Altimeter Report: The 18 Use Cases of Social CRM, The New Rules of Relationship Management

18 Use Cases That Show Business How To Finally Put Customers First

Social and CRM: How Companies Will Manage Their Social Relationships
Over the last six months, I’ve been working closely with Ray Wang who is well known in the CRM space as an expert.  Coupled with my focus on social technologies we did a deep dive on how our worlds are colliding into the trend to Social CRM.  In our opening webinar when we announced our joining of the firm, we made it clear we’re looking at the holistic business, across multiple business departments not silos or roles.

Companies are unable to scale to keep up with the social phenomenon
We know that customers are using these social technologies to share their voices, and companies are having a very difficult time to keep up.

  • For companies, real time is not fast enough. Companies need to be able to anticipate what customers are doing to say and do, in order to keep up. Although Motrin responded to angry mom’s within 24 hours –it was too slow.
  • Companies are unable to scale to meet the needs of social. No matter how many community managers Dell and ComcastCares hires to support, they’ll never be able to match the number of customers happening.  They need tools, and they need them now.
  • Customers don’t care what department you’re in they just want their problem fixed. Dooce’s support problem with Maytag quickly became a PR nightmare –had the support group known she was an influencer (and what it means), they could have serviced her better.

Framework:  The 18 Use Case of Social CRM
Above: Framework of the 18 Use Cases of Social CRM

How To Use This Report: A Pragmatic Roadmap
Regardless if you’re in IT or in a business unit, we wrote this to meet the needs of both groups.  This architecture lays out all the possibilities (18 use cases) defines the problem and goal for each, and suggests some vendors who to watch.  It’s also pragmatic, as it lays out a process on how to get started, baseline needs (listening) and what to do next.

Action Items

  1. Sign up for the webinar series. This is a deep topic, and the report is only the tip of the iceberg.  As we’ve done in the past, we’re going to offer a series of free webinars on this topic to explore each of the use cases in gritty details.  Sign up for the webinar now, as we can only have 1000 attendees per webinar, as our last webinar had over 1100 registrants.
  2. Read then spread this report. Like open source, the Altimeter Group believes in open research, we want our ideas to grow, and others to take advantage of it.  So if you found the report helpful, please forward the report to internal constituents, partners, vendors, clients, and blog it.  Use it in your presentations, business plans, and roadmaps.  I’ve embedded it below, and there are download features for your own use.
  3. Have an internal discussion. Evaluate your current situation at your company, then draw up which business needs need to be tackled first, use the use cases as a roadmap by mapping out which phase comes first, and which phase comes second.
  4. Learn more and join the community of pioneers. This is new territory, we don’t have all the answers, so we’ve created at group in which pioneers can learn from each other.  It’s free, and the conversation has started already, jump into the group, and learn together.

The Altimeter Approach
Standing behind our belief in open research, the Altimeter Group wants to be part of the community, we:

Involve the expert community in the research process
Altimeter is unique as our partners can tightly co mingle our topic areas and see how they converge, we highlighted our vision when we joined. We seek to be stewards of community and during our six months of research we talked to way over 40 thought leaders, vendors, and companies that are approaching this space. We blogged ideas, engaged in conversations with the #scrm hash tag, and had working sessions with thought leaders like Paul Greenberg and Esteban Kolsky.   We approached research in an open way, and allowed for vendors to review the report and submit back their ideas, some of which we incorporated. This effort was a group effort and included a lot of heavy lifting from Christine Tran, operations who helped to schedule countless meetings, and guidance from Charlene Li, our founder.

Provide a holistic view through deep collaboration
We see that worlds are converging, and we model our research the same way, through really analyzing the mixtures of our different topic areas. For example, what was interesting is that my ‘marketing-speak’ and Ray’s ‘IT Speak’ often resulted in the tower of babel. Although we were talking about the same topic, he had to translate IT and marketing speak both ways.  After many puzzled looks, we embracing this, and realized that this isn’t unique to us but a sign of companies converging as a result of mass adoption of easy to share social tools.  Thus, we realized this framework that could meet the needs of the various camps would be helpful, companies need to move quickly, as customers have adopted social in rapid fashion.

Use open research to grow ideas
We want ideas to spread, and have made the entire report available at no cost on slideshare, and put up images on flickr, we hope you use them, under creative commons licensing of Attribution -Noncommercial – Share Alike Status, we believe in open –not closed research.  We’re trying a different business model, we want to involve the community of experts and publish our findings out there for everyone to benefit from, please support us by sharing it as much as possible, while we trial a new way of doing research.

