Archiv der Kategorie Social CRM

The missing Business Case

Most larger companies have been using CRM Software for some years and many are moving towards a second generation. It continues to surprise me that requests for proposals for new or replacement systems still contain lists of functions desired, but no clear statement regarding business aims. Questions concerning the business case are met with longer silence or at best statements such as “increasing sales” or “improving efficiency”. In general, CRM Systems will improve the flow of information within a company and enable companies to process customer requirements faster, but due to the lack of defined aims, the success of a system cannot really be measured.

This is particularly relevant in the case of social crm. It is possible to invest considerable amounts of time and money in the integration of social functions, but it is questionable if this will lead to any long-term advantage unless aims and cost/benefit factors are clearly defined. CRM Systems are usually concerned with long term business management while social sites are about short term interaction. Most solutions provide some kind of customer portal allowing for professional customer interaction, this makes sense. One company I just looked at on Twitter is following over 17oo others and being followed by 700+. Who in that company is going to look at all the tweets for 1700+ tweeters? That does not make sense. More on this topic will follow!

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CRM unterwegs, Mobile Systeme

 Die Studie ”Cross Media Publishing Studie 2009“, die das Fraunhofer Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation zusammen mit der epro solutions GmbH im Juni und Juli dieses Jahres durchgeführt hat enthält einige interessanten Angaben. CRM-relevant ist folgendes: Mobile Systeme (Laptops) werden für Produktpräsentation (73%), für die Vorbereitung des persönlichen Kundenbesuches (67%) und für die Erstellung von Besuchsprotokollen (65%) verwendet. Daneben werden mobile Technologien für die Produktauswahl (57%), die Produktschulung (44%) sowie die Konfiguration komplexer Produkte (31%) eingesetzt.

Das ist nicht überraschend. Interessant ist das komplette Fehlen der Einbeziehung der Social-Networks.

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Social CRM Interaction

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.

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Investment bank bonus payments

Though governments tend to react to massive bonus payments by legislation, the real question remains unsolved. Why are executive incomes in that segment so high, and why do they only go in one direction? The banks concerned claim that they have to pay high  boni or staff will leave. OK – let them leave. Firstly, there are not that many places to go to. Secondly, the real top performers leave anyway and set up their own business. Finally, there are many more qualified people around than highly paid positions. So why are the usual rules of supply and demand not working?

A small example may demonstrate part of the answer. A friend of mine at the Deutsche Bank in Germany asked if I could help him find a new secretary. He said he could not find anyone with the knowledge needed even when he offered 7000 Euro a month – for Germany a very high salary. On closer questioning it appeared that he wanted someone with experience doing exactly what his secretary would do – not surprisingly there are not that many secretaries in the investment bank area looking for that job. It seems my friend forgot that he had learnt how to do his much more demanding job within one year, without having previous knowledge. A competent secretary would learn their task within three months – he had lost that time anyway while searching and could have saved his employer at least 3000 Euro per month.

Maybe banks are no longer prepared or able to train their employees for new tasks and therefore pay exorbitant amounts to the few people who are lucky enough to be able to prove their ability. If universities would produce enough graduates with the required know-how and practical experience, the problem of overpayment could be solved. That could be a better investment for the government than supporting banks in trouble.

Further it is generally the rule, that people who have the chance of earning immense amounts run the risk of losing if they are wrong. Of course, if I could find a casino where I could only win but never loose, I would go there. But who would run such a casino? A bank executive with government subsidies? 

This may not be a social crm issue, but it certainly is a social issue. A CRM question is: are investment bankers working for their customers or at the cost of their customers?

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CRM or CIS?

Although the term CRM has come to stay, in most CRM  projects the term is effectively a misnomer. In a relationship, one would expect both parties to play an active role. In the large number of projects I have been involved in since 1994, companies have wanted to know about  customer related activities of their employees, about opportunities and incidents and turnover, but have not been genuinely interested in a full scale relationship. The acronym CIS (Customer Information System) would describe most applications more accurately.

New technologies, Web 2.0 and Social Networks should cause changes, but this does not seem to be happening,  companies using Twitter, XING, Facebook or LinkedIn are typically only broadcasting their sales pitches. An effective customer portal, integrated with social networking sites could be of considerable benefit – both B2B and B2C customers are surprisingly helpful when it comes to giving feedback, supplying references or suggesting product improvements – if they have open communication channels, bidirectional communication channels!

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CRM Quergedacht goes english

… at least in part. As from today CRM Quergedacht will post in English and German and is also accessible at  http://social-crm-news.com.  Why this? Due to replies to the post “English or German”.

Weitere Blogs zum Thema CRM/Marketing

Vielfalt ist wichtig! Interessante Beiträge zum Thema finden Sie auch bei The CRM Consultant und Social Marketing oder auch Hafner on CRM.

Nicht direkt mit dem Thema verbunden aber relevant sind die interessanten Ideen von Dr. Gerhard Wohland.

Die neue Dynamik globaler Märkte wird zur generellen Umgebung aller Wertschöpfung und zwingt zur Transformation von gewohntem Denken und Handeln.

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Die Sache mit dem Gewinn und der sozialen Verantwortung

Investmentbanken und Private-Equity-Investoren setzen weitestgehend auf (kurzfristige) Gewinnmaximierung. Aus der Sicht der Investoren ist das logisch. Ein Unternehmen produziert aber Waren oder Dienstleistungen und beschäftigt Personen. Diese Personen sind bekanntlich sowohl auch Kunden der Unternehmen und Steuerzahler.

Abgesehen davon, dass kurzfristige Gewinnmaximierung durchaus zum Untergang eines Unternehmens führen kann, sind im Interesse der politischen und sozialen Stabilität andere Faktoren zu berücksichtigen.  Erfolgreiche Unternehmen sind in ein soziales Netzwerk eingebunden, die Verschiebung von Produktionsstätten kann kurzfristige Gewinne bringen, verursacht aber mehr Schaden als den reinen Verlust von Arbeitsplätzen. Wenn Arbeitsplätze verlagert werden, werden auch die Führungskräfte von morgen verlagert.

Die Frage ist – für wen wird der ach so wichtige Gewinn erwirtschaftet? Abgesehen von wenigen privaten Großinvestoren, sind Teilhaber der großen Konzerne überwiegend andere Unternehmen oder Finanzinstitute, die wiederum auch nicht in privatem Besitz sind. Das bedeutet, dass es eine absolute Abkoppelung zwischen Gewinnstreben und sozialer Verantwortung gibt. Die Investoren können Ihre Gelder einfach anderweitig investieren, wenn sie merken, dass es profitablere Möglichkeiten gibt. Ein Unternehmensinhaber wird dagegen immer für den Erhalt seines Unternehmens kämpfen – nicht das er aus edler Motivation handelt, aber weil er so sein Vermögen behalten kann. Das hat aber für seine Beschäftigten und für das soziale Netzwerk durchaus Vorteile.

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Twitter und CRM

GetSocial Twitter-Modul wird bei SugarCRM Projekt des Monats auf SugarForge.org

(Zitat von Pressebox). Also nach Microsoft und Salesforce ist jetzt  auch Sugar CRM dabei CRM und Twitter zusammen zu bringen. Das ist auch sinnvoll, mindestens für B2C. Kein Medium bietet schnellere Möglichkeiten Nachrichten zu verteilen oder auf Nachrichten zu reagieren.

Obama im permanenten Dialog – beispielhaftes CRM in der Politik

Schon früh nutzte Obama sehr erfolgreich die nutzergenerierten Kanäle um Wähler (“Kunden”) zu mobilisieren.  Obama entschied sich frühzeitig für die Strategie des “Permanenten Dialogs”, denn Obama tritt in den direkten Dialog mit seinem Kunden um die Kundenpartizipation bei der Produktentwicklung zu nutzen. Dieser Weg ist durch Social Media erst gangbar geworden. Diese Entwicklung zeigt, Den Rest des Eintrags lesen. »

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