Social media has flipped customer service on its head. It has empowered the public by allowing them to comment on their experiences. Customers once voted with their feet; now they vote with the "like" button. As a result, businesses must find ways better ways to listen and respond.

It's also no longer enough to be reactive. Companies must be proactive in searching for customer comments. This requires the ability to recognize concerns as they begin to bubble and to jump on them immediately before they begin to boil. On the flip side, positive experiences also need to be acknowledged and customers shown that they are appreciated.

While many companies have embraced social media to address the customer experience, the new challenge is how to make sense out of the cacophony of voices, analyze what's being said, and use it to manage the customer service experience. To transform from simply customer service to customer management, it's important to understand the impact of social media.