Update: I forgot to mention, this report was entirely funded by the Altimeter Group there were no sponsors. Also, we are open about disclosing who are clients are (providing they approve), as a result, we hope you’ll trust as more.

Related links: I’ll roundup interesting links that discuss this report

Translations

Update: March 10th, From behind the scenes, we’re hearing of SCRM vendors and brands that are interested in deploying are using the framework as a roadmap, market requirements doc, and as a plan of what to do. Excellent.

276 Replies to “Altimeter Report: The 18 Use Cases of Social CRM, The New Rules of Relationship Management”

  1. Very much appreciate your holistic thinking on this topic, it's critical that companies start understanding that social effects every aspect of their business as it is effecting every aspect of the customer experience.

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  3. Very much appreciate your holistic thinking on this topic, it's critical that companies start understanding that social effects every aspect of their business as it is effecting every aspect of the customer experience.

  4. Very much appreciate your holistic thinking on this topic, it's critical that companies start understanding that social effects every aspect of their business as it is effecting every aspect of the customer experience.

  5. Very much appreciate your holistic thinking on this topic, it's critical that companies start understanding that social effects every aspect of their business as it is effecting every aspect of the customer experience.

  6. Very much appreciate your holistic thinking on this topic, it's critical that companies start understanding that social effects every aspect of their business as it is effecting every aspect of the customer experience.

  7. Hi Jeremiah,
    Great to see use cases split out like this. Thank you.

    A few possible additons spring to mind:
    – “competitor intelligence” or “market intel” in the marketing area. After all, companies don't operate in a vacuum and understanding a shifting competitive landscape is vital in many industries.
    – “Recruitment intel” – I don't hire anyone without checking out their online profile. Moreover, I use monitoring tools to find good candidates for roles. So perhaps the HR function deserves a mention
    – We have some clients for whom “fraud investigation” is another use case that can come from social media monitoring. But it's probably such a small proportion that it's not worth adding.

    And a final thought – in the report (again, very useful thanks) you focus on technical vendors. Whilst the technology is a vital part of social CRM, I think you need to constantly remind people that buying into a dashboard is a necessary, not sufficient step for success. I know you usually do a good job of playing down technology over human interaction, but felt that newbies picking up the report might not recognise this.

    Anyway, great job
    Charlie
    http://www.freshnetworks.com

  8. Charlie, this is very helpful and very thoughtful additions.

    1) Good points, on competitor intel. We would certainly consider that as part of use case #2: Marketing Insights. It's expected a company is listening to competitors, partners, and prospects beyond customers.

    2) Recruiting. I like how you've found other areas in the ecosystem to consider . However, the social sales modules (use cases 6, 7, 8) could be re-aimed and rejiggered to do that, for recruiters and HR. Don't forget Alumni, (I'm thinking retiring boomers in particular) companies should yield them in collaboration and innovation.

    3) Investor relations. Another good use case that could repurpose existing modules. Use a bit of the sales use cases (6-8) and service and support (9+11) could yield some interesting results. Imagine building a community of investors to better understand their needs beyond “higher equity value”.

    4) Fraud investigation. Are you talking about insurance space? I do recall some case studies of a woman's Facebook photos of her frolicking on the beach were used against her, ouchie.

    Regarding your final thoughts, this is really about business uses, technology second. We lead the report with knowing your business goals, and then tried to outline 'who can help'. Most, but not all of the providers we mentioned have service arms –not just software out of the box/cloud.

    Charlie, I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis, I'll admit we don't have all the answers, and really are open to the community's feedback to make it better. I'll make sure Ray sees this as well.

  9. Hi Jeremiah,
    Great to see use cases split out like this. Thank you.

    You could stretch the boundaries of 'CRM' a bit further, taking it more into the realms of Stakeholder Relationship Management (I'd argue you've already done this with “R&D”, “enterprise” and “extended collaboration”). Bash down a few more silos to work in the “holisitic fashion” you advocate in the report. Go social in 360 degrees by adding:
    – “competitor intelligence” or “market intel” in the marketing area. After all, companies and customers don't operate in a vacuum and understanding a shifting landscape is vital in many industries.
    – “Recruitment intel” – I don't hire anyone without checking out their online profile. Moreover, I use monitoring tools to find good candidates for roles. So perhaps the HR function deserves a mention.
    – “investor relations”
    – We have some clients for whom “fraud investigation” is another use case that can come from social media monitoring. But it's probably better described as an “industry specific” use case (of which there are probably many). NB this is often customer fraud.

    But there's always more one can add. I totally understand the benefit of keeping the focus on more direct customer relationship management.

