Mobile Devices, Management Structures and SMAC, Part 2

Last week a gentleman called asking my advice on mobile CRMs.  We discussed the size of his company and the specifics of his needs, but then he said something that was profound.  He said, "I don't think I need to collect and update a lot of contact information in the CRM these days, because it is all available online on social networking sites."  It is true!  I can track down just about anyone in seconds on my iPhone.

Today, if someone gets a promotion or changes job status, we can see that instantly on LinkedIn.  We can stay connected no matter if his work phone number and email changes.  The social and mobile CRM is upon us.

I was reading an Aberdeen report this week on SoMoCo (social, mobile, cloud) trends.  Here are the reasons companies said they are embracing the social CRM in particular:

• Converse with customers on channels preferred by them (66%)
• Provide information to groups of customers (54%)
• Monitor customer sentiment (47%)
• Collect customer feedback without solicitation (31%)

In addition, 66% of companies surveyed said they are using social channels to collaborate internally on customer issues.  My next article will explore how using social collaboration platforms and mobile devices used internally are changing the nature of management.

Also, I just finished a book entitled Social Business By Design that was quite enlightening.  I will be discussing this book and how it relates to mobility later in the week.

Read Part 1 of this Series here.

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Kevin Benedict, Head Analyst for SMAC, Cognizant

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Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and SMAC analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.