British businesses getting to grips with social media are only dealing with the "tip of the iceberg" according to a study comparing brands and consumers' digital interaction.

The study, by Fishburn Hedges and Echo Research, found that more than a third of people have already interacted with companies through social media. This is almost double the proportion that it was just eight months ago (19% to 36%).

Two thirds of people that have engaged with brands on social media (68%) believe that it has allowed them to find their voice.

Most of them (65%) believe social media is a better way to communicate with companies than through call centres, some nine times more than those who felt worse off using social media (7%).

Two fifths of us (40%), even those who haven't used social media, believe it improves customer service. This is some six times more than the 7% of naysayers who fear social media will harm service.

You can join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #smcustomer

You can download the report here

and read the full article on the Fishburn Hedges website