Upgrading Your CRM Strategy with Blogs, Podcasts and Social Networking

October 30, 2006 October, 2006 Christopher Carfi Cerado, Inc. Upgrading Your CRM Strategy with Web 2.0

Quick Background Co-Founder, Cerado Win/Loss Analysis, Competitive Intelligence, Business Blogging http://www.cerado.com Creator, Haystack TM Networking Serious social networking for businesses and associations http://haystack.cerado.com Editor, The Social Customer Manifesto weblog “ Best CRM Weblog,” SearchCRM.com http://www.socialcustomer.com

Agenda

Intro : How “Web 2.0” Is Affecting CRM

What's Happening : Sales

What's Happening : Marketing

What's Happening : Service

What's Coming : An Increasing Focus On Trust In Business Relationships

Wrapup

How “Web 2.0” Is Affecting CRM

Web is moving from “publish-only” to “read/write”

Cost of publishing for customers = 0

All media can be published – text, audio, video, etc.

CRM has moved from “managing customers” to “having conversations with customers”

Applies to sales

Applies to marketing

Applies to support

We've entered era of the “Social Customer”

The Social Customer Manifesto

I want to have a say.

I don't want to do business with idiots.

I want to know when something is wrong, and what you're going to do to fix it.

I want to help shape things that I'll find useful.

I want to connect with others who are working on similar problems.

I don't want to be called by another salesperson. Ever. (Unless they have something useful. Then I want it yesterday.)

I want to buy things on my schedule, not yours. I don't care if it's the end of your quarter.

I want to know your selling process.

I want to tell you when you're screwing up. Conversely, I'm happy to tell you the things that you are doing well. I may even tell you what your competitors are doing.

I want to do business with companies that act in a transparent and ethical manner.

I want to know what's next. We're in partnership…where should we go?

What's Happening: Sales photo credit: gizmodo Key point 1 : Salepeople no longer have an informational advantage over their customers Key point 2 : Customers trust “someone like me” (e.g. TripAdvisor) Key point 3 : The rise of the “biz-sumer”

What's Happening: Marketing

Customer expectations

Transparency

Authenticity

Conversations in a human voice

Things happen

Customers create

Customers talk

Word-of-mouth reigns

What's Happening: Support

“ Support Tags” (a.k.a. “Support Beacons”)

Turns support around 180 degrees

Customer talks on his/her own site, support comes to them

Naturally, there will be those who scoff and respond to the support tagging idea along the lines of "Why? Customers should come to our support site, and open a ticket there". And that's how it's done today - make your customers come to you . But why not reverse this completely? This is how these companies win the hearts, minds and loyalty of their customer. Its amazing customer service - a true differentiator. By providing a support tag, it could allow for further structuring around this 'listening to the blogs customer support' approach. Of course, not all your customers would use it, but if there is a real benefit to the customer in doing so (i.e. faster response times, quality of response, etc), then why wouldn't they? And the benefits to the company providing support in this way? Well, happy customers for one - but if the support is provided via a comment then this provides evidence to prospective customers of the quality of service who happen to come across the blog post. I'll do my bit and the send idea around within Microsoft for consideration by the powers that be. “ ” Quote from Alex Barnett, Microsoft

Trend: Social Networking for Businesses/Associations