The from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is based on a global survey of 800 senior executives worldwide.

More than half (58 percent) of C-level respondents consider the CEO responsible for new customer communications channels, but less than a third (28 per cent) of middle managers agree with their superiors' assessment, with 38 percent of non C-level executives saying the marketing department has ultimate responsibility for social media and mobile channels.

The EIU said the disconnect between top-level and mid-ranking executives might be explained by the "novelty factor" of social media.

The report found that 43 percent of companies only began using social media in the last year, and only 11 percent of businesses have been using social media to communicate with customers for three years or more.

Customer service has not been a priority with new communications channels, with just six percent seeing customer service as the main purpose of new communication channels.