Over the last year or so, social CRM is a topic that has been discussed at length in the press. More than just a buzzword, this concept is becoming more and more important to marketing professionals like me. Microsoft recognizes this and has been working hard to add social features to its popular Dynamics CRM solution. If you’re interested in learning more about the social capabilities available in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, I’ve written a variety of blog posts on the subject. Check them out by following the links below:
- Enhanced Social Capabilities Included in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update – Streamline Communication
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Activity Feeds FAQs
- Netbreeze Bringing Social Analytics to Microsoft Dynamics CRM
What I’d like to discuss today are a few tips for achieving social CRM success which I came across in a recent CIO.com article. Read it .
In particular, here are some of the tips from that piece that struck a chord with me:
- Make sure you have the right resources—This one may seem obvious, but I feel that it’s something that could be easily overlooked. In today’s extremely competitive world where it’s hard to go a day without hearing someone tout the benefits of social media for business, organizations may be tempted to jump on the social media bandwagon before stopping to consider how many resources it will consume. But, if you bite off more than you can chew and fail to respond quickly when customers contact you, having a social media presence will do more harm than good.
- Monitor what your customers are saying about you—Social media offers a unique opportunity for organizations to have a two way conversation with its customers or prospects. Not only can it be used to push out content that you wish to share, it can also make it much easier to keep an eye on how your brand is viewed by the public. Tools like Netbreeze, which Microsoft is currently working to integrate with Dynamics CRM, make it easy to stay on top of brand mentions so that you can be sure to respond in a timely manner.
- Unify and centralize your customer-related communications—Given all the varied touch points organizations now have with customers and prospects, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you always deliver consistent communication across all channels. Having a CRM system like Microsoft Dynamics that gives your team a centralized place to record all the pertinent details of their communications makes this much simpler.
Want to learn more about Microsoft Dynamics CRM? for an overview of the system and its included modules.
Have questions or want to find out if Dynamics CRM is right for your business? so that we can discuss your specific needs.
By: Laura Heinbockel, Intelligent Technologies, Inc., a North Carolina Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner
