This is an eight-fold increase on the 3% of consumers indicating that they had used social media to complain in January 2014 (according to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index).

The report, Service Goes Social, based on the views of 2,195 consumers and 12 interviews with senior customer service executives, revealed that 39% of consumers actively gave feedback on the organisations they buy from. Customers aged 45-54 were the most likely to share their experiences of an organisation through social media, followed closely by 18-24 year olds.

“We have reached a point where social media is not just a necessary component of a credible customer service strategy but one which offers powerful insights that drive better innovation, co-creation and collaboration,” said Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service.

“To make this a reality, social media needs to be a central part of a coherent, sustained and long-term focus on customer service strategy, something that many organisations are yet to do.”

More information on the report can be found here.