    A final thought – in the report (again, very useful thanks) you focus on technical vendors. Whilst the technology is a vital part of social CRM, I think you need to constantly remind people that buying into a dashboard is a necessary, not sufficient step for success. I know you usually do a great job of playing down technology over human interaction, but felt that newbies picking up the report might not recognise this.

    Anyway, great job
    Charlie
    http://www.freshnetworks.com

  10. Hi Jeremiah,
    Great to see use cases split out like this. Thank you.

    You could stretch the boundaries of 'CRM' a bit further, taking it more into the realms of Stakeholder Relationship Management (I'd argue you've already done this with “R&D”, “enterprise” and “extended collaboration”). Bash down a few more silos to work in the “holisitic fashion” you advocate in the report. Go social in 360 degrees by adding:
    – “competitor intelligence” or “market intel” in the marketing area. After all, companies and customers don't operate in a vacuum and understanding a shifting landscape is vital in many industries.
    – “Recruitment intel” – I don't hire anyone without checking out their online profile. Moreover, I use monitoring tools to find good candidates for roles. So perhaps the HR function deserves a mention.
    – “investor relations”
    – We have some clients for whom “fraud investigation” is another use case that can come from social media monitoring. But it's probably better described as an “industry specific” use case (of which there are probably many). NB this is often customer fraud.

    But there's always more one can add. I totally understand the benefit of keeping the focus on more direct customer relationship management.

    A final thought – in the report (again, very useful thanks) you focus on technical vendors. Whilst the technology is a vital part of social CRM, I think you need to constantly remind people that buying into a dashboard is a necessary, not sufficient step for success. I know you usually do a great job of playing down technology over human interaction, but felt that newbies picking up the report might not recognise this.

    Anyway, great job
    Charlie
    http://www.freshnetworks.com

  11. Hi Jeremiah,
    Great to see use cases split out like this. Thank you.

    You could stretch the boundaries of 'CRM' a bit further, taking it more into the realms of Stakeholder Relationship Management (I'd argue you've already done this with “R&D”, “enterprise” and “extended collaboration”). Bash down a few more silos to work in the “holisitic fashion” you advocate in the report. Go social in 360 degrees by adding:
    – “competitor intelligence” or “market intel” in the marketing area. After all, companies and customers don't operate in a vacuum and understanding a shifting landscape is vital in many industries.
    – “Recruitment intel” – I don't hire anyone without checking out their online profile. Moreover, I use monitoring tools to find good candidates for roles. So perhaps the HR function deserves a mention.
    – “investor relations”
    – We have some clients for whom “fraud investigation” is another use case that can come from social media monitoring. But it's probably better described as an “industry specific” use case (of which there are probably many). NB this is often customer fraud.

    But there's always more one can add. I totally understand the benefit of keeping the focus on more direct customer relationship management.

    A final thought – in the report (again, very useful thanks) you focus on technical vendors. Whilst the technology is a vital part of social CRM, I think you need to constantly remind people that buying into a dashboard is a necessary, not sufficient step for success. I know you usually do a great job of playing down technology over human interaction, but felt that newbies picking up the report might not recognise this.

    Anyway, great job
    Charlie
    http://www.freshnetworks.com

  12. Hi Jeremiah,
    Great to see use cases split out like this. Thank you.

    You could stretch the boundaries of 'CRM' a bit further, taking it more into the realms of Stakeholder Relationship Management (I'd argue you've already done this with “R&D”, “enterprise” and “extended collaboration”). Bash down a few more silos to work in the “holisitic fashion” you advocate in the report. Go social in 360 degrees by adding:
    – “competitor intelligence” or “market intel” in the marketing area. After all, companies and customers don't operate in a vacuum and understanding a shifting landscape is vital in many industries.
    – “Recruitment intel” – I don't hire anyone without checking out their online profile. Moreover, I use monitoring tools to find good candidates for roles. So perhaps the HR function deserves a mention.
    – “investor relations”
    – We have some clients for whom “fraud investigation” is another use case that can come from social media monitoring. But it's probably better described as an “industry specific” use case (of which there are probably many). NB this is often customer fraud.

    But there's always more one can add. I totally understand the benefit of keeping the focus on more direct customer relationship management.

    A final thought – in the report (again, very useful thanks) you focus on technical vendors. Whilst the technology is a vital part of social CRM, I think you need to constantly remind people that buying into a dashboard is a necessary, not sufficient step for success. I know you usually do a great job of playing down technology over human interaction, but felt that newbies picking up the report might not recognise this.

    Anyway, great job
    Charlie
    http://www.freshnetworks.com

  13. Charlie, this is very helpful and very thoughtful additions.

    1) Good points, on competitor intel. We would certainly consider that as part of use case #2: Marketing Insights. It's expected a company is listening to competitors, partners, and prospects beyond customers.

