A new IBM study of approximately 1,700 chief executive officers representing 64 countries and 18 industries shows that in the coming years, CEOs plan to shift from using email and phone as primary consumer communication vehicles to using social media to achieve better and closer connections with customers. Today, only 16% of CEOs are using social platforms to connect with their customers, but that percentage is predicted to grow to almost 60% within three to five years.

The 2012 Global CEO Study lists the current customer interaction method hierarchy as (1) face-to-face, (2) website, (3) channel partners, (4) call centers, (5) traditional media, (6) advisory groups and (7) social media. Within five years, however, the study predicts that social media will rise to the #2 spot, just behind face-to-face interactions, with Read More