CRM Turns Social

Did you know that Americans will spend 9% more with companies that provide excellent customer service?

Most companies are aware that great customer service is at the heart of their business success. Yet, many fail to implement customer service initiatives that optimize customer engagement and interactions.

Online consumer behavior is rapidly changing. With the explosion of social media and the ability to fast forward TV commercials, companies now face a mammoth task of keeping up with ever changing trends to connect with customers and build long-lasting relationships. Customers nowadays want quick and efficient responses to their problems. You, as a business, need to join in the conversations on social media and build up customer loyalty and trust.

And that is where Social CRM comes in. Social CRM is the new frontier in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Social CRM is not the replacement of CRM. It is in fact an extension of your current CRM with the ability of engaging in customer conversations on social media.

(Source: sCRM evolution)

Traditional CRM is based around customer data and information collected. It is a company-centric process where companies use collected data to better target and service customers. Social CRM, on the other hand, regards customers as a focal point and all marketing activities revolve around them. Social CRM allows you to engage and collaborate with customers to solve problems and turn fans and followers into advocates. When executed properly, Social CRM increases trust and makes companies more personable. And happier customers mean better bottom lines.

Here are a few excellent examples of how some big name companies use Twitter to engage with their customers, address any issues, and deliver great customer services:

You can enlist the help of Social CRM tools such as Salesforce or Nimble to get access to a comprehensive database of customers or prospective customers and start engaging in conversations. These Social CRM tools can automatically pull together all contacts, any activities, and any mentions from all your social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, LinkedIn, etc. and store them all into a single company record. When you pull up a customer's record, you have access to a vast array of information about this particular customer across all social media platforms.

Here are some helpful tips for you to implement Social CRM initiatives at your company:

• Locate your customers on social media: Some customers may be more active on one social media site than others. Find out which social media sites your target customers frequent and engage with them.
• Gather feedback and adjust strategies: Suss out what customers are talking about your products or services. You have full access to customer reviews and complaints, so you can provide swift responses to any concerns and issues. Follow conversations and gain better insights to customers' online behavior.
• Identify new opportunities and gain fresh ideas: Join in conversations with customers on social media channels and listen to their ideas and suggestions. You might just pick up new, fresh ideas that can massively improve your products or services.

So there you have it. Get a start on your Social CRM campaign today and you will be on your way to gain tons of happy customers!

May Mandy Han