The continuing rise of social media channels has altered the digital landscape forever putting customers in very much in the driving seat when it comes to engaging with brands. This means enterprises are being forced out of their comfort zones and having to talk to consumers on what has now become a very open playing field with the eyes of the world watching.
As a result many businesses have begun to flirt with the idea of social CRM, using it to converse with customers via these new channels in order to give them better services and turn them into brand advocates.
That’s according to Steve Fearon, VP CRM Solutions, Oracle, who was speaking exclusively to Enterprise Communications during its recent ‘Executive Interview Series’.
Designed to create awareness of the latest developments within the enterprise communications space, this series of one-on-one video interviews drew business leaders together for a day to discuss how firms should be harnessing social CRM to deliver real business benefits.
As Fearon points out, social media, Internet collaboration and networking have changed the way people connect and communicate, something which is proving a challenge for most.
“What’s changing in the social world is the customer is in control,” he says. “The customer group is actually in control and an organisation has to think about how they can encapsulate that from a customer’s viewpoint. They have to have their own business processes and the organisations have to help customers through those.”
With customers now taking advantage of uncensored blogs, forums, videos and other social groups they have the very real ability to influence purchasing decisions by airing their opinions on products and services.
Whereas in the past suppliers would be able to control the flow of information received by customers, today there is little chance of that with things like Twitter providing constant updates.
Consequently, Fearon says customers now demand improved services and two-way conversations.
“Building communities between the two is a must,” he says. “Simply listening to what is being said and then acting on what you hear is not going to build this community and an interactive experience is essential to build strong and lasting relationships with customers.
The ‘Executive Interview Series’ forms just one part of the Enterprise Communications portfolio which was created to help end users within the industry learn about the latest communications products and solutions for enterprises. These interviews also help companies to engage more easily with existing and potential clients, creating awareness for what they do.
To find out what else Steve Fearon had to say, you can read or watch the full and exclusive video interview, by going to: http://www.enterprisecommunications.com/blogs/enterprise-com…
For further information please contact Lisa-Marie Carter on:
Tel: +44 (0)117 355 9733
