An increasing number of consumers are using social media websites as their first point of contact with an organisation.

Research by OnePoll revealed that only eight per cent of consumers get in touch with a company's customer service department when they require advice or information on a product or service.

Only ten per cent of people visit a retailer in person to enquire about products and services as more and more are going online via their computers and smart phones to request information.

It was discovered that 44 per cent of people use social networking sites or internet forums for customer service purposes, which should encourage businesses to increase their internet presence.

Just over a third of people email customer service departments in the first instance and slightly over half expect companies to monitor the internet in order to respond to queries and complaints.

Firms that do respond to complaints via social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook would impress almost half of customers and this could result in increased consumer loyalty.

Responding in real time through the internet is a growing demand from the modern consumer who is used to receiving information instantly so smaller businesses which do this can get claim an advantage over larger competitors.

Steve Garnett, EMEA chairman, said that the rise of social networking websites has changed the nature of professional customer service and organisations must evolve to meet this challenge.

He added: "To remain competitive, SMEs must adjust to this new environment and accept that many of their customers are online in the cloud and actively discussing the brands, products and services they consume on a regular basis."

Small and medium sized businesses must take every opportunity to engage with their customers but this can be challenging for enterprises which do not have the necessary resources or financial power.

There are certain tools available through social networking sites which allow users to track when their organisation's names has been mentioned so that they can respond to any complaints or negative comments.

If you are worried about the current levels of customer service that your organisation provides, then you should employ the services of performance improvement consulting experts.

Performance improvement consultants will apply systems thinking business theory to your organisation so that you can view your whole company from the perspective of a customer.

Systems thinking can improve organisational processes by eliminating waste and increasing efficiency.

Author Martin Hofschroer is from Himsworth Consultancy, a leading management consultancy firm of senior business and consultancy professionals that specialise in improving corporate and operational performance, delivering world-class customer service improvements and offering alternatives to business and functional outsourcing. Visit http://www.himsworthconsultancy.com/ .