Many of the larger CRM Software suppliers (Oracle, SAP, Salesforce for example) are now addressing Social CRM issues. The trend seems to be, to give companies the opportunity of gathering consumer data from social sources. This is one possibility, but it does rather ignore the idea that the word “social” implies interaction, which is what socially active people want.

 At the same time companies are beginning to use social networks, usually as an advertising medium.

Where companies do offer customers and prospects a chance to communicate,  the results are frequently disappointing. Blogs, Twitter and Facebook are full of reports about lack of reaction to complaints, recommendations or opinions.

While it is easy enough to create an interface to social networks, it is much more difficult and arduous to create the new business processes which need to be in place behind the interface. New business processes are required not only because a new quality of interaction has been created by social networks, but also due to the need for fast reactions. Users sending a letter to a company expect to wait a while before receiving a reaction. Internet activists are used to ordering goods which arrive on their doorstep within 24 hours and expect such speed of response in other fields.

Typically, when selecting a CRM solution, companies tend to look at lists of functions rather than looking at the processes which the software supports. The time has come for CRM users not only to wait for solutions from software manufacturers but rather to examine and improve their internal processes.