connect with customers in three - five years - a far cry from the 39 per cent who use that avenue in the present day.
Pierre Morin, a partner at IBM Global Business Services, commented on the survey for
montrealgazette.com: "Some senior leaders that I have met with are trying to create a more seamless connection with their CEOs. That means they want people across the organisation to feel comfortable reaching out to the CEO to share ideas or engage a discussion.
"Social media is a mechanism to do that. People use social media tools to facilitate communication across all levels of the company," he added.