Collaborative CRM & Social Software – an issue

Collaborative comes from collaborate which means work together to reach one goal. CRM is a strategic management approach intended to acquire, enhance, and retain profitable and potential customers by managing relationship with them. Collaborative CRM means working together in order to manage customer-company relationship. Who? A company has departments, people in company need to work together to manage it. Who? The object here is important, the customer. A company needs to work together with them as well. The customers are not “objects” anymore, they are the “centre” of CRM. Collaborative CRM has communication and interaction as its centre, the information and knowledge flows which aims to understand customers’ needs and take them into action, then gain customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.

One interesting combination is using social software in collaborative CRM. It allows two-way communication and interaction. Moreover, customers can inquiry, share opinion, experience, and feedback. I believe most company will think “twice” to use social software as communication tools with customers. Don’t let social software be the company’s boomerang, when a company has good intention in implementing it, but it can turn out to be implemented in a wrong way and it can turn the company upside down later. It is good to have this kind of thinking.

Though, I’m sure that customers will tell you the “truth” about what happen, from their own point of view. This is what matter! You need to know where you stand, you also need to know how the customers see you; without asumption, without hesitation, you will know for sure. It will be an important point where you can finally see your “face” from customers’ point of views. It sounds cruel, doesn’t it? Comments aren’t always negative. There will be two sides of everything. It is what it is, let it be, you can’t change it. But you can change and improve, and trying to be sustainable in giving good service to customers. Aren’t we all in a process? Anticipation is important, but to know the truth, get the picture, understand customers’ needs then take it into action are more important.

This is an issue I feel for implementing social software as part of collaborative CRM.

Collaborative CRM

CRM or customer relationship management is a strategic management approach to maintain relationship with customers. It is divided into several categories; operational CRM, analytical CRM, collaborative CRM. Some research mention about e-commerce CRM and mobile CRM as well. Operational CRM is front-office CRM to improve customer service. Analytical CRM is intended to analyze customers data, usually requires data warehouse and data mining in finding patterns or reveal data that is useful in gaining and maintaining customers. Collaborative CRM is CRM approach intended to optimize communication between customers and company. Usually it provides various channels as customer’s contact points. They can choose the most convinient way in interacting with company.

Collaborative CRM is interesting in some ways. What is the collaborative? Why is it collaborative? CRM is about customers-company relationship. Customers can have many meanings such as direct consumers, suppliers, agents, distributors, or whoever which has business relation with the company. We can call it customers. What kind of collaboration can it be? How would they gonna do that? What are the issues in implementing collaborative CRM? What are the CSF of implementing it?

Batman The Dark Knight

Last week I watched this movie in KrungSri Imax Siam Paragon. -intermezzo: the theatre is very big and has large screen, can be used as 3D theatre.- Not as usual, I watched this movie coz of my friend’s recommendation that it’s a very good movie. And it’s true, I like it! Lots of good characters in the movie! Batman, is not boring as I used to think before =D And I really like the lively wicked Joker, very good acting! The police Liutenant James Gordon is nice also. The politician, Harvey Dent, and the the girlfriend, Rachel Dawes. Alfred Pennyworth the butler, and Lucius Fox the CEO of Wayne Enterprise. This movie is the first of Batman movies I like, means I don’t like batman movies before =’] Anyway, I give 9/10 for The Dark Knight.