A lot of discussion is starting to pop up around the concept of social CRM as people seek to understand the concept and how it can be put to use. The discussion reveals that a fair amount of confusion still remains about the definition of social CRM and its components. Some believe that a social CRM system is merely a corporate website with links to Twitter and Facebook feeds, others that it’s a conventional CRM system plus social media tools. Social CRM is where the customer is engaged in a collaborative conversation in order to provide a mutually beneficial value in a transparent and trusted business environment.
A true social CRM system is made up of several components:
-
Customer community
- Social networks
- CRM system
- Business systems
- Business intelligence
My description of a Social CRM is a business strategy that integrates technologies, business rules and processes with social media in order to interact and engage with the customer in a transparent environment. The output enables a business or institution to observe audience engagement, and then respond to varying audience experiences with targeted strategies to provide value to both the business/institution and its audience.