The real value of social signals to a company

From Deloitte CIO Journal

Listening services are almost old news. Not that social signals aren't useful; they certainly are. But, the real value of social signals to a company depends upon its ability to gain, and act on insights ahead of the competition. Those companies that figure out how to integrate social signals into the decision-making processes across the enterprise first will be well ahead of the competition in removing unknowns and moving the needle on business performance.