Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The integration of social media and customer relationship management (CRM) strategies was a key development for companies in 2011, but as the technology matures and users gain familiarity, the practice could achieve mainstream acceptance by year's end.
"When people listen, I never fail to tell them just how much I believe that social media will revolutionize the process of customer service in 2012," explained technology executive Mark Hillary in a recent guest column for the Huffington Post. "I've talked about it in the past from various angles - not least that the graduates of today don't remember a life before the internet - but I think this year we will reach a tipping point."
One of the crucial advances for
social CRM cited by Hillary is the continued integration of Twitter. Once seen as a platform for amusement rather than engagement, companies are starting to design their customer service experiences around the social network.
As developers introduce simpler and deeper ways to measure the impact of corporate Twitter activity, the website is being viewed as a legitimate component of business operations and praised for its unique ability to connect with target audiences.
