Did you know that 80 percent of companies are planning to incorporate social media into their customer service strategies in 2013?

And with good reason – the public visibility of an enquiry or complaint made online gives the consumer more power than ever, and brands that are slow to respond or (worse) ignore these support channels altogether are likely to pay a very high price indeed.

Moreover, customer expectations are rising. 51 percent now engage online with brands multiple times each month – close to half (46 percent) expect companies to have a Facebook Page, and almost one in five (17 percent) want to connect with them via Twitter, were the majority (53 percent) expect a response to their enquiry within two hours.

This infographic takes a closer look at how social media is bringing power to the people.

(Source: Infosys. Power button image via Clker.)