My day as a SocialCRM Rockstar

I often say the “Holy Grail” of Social CRM effectiveness is the ability to “make sense of the noise,” by identifying important conversations and pushing the right message to the right people at the right time and Radian6 listening platform is poised to lead the charge.
Their announcement of their salesforce.com integration at the Enterprise 2.0 conference raised the bar in effective Social CRM strategies.
I was invited this past week to participate on a panel called the “Rockstars of Social CRM” with the likes of Chris Brogan, Paul Greenberg, Brent Leary and Frank Eliason, Comcast’s Director of Digital Care moderated by Radian6 CEO, Marcel LeBrun.
Radian6 did an incredible job creating a “Rockstar” look and feel from the stage set up to the Guitar Hero equipment for the after party.
As for Social CRM, it is extremely hard to have the conversation about CRM today without a social aspect due to the fact that customers are now social entities interacting in a number of social focused channels. The ability to monitor those conversations and the analytical piece to properly address, respond, route or ignore has to be timely. Integrating the vital conversations into the standard Marketing, Sales and Service processes will allow the right response at the right time to the right individual. CRM systems are known for harboring large amounts of data and the thought of dumping all interactions into a CRM database can be overwhelming. Radian6 has added some structure to this process geared to working along with CRM processes. When I was asked my opinion on what today’s CRM vernacular should be I answered with CEM, Customer Engagement Management but call it what you like, just address it and soon; your customers are there and they will not wait for you.
The panel was a blast, the conversations were thought provoking and insightful, those guys can throw a party!
Click here for footage of the event.
The SocialCRM Rock Event made a lot of sense from all of the noise.

Real Time Social CRM Phase I

So the term Social CRM has been thrown around a lot lately; due to the emergence of the “Social” audiences such as customers and prospects, with that it brings a requirement of bidirectional engagement and collaboration. The need to integrate traditional practices of CRM to accommodate this medium has added to the urgency of an effective and efficient CRM strategy. Recently Microsoft announced Public Sector On Demand putting Web 2.0 strategies into work by allowing their channel partners and general audience to utilize Neighborhood America’s first Business Service REVEAL for collaboration and idea generation. The need for more effective collaboration and the need to surface the best ideas for innovation are the main goals for the site but there is another level of collaboration happening with the integration of REVEAL’s database with Microsoft’s Dynamic CRM data base.
I have given several presentations called “Walking through your Social Media Blueprint” in preparation of launching a corporate Enterprise Social Network. There are 5 steps I discuss in Community Building:

• Foundation
• Mission
• Growth
• Plan
• Assessment

Step 3 Growth is where Social CRM integration can assist the most in getting your community off the ground by integration of your CRM database with the community:

Growth
How are we going to get this community off the ground?

• Assets- What resources can you tap into to build your community?
• Seeding- How will you initially draw prospects and customers to your community?
• Membership- What recruitment and retention tactics will be used to keep the community active?

Leveraging your CRM database in the Growth Stage is an effective use of information you currently have and hope to obtain. Using your CRM database will allow you to send a segmented invite to your current customer base offering up a multitude of incentives and benefits for joining and participation. By knowing your ideal customer target you can then use your CRM database for the purpose of sending out invites for prospects that fit your ideal customer pointing them to areas of interest focusing on earning their business such as ratings on your product, case studies and future enhancements. By offering invitees pertinent information and offers based on interest, demographics or geographic locations you can entice them to give more profile data such as interests, mobile phone numbers (for mobile campaigns), Twitter updates and other key information. When they join your community the information in their profile is updated to your CRM database. Their interests can be gauged by Lead Scoring and initiation of CRM workflow and processes to target marketing in future campaigns.

This is just a sampling of what can be done with a Phase I approach to Social CRM integration.
First let’s take a look at a diagram of Phase 1 of this integration to see exactly what is happening today and then we can understand the CRM mix of People, Processes and Technology. The Social Community in the diagram is Neighborhood America’s Reveal and the CRM solution is Microsoft Dynamics. The diagram references Social CRM in a Public Sector setting but can apply to commercial as well. In this Public Sector On Demand the scenarios are:

1. Citizen (Any individual) joins the Reveal Community filling in the basic profile fields and is added to the community
2. The profile information is simultaneously added to the CRM database at the least with name, e-mail address, appropriate alerts and processes can be kicked off internally.
3. The CRM database can now interact with the individual with updates offers to get more profile information from the individual. Segmentation benefits, offers based on geographic information can be leveraged as trust builds.
4. Any additional updates to their profile by the individual can be made
5. These updates will be subsequently added to the CRM database

While this first Phase was created in a Public Sector environment let’s take a look at it in a general sense utilizing the concepts of Social Media and Social CRM. Companies are now taking a hard look at Social Media solutions and trying to map them to their Strategic Initiatives. This same mapping is done with CRM so why should it be addressed as separate entities?
I will start with the most common analogy utilizing CRM and Social Media:

• Customer Service- Forums and discussions, two common forms of Social Media has been around for as long as the internet (Ask Al Gore). The ability for customers to address issues with product, service as well as product enhancements are not new in Social Media but technology has enhanced that ability. I think this is one of the most frequented places for product and service support.
• Marketing- One of the key points in Social Media around marketing is “making sense of the noise”, harnessing the buzz, getting people to talk favorably about your product and company as well as knowing when they are not speaking positively about you. The weapons of social media are rampant and in the hands of everyone, owned by no one. It is kind of like the wild, Wild West! Not to mention the SEO benefits of your company and product being found when people are looking for a solution.
• Sales- The placing of this component predicates the above because what happens in Customer Service and Marketing definitely impacts sales in a positive and negative way. As in the above Customer Service reference people researching a particular item they are looking to purchase will visit the forum area to get an idea of what is being said about the product as well as how service issues are addressed. The one question I am constantly being asked is how does the utilization of Social Media leverage lead scoring strategies. This first phase of profile collection into the CRM system may serve as the first step in identification if handled in a non intrusive manner.

Keep in mind that this first Phase of Social CRM Integration is a big step in leveraging current CRM database to extend your reach to your Social audience.

Perseverance…..to bolster, sustain, or uphold

It all started with this bracelet I ordered from Endorphin Warrior a few weeks ago. I saw the ad from a local sports magazine and since I thrive on inspirational moments I had to order this bracelet. My online experience was effortless and did not forget to ask me the lead source which from a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), angle was a good thing. Again, nothing out the ordinary in ordering and I received the bracelet sooner than expected.
I immediately received a letter thanking me for the purchase as well as an e-mail follow up wanting to know how I liked the bracelet.
I really liked the bracelet but I have small wrist so the metal plate rotates to the underside of my wrist and I mentioned that in my response.
Eric, the owner immediately wrote me back, apologizing and offering to send me a newer version that allows for adjustment for smaller wrists……free of charge. He wanted me to be completely satisfied and what he was created was an ADVOCATE which carries more weight than a satisfied, loyal customer.

Yes, he is a small business owner but from subsequent conversations wants to grow and maintain his attention to his customer base, he wrote:

“I’d love to learn more about what you do…as I have a lot to learn in that area. Right now I’m a very small company and can (and want to) personally handle communication with my customers. I definitely want to build Endorphin Warrior into something larger but not at the expense of losing the “human” element. I want to learn how to grow the business and still keep the human and emotional side of my business genuine and strong. Anytime you’d like to share what you do, I’d be interested in hearing more about it.”

Impressive to say the least and technology today has allowed for businesses of all types to automate their responses without losing the personal touch. A lesson learned to businesses of all sizes and during this time of economic slowdown NOW is the time to put this into action.
We will get through this, the question will be what have you done to establish yourself in a positive way when the slowdown is working its way towards normalcy?

Eric has lessons for everyone for any size business:

• Know where your customers are coming from.
• Focus on the customer’s experience.
• Focus on exceeding their expectations.
• Focus on making them advocates
• Take note of successful repeatable processes
• Duplicate through automation
• Repeat and know the CRM Mantra….People…Process….Technology…in that order!

Have your advocates marketing for you like me, it is really is all about me……Perseverance

CRM meets Social Media at the Wharton School of Business

I was asked to facilitate some sessions directed to the Sales and Marketing BA and MBA students at Wharton in January on how traditional CRM strategies are now in a new phase of Social CRM, also known as CRM 2.0.

Wharton School Visiting Associate Professor Sandy Jap is preparing her students for a career in marketing with the latest information on how online communities have changed the playing field for CRM strategies. There’s no doubt that businesses need to adjust current models to meet the needs of this emerging medium.

I was not surprised at the student’s proficiency in Social Media given that most of them grew up on the internet but they were eager to learn that their experiences in Social Media will be a welcoming trait to the corporate world that they will enter. Corporate executives are still trying to get their arms around how to integrate Social Media into their traditional channels of engagement and they desperately need employees that are comfortably engrained in Social Media practices. On the other hand corporate executives can lend their extensive knowledge of traditional CRM to the interactive generation for an effective blend of collaboration at its best.

My word of advice to the corporate world is to invite this generation in the conversation; they get it and are versed in all of the tools of Social Media. In preparation for them entering the workforce I would advise you to make your company’s image and workplace more social media centric. You will not want to miss out on this talent because they do not see a familiar form of interaction.

Remember, social media may have grown its roots in the younger generation but they grow up, move on and disperse their databases with them and they EXPECT social media to be in the mix.

Key Takeaways were:

• Traditional CRM strategies will have to provide a Social Media aspect.
  
• Social Media is not a separate entity from CRM it is a blend of your traditional strategies.
  
• Students entering the workforce can accelerate your companies Social Media initiatives, invite them in!
  
• Social Media in your workplace will aid in attracting the best incoming talent currently fluent in usage.
  
• Use the economic slowdown time to indoctrinate Social Media to streamline your processes and give your most valued asset, (your customer) a voice.
  

It was a privilege for me to have the opportunity to address these students and I hope to extend a hand to their future success.

Did you know Web 2.0? If not you should…..

