Social CRM: The Intelligent Management of Social Networks
Is it possible to use technology to professionally manage our Marketing Strategy in Social Networks …? Or should we trust the “enlightened” turn …? Fortunately, there are already tools that combine the efficiency of CRM techniques, that is, Customer Relationship Management, with the presence of our company in Social Networks, and thus optimize our Social Media Marketing.
In Spain, more than 600,000 tweets and more than one million posts are published daily. 30% of these conversations have a large commercial component, since they comment on needs, doubts, recommendations, or better offers … This scenario poses an unbeatable opportunity if we can take advantage of the large amount of information and digital trail that our customers share on the network . Especially if we are able to listen to their needs and answer the questions they ask us.
Forrester, a leading technology consultancy worldwide, defines this set of tools as ‘the ecosystem of extended CRM applications’, distinguishing 5 lines of work: Guidance, recruitment, retention, collaboration and customer knowledge.
These applications help us define new products and services, search for the most appropriate markets and audiences, or create links and connections that bring us closer to our potential customers, facilitating relationships between them and encouraging their participation. For example, TurboTax Live Community has helped more than 10 million customers get free help on tax issues, has 90 experts who have generated more than 115,000 responses during the year 2010.
Another important category includes the technologies that support the work in collaboration with the clients, allowing to interact and support each other, even participating directly in the creation of the product or service that is carried out. National Instrument has adopted the concept of co-innovation with customers for its LabVIEW product. Taking advantage of its presence in social networks, it offers a forum where users can comment on how to improve the user interface, both in finished products and in the development phase. In the latest version of LabVIEW, fourteen new contributions from the community were incorporated into the product.
Finally we must highlight those aimed at collecting customer comments, analysis and reporting.
The integration of CRM functionalities with the capabilities offered by the set of applications that manage our relationship with social networks is what we call Social CRM. The Social CRM expands the possibilities we have in terms of targeting, orientation, understanding and retention of our customers. Giving us the opportunity to improve our products and services, shortens the sales cycle and strengthens our brand image, which can help us increase our sales in a very significant way.
CEO Besoftware BSW
Article included in Vida Económica Magazine Social CRM: La Gestión inteligente de las Redes Sociales (pdf)