SOCIAL CRM: The "IN" Thing...

CRM has always been a fascination for me. So, after all the buzz CRM has created focussing on the “constructive” interaction between a customer and a company, something else has taken a centerstage now. A new thing that has added a zing factor to CRM is “SOCIAL“. So, how different is SOCIAL CRM is from a regular CRM system??

The difference between these two is just one word, social. Social brings a new element into CRM because now instead of just dealing with data and information we are dealing with conversations and relationships. These conversations and relationships take place not just from company to consumer but also from consumer to consumer. The social CRM can be used by marketing and sales teams to listen to conversations, craft appropriate messages, join in immediately with customer conversation and offer them value in terms of information and solutions.

Social CRM has the ability to:

* Convert content to conversations therefore humanising a company so that customers regard the organisation as a trusted peer.
* Extend conversations into collaborative experiences, putting the customer at the core of a company’s strategy.
* Transform these experiences into meaningful relationships based upon real customer engagement.

Social CRM will help generate marketing intelligence, providing the marketing department with insight that will assist your company to source better leads and reduce customer support costs through self-helping communities.