Forty-seven percent of all social media users have used their networks to get customer service from a company, according to a study from NM Incite. "Social media has an amplification effect that turns customer service into a critical market tool," said Steven L. Johnson, an assistant professor at Temple's Fox School of Business. "When a customer raises a customer support issue via social media, that's not just a private conversation between the consumer and company, it's a public conversation with an audience of thousands, if not millions," he said.