SugarCon 2013: Top 10 Reasons Your Social CRM Efforts Are Failing

Top 10 Reasons Your Social CRM Efforts Are Failing

David Myron, Editorial Director – CRM magazine

The Challenge: High SCRM Failure Rate

Companies are flocking to social media because: Customers and prospects Promote and protect their brand Low cost and easy to get started

But 50% of companies are failing at SCRM (Gartner) Many still stuck in experimentation stage

What’s at Stake?

Time

Brand Reputation

Customer Satisfaction

Revenue

SCRM Tech Investments

Why are Companies Failing?

1. Wrong Culture

2. No Compliance Policy

3. No Established Purpose/Goals

4. Lack of Managerial Support

5. Insufficient Staffing

6. Unwilling to Listen to Customers

7. Can’t Effectively Respond

8. Poor Internal Communication

9. No Plan for Influencers/Advocates

10. No Progress Reports

1. Wrong Organizational Culture

2. No Compliance Policy

• Collaborate with marketing, IT, and legal.

• Establish rules of engagement for consistently representing your brand in a professional manner.

• Share with staff.• Enforce adherence.

3. No Established Purpose/Goals

•Improve sales leads•Support a community•Garner feedback •Send product alerts

You can’t measure success without defining it

first.

•Promote your brand•Protect your brand•Build relationships•Provide customer support

4. Lack of Managerial Support

Once the business case has been identified: – Allocate proper resources– Invest in employees

• New hires• Training• Promotions

– Communicate plans and successes

5. Insufficient Staffing

• Build a dedicated social media team.

• ID skillsets needed.• Find out who has them.• Hire the right people.• Train employees.• Compensate fairly.

6. Unwilling to Listen to Customers

• Customers will talk about you, whether you like it or not

• Don’t avoid the conversations

• Listen/respond• Don’t control, influence • Bad comments will come

– Don’t have a knee-jerk reaction, but be ready to respond quickly.

7. Can’t Effectively Respond to Customers

• Enable valuable ideas to float to the top.

• Be willing to replace, repair, and change your products/services.

• Communicate plans to customers.

Example:

8. Poor Internal Communication

Don’t only listen for bad comments.

Knowing and sharing what customers LOVE about your brand will aid:

•Employee morale•Product development•Efforts against viral attacks•Sales, marketing, support resource allocation

9. No Plan for Influencers/Advocates

Reward most valuable with:•Product plans•Test samples•Ability to provide feedback

Be mindful of those who want discounts/freebies.•They’re motivated by money, not a love for your product or company.•They can easily be bought.

10. No Progress Reports

• Continually measure results.

• Conduct a gap analysis.• Make adjustments.• Continue to track results.

In Summary:

1. Fix Your Culture

2. Create a Compliance Policy

3. Establish Purpose/Goals/A Business Case

4. Get Managerial Support

5. Hire, Promote, Train, and Compensate Employees

6. Listen to Customers

7. Effectively Respond to Customers

8. Communicate Successes Internally

9. Engage Influencers/Advocates

10. Measure Results

If you want to know more…

Visit www.destinationCRM.com and subscribe to CRM magazine.

Attend the Customer Solutions Expo (featuring CRM Evolution, Customer Service Experience, and SpeechTEK conferences) at the New York Marriott Marquis (August 19-21).

Twitter: @CRM

Thank You

David MyronCRM magazine

Email: dmyron@infotoday.com Twitter: @dmyron