SCRM Interview With Thought Leader Kathy Herrmann

All Things CRM just interviewed me for an article on Social CRM. Questions included the evolution of SCRM, it's future, what companies are doing SCRM well, and the ROI of SCRM.

Check it out!

 

Defining SCRM

There’s some variation across different thought leaders about what SCRM means. Here’s how I look at it.

I start with the idea of the social business model which centers on engaging, collaborating, and connecting with customers, partners, employees, and other interested parties. It refers to the holistic corporate adoption of activities that occur both internally and externally to the company and incorporates all of a company’s business ecosystem.

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Talking around the town - At WSJ - PR metrics & value

Carl Bialik, a WSJ reporter, wrote two related articles in the last few days on the topic of determing the value of PR.  One was an article for the WSJ and other for his blog.  I commented on both, taking the pro side of the need for PR valuation -- and as one of the few voices mentioning that value can be determined.

 

Note:  You may need to be a subscriber for at least the article.

Publicists Pump Up Value of Buzz; Don't Believe the Hype (article)

How Much Is This Blog Post Worth? (blog)

 

Change Management & Social Business

Becoming a social business – not just a company with a Facebook page – is a change management opportunity and challenge for a company. It requires attention to people, processes, and technology.

The more important question is what can a company do to provide a better customer experience? And what changes to people, processes, and technology are needed to support the strategy and tactics for such a customer-centric business model?

Doing social from a holistic corporate perspective needs to be driven at...

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Tweet Up schedule–Social Customer Service ROI

Starting on Monday, June 6, 2011, Dr. Natalie and I will host a 3-session tweet up series on the Social Customer Service.

Over the 3 sessions, we’ll discuss topics related to thought leadership we shared in our recent white paper Calculating the ROI for Social Customer Service.

Our end goal with our recent paper and coming tweet ups is to help people combine strategy with ROI to accelerate executive approval of social customer service programs.

Of course, each of you have your own experiences and thoughts to share so it won’t be complete unless you join in the discussion!

Mark your calendars and join the discussion on:

  1. How to Build the Business Case for Social Customer Service – Monday, June 6, 2011 at 3 pm EDT.
  2. Calculating ROI for Social Customer Service – Week of  June 13 - TBD.
  3. How Social Customer Service Benefits the Entire Company – Week of June 20 - TBD.

The hash tag for each session will be #smROI.

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Shaping Customer Service in the Social Era

I love talking about collaboration almost as much as I like doing it.  When people come together, one idea spawns others and before you know it, greatness erupts into the world.

The reason social media is transforming business today (and in years to come) is because it allows us to team together in ways we could never achieve in our traditional, proximity-based societies or companies.  And that includes collaborating to meet customer needs.

Your customers know as much or more about the “real world” use of your products than your service reps or even product engineers might know. 

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Attensity Webinar - "Yes, Social ROI Can Be Determined

I gave a webinar today with Dr. Natalie Petouhoff on determining Social ROI, sponsored by Attensity.  Check out the slide below.  If you'd like a podcast of the audio, check out Attensity's Archived Webinars (if the podcast isn't there already it will be soon.

In other news, Natalie and I will give a part 2 of the webinar at the Attensity Engage User Conference (to be held on November 9-10 in Silicon Valley, CA).

 

Here's today's preso:

 

Yes, social ROI can be determined

 

Satisfying the customer – Quoted by Nearshore America

I’m a proponent of empowering call center reps to service customers in more valuable, meaningful ways.  Recent discussions in other customer service forums brought me to the attention of Tarun George, a writer for Nearshore America.

Check out Tarun article Forget about Handle Time, What About Satisfying the Customer? on NearshoreAmerica.com.  He starts off:

The call center landscape is changing fast. Because of increased competition and brutal cost pressures in the last year, client retention and consequently client satisfaction are more important now than they’ve ever been.  But are companies changing their call center practices to reflect that?

Click here to find the answer…and some of my thoughts on the topic.

The True value of Social Business – Free white Paper

Focus recently released a white paper I wrote on The True Value of Social Business.  Check it out.

It blows through various misconceptions circulating about ROI.  For example, results such as influence, engagement, impact or customer satisfaction are not values but benefits.

Use the white paper to arm you to gain the green light on your social initiatives by discussing the value with your executive team in monetary terms. This paper will tell you what you need to know, and explain the benefits of social business including:

  • Extended influence with prospects and customers.
  • Improved branding.
  • Improved customer service.
  • Heightened customer loyalty.
  • Better insight into customers.

The white paper is free.  Click here.