So not content with being in this week’s OK Magazine (yes, really), the CRM team have been busy sharing their thoughts on segmentation and the like with NMA in last week’s Customer Relationship Management special.
It’s an interesting article that looks at the (relatively) long established discipline of CRM with a fresh pair of eyes and asks “what’s more important to customer relationships: triggers or Twitter?” It discusses a view shared by the CRM team here – that traditional CRM needs to evolve and make use of new, social communication methods, media and technologies.
“Social CRM” is about engaging with consumers on their own terms – joining their conversation. It means talking and listening to your customers at times and in places and in a way that they are comfortable with. From this perspective, the underlying principles of CRM remain true; ensuring relevant and meaningful conversations and interactions (”the right ‘message’ at the right time in the right place”). The proliferation of channels and media just make this a tad more complex!
This new approach to CRM is not just about ‘adding in a few more channels’ – its fundamentally challenging traditional CRM practices (i.e. segmentation and communication strategy) and technologies (i.e. multi-channel campaign management and marketing automation) – requiring them to evolve to accommodate the need to respond to real-time experiences and conversation that consumers expect through interactive channels.
There’s no doubt social media and technologies present real opportunities to better connect and build relationships with customers. Whilst a lot of attention is being paid to the marketing part of CRM, perhaps the greatest potential for improving and advancing relationships is through the service channel. For example, sites like getsatisfaction.com are turning customer service on its head: with customer support evolving into a community conversation between users and the brand.
Read more “Expert Views” on innovations shaping CRM, including my two-penneth! Enjoy!
Pipa Unsworth, CRM Practice Director, LBi
Tags: CRM, eCRM, Social CRM, Social Media