For most companies, although customer feedback is collectible online right now, only a few of them actually monitor and utilise it, according to a new CMO Council study, Ad Week reported.

Only 16 percent of the 500 marketing chiefs surveyed check online message boards for complaints and feedback, even though 58 percent believe that "the Internet and social media have changed the level of influence and expectations of their customers."

Obviously they know their deficiencies. Only 33 percent of the respondents think they do well at resolving complaints. Merely 31 percent highly rate their commitment to customer listening, according to AdWeek.

According to Donovan Neale-May, the CMO Council's executive director, this is partly due to the fact most of the marketing chiefs cannot influence customer-centric practices within their organisations.

"You've got to own it. You have to impact customer experience, not just branding. It's all the touch points: call services, service counter reps, warranties, returns. You can spend a lot of money creating demand, but if you have that customer disconnect, you're wasting your marketing dollars," he added, Ad Week reported.

The study also found that about 60 percent said their companies do not offer compensation to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Only 23 percent track or measure customer feedback e-mails, while 37 percent collect insights from customer engagement situations.

Marketers still depend too much on surveys, which are likely to skew toward customers "who are happy enough with the firm to respond," Neale-May added. Fifty-six percent said they have no programmes to track or propagate positive word of mouth, Ad Week reported.