The Connection Between Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Web 2.0
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have likely heard of web 2.0 or social networking websites. This type of online presence is different from much of the Internet, which focuses on providing information. While the traditional website is focused on providing information to a viewer, in a web 2.0 environment, information flows both ways. The viewer is not passively receiving information but is instead actively contributing it. Web 2.0 platforms encourage viewers to actively post content, comments, use web conferencing and interact with other viewers.
While web 2.0 is big news in the cyberspace community, most businesses dismiss it as unimportant. This can prove to be a costly mistake. The truth is, web 2.0 environments are already affecting your business – no matter what industry you are in. Customers may be sharing their impressions of your company – both good and bad – through blogs, video sharing sites, and social networking sites. Today, thanks to web 2.0, Customer Relationship Management (online CRM) is more tricky. Just one irate customer can share his or her negative experiences with hundreds or even thousands of other potential customers in minutes
Making web 2.0 work for you
Business owners ignore the emergence of web 2.0 at their own risk. Savvy business entrepreneurs, though, use web 2.0 to their advantage by using it as part of their CRM strategy. Just as irate customers can spread a negative message about a company via web 2.0 platforms, so, too, can businesses help spread a positive message about their company – not to mention marketing messages – with web 2.0.
Savvy companies are even using social networking to attract more customers and to improve their CRM policies. While social networking and other interactive sites are not appropriate for every business, they can and do help customers in some cases express their opinions. Businesses can use these sites to create informal conversations with their customers and in order to encourage their clients to leave feedback.
Relenta CRM and web 2.0
Web 2.0 has obviously become an important way of doing business. That’s one reason why Relenta CRM makes a lot of sense for your CRM plan. Relenta CRM allows you to easily interact with customers quickly and promptly. Since Relenta CRM allows you to track entire email histories and client histories with your company, it is a much more interactive system than many CRM programs currently available. In fact, Relenta CRM allows you to enjoy some of the same interactivity currently possible with social networking sites. And that is something that both you and your customers are sure to appreciate.
Contributed by:
Anthony Entin
http://www.seologist.com