This was introduced to us by our CEO, Kim Kobza as a side note to his latest Social Media Podcasts Series called Inflection.
It very encouraging as well as rewarding to be a part of the social movement with Neighborhood America.

"Pick me up!" my iPhone said……

Okay…..I know it has been like forever since I’ve had a new post and maybe what happened to me today will get me back on track.

So, I am sitting here working away and I get a text message from MWT stating, “Pick me Up”, for those of you know me well my initials are MWT but I know I did not text myself so text back “???” and a few seconds later I get another text stating “Pick me up Please”, I look around my office to make sure I am the only one in it and put the phone down again.
I am thinking some mobile virus has taken control of my iPhone and thought okay, here we go, something else to worry about now and is there a Norton Virus for the mobile phone?

I guess I was waiting for Ashton Kucher to jump out and say “you got punked” because I was thinking the “Pick me Up” text message wanted me to physically pick up my phone….you know…messing with me!

When I finally gathered my wits I looked at the contact information and saw that it was indeed me…..MWT texting me and then I remembered!!!! I gave a spare phone that I had to my youngest son Kevin and he wanted me to rescue him from waiting at the eye doctor with his mom. I had not changed the contact information in my iPhone to his name so it LOOKED like it was me MWT!!

Are you still with me? Do you get it? Hopefully you are laughing hysterically or just saying Michael is WAYYYYY out there. Well….I am actually.

Truthfully this should show you that I have been working too hard and have way too much on my mind these days.

So I guess I can say that I “punked myself” that’s a first huh? Maybe I can get a TV show out of this?

"State of Grace"

The Real Wasted Pages by AT&T

• The Real Yellow Pages – 1600 plus pages
• The Real White Pages- 975 plus pages
• The Real Yellow Pages Companion- 620 pages
• 1 Yellow Pages Plastic Bag
• Total Weight- over 5lbs (yes I did weigh it)

It has been over 2 months since my last post and while I have had the urge to write I was lacking the emotional desire. There are a lot of reasons why which I will explain later but for now I feel compelled to rant some, about the above.

While working from home on Friday I noticed a van parked by the end of the street and saw several people walking through the neighborhood dropping off some items in a plastic bag.

I did not give it much thought knowing that it was the annual Yellow Pages drop from AT&T.

As I ran errands I took notice to all of the bags on the doorsteps of the homes in my subdivision and as I drove out to the next city to meet some friends for dinner I became obsessed with taking note of all of the bags on the door steps of homes, churches, and businesses along the way.

It was then that I wondered do people still use the phone books like they use to? I cannot remember the last time I picked up one except to put some weight on a book I was gluing and needed something to hold it together. I will admit my wife will occasionally look up something and I am always thinking just google it…right? Most times she is looking for a business but I really cannot remember the last time I actually looked up a phone number for an individual or business. I have looked up a number in our subdivision’s directory or the school directory but it has been MANY years since I have looked a number up in the white or yellow pages.

I just thought what a waste of paper even if it does state on the bag 100% recycleable. I wondered how many people would throw them in the trash or wait for the next recycle pickup day to get rid of them.

I totally understand that there are people and businesses out there that rely on the book for obtaining and looking for business but I am willing to bet that there are more people connected to the internet that will run a search there to look for services and numbers.

Maybe AT&T can get away from the “shot gun drive by” of the books and allow people to specifically request if they want a copy of one of the 3 books or all 3. I bet a poll would show most people would want access to it online and save a few trees as well as the time, energy and exhaust from the people that deliver the books. How about just giving out a single disk with all of the information on it, no connection to the internet needed.

Just a thought…..AT&T you have your hands in multiple pockets but are not that aware of who own the pockets. Suggestion, run a report of customers that have DSL, e-mail accounts, etc. and I bet the results will give you a closer insight on how they want their information….just maybe.

Starbucks Logo today….is me or?

Thanks Phillip at Home Depot…Roswell, Ga

The purpose for my blog is to report my views and experiences in common day Customer Relationship Management practices or lack of, so while I sometimes report on the bad it is very important to me that I report also on the good.
I have mentioned my visits to my neighborhood Home Depot in the past that were not good experiences but yesterday I went back and was able to walk out with a positive experience. Why I was there was not that important because all I wanted was some nice work gloves and some weed killer so I knew the general area where I could possibly find those items so as I am walking to that aisle a Home Depot employee walked up to me and asked if I needed any assistance. I told him what I was looking for and he walked me to the area and assisted me with my purchase decision.
Textbook CRM right? As I walked out I wondered what was behind the service I received, was he just a great and helpful guy? Was he rewarded for his service and if so how would it be captured or measured?
If someone had approached me or handed me a survey or a link to a survey I could have recorded my feelings. I did make a point after making my purchase to walk back through the store, find the gentlemen that assisted me, get his name and thank him for his service. I think my total purchase was under $20.00 but it was worth it to me to thank him again personally.

Just as he assisted me “just because”, I wanted to return the favor with a personal thank you. All things good and bad can be infectious right? We talk about the viral nature of expression today and it too should go both ways….