    2) Recruiting. I like how you've found other areas in the ecosystem to consider . However, the social sales modules (use cases 6, 7, 8) could be re-aimed and rejiggered to do that, for recruiters and HR. Don't forget Alumni, (I'm thinking retiring boomers in particular) companies should yield them in collaboration and innovation.

    3) Investor relations. Another good use case that could repurpose existing modules. Use a bit of the sales use cases (6-8) and service and support (9+11) could yield some interesting results. Imagine building a community of investors to better understand their needs beyond “higher equity value”.

    4) Fraud investigation. Are you talking about insurance space? I do recall some case studies of a woman's Facebook photos of her frolicking on the beach were used against her, ouchie.

    Regarding your final thoughts, this is really about business uses, technology second. We lead the report with knowing your business goals, and then tried to outline 'who can help'. Most, but not all of the providers we mentioned have service arms –not just software out of the box/cloud.

    Charlie, I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis, I'll admit we don't have all the answers, and really are open to the community's feedback to make it better. I'll make sure Ray sees this as well.

  14. Charlie, this is very helpful and very thoughtful additions.

    1) Good points, on competitor intel. We would certainly consider that as part of use case #2: Marketing Insights. It's expected a company is listening to competitors, partners, and prospects beyond customers.

    2) Recruiting. I like how you've found other areas in the ecosystem to consider . However, the social sales modules (use cases 6, 7, 8) could be re-aimed and rejiggered to do that, for recruiters and HR. Don't forget Alumni, (I'm thinking retiring boomers in particular) companies should yield them in collaboration and innovation.

    3) Investor relations. Another good use case that could repurpose existing modules. Use a bit of the sales use cases (6-8) and service and support (9+11) could yield some interesting results. Imagine building a community of investors to better understand their needs beyond “higher equity value”.

    4) Fraud investigation. Are you talking about insurance space? I do recall some case studies of a woman's Facebook photos of her frolicking on the beach were used against her, ouchie.

    Regarding your final thoughts, this is really about business uses, technology second. We lead the report with knowing your business goals, and then tried to outline 'who can help'. Most, but not all of the providers we mentioned have service arms –not just software out of the box/cloud.

    Charlie, I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis, I'll admit we don't have all the answers, and really are open to the community's feedback to make it better. I'll make sure Ray sees this as well.

  15. Charlie, this is very helpful and very thoughtful additions.

    1) Good points, on competitor intel. We would certainly consider that as part of use case #2: Marketing Insights. It's expected a company is listening to competitors, partners, and prospects beyond customers.

    2) Recruiting. I like how you've found other areas in the ecosystem to consider . However, the social sales modules (use cases 6, 7, 8) could be re-aimed and rejiggered to do that, for recruiters and HR. Don't forget Alumni, (I'm thinking retiring boomers in particular) companies should yield them in collaboration and innovation.

    3) Investor relations. Another good use case that could repurpose existing modules. Use a bit of the sales use cases (6-8) and service and support (9+11) could yield some interesting results. Imagine building a community of investors to better understand their needs beyond “higher equity value”.

    4) Fraud investigation. Are you talking about insurance space? I do recall some case studies of a woman's Facebook photos of her frolicking on the beach were used against her, ouchie.

    Regarding your final thoughts, this is really about business uses, technology second. We lead the report with knowing your business goals, and then tried to outline 'who can help'. Most, but not all of the providers we mentioned have service arms –not just software out of the box/cloud.

    Charlie, I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis, I'll admit we don't have all the answers, and really are open to the community's feedback to make it better. I'll make sure Ray sees this as well.

  16. Charlie, this is very helpful and very thoughtful additions.

    1) Good points, on competitor intel. We would certainly consider that as part of use case #2: Marketing Insights. It's expected a company is listening to competitors, partners, and prospects beyond customers.

    2) Recruiting. I like how you've found other areas in the ecosystem to consider . However, the social sales modules (use cases 6, 7, 8) could be re-aimed and rejiggered to do that, for recruiters and HR. Don't forget Alumni, (I'm thinking retiring boomers in particular) companies should yield them in collaboration and innovation.

    3) Investor relations. Another good use case that could repurpose existing modules. Use a bit of the sales use cases (6-8) and service and support (9+11) could yield some interesting results. Imagine building a community of investors to better understand their needs beyond “higher equity value”.

    4) Fraud investigation. Are you talking about insurance space? I do recall some case studies of a woman's Facebook photos of her frolicking on the beach were used against her, ouchie.

    Regarding your final thoughts, this is really about business uses, technology second. We lead the report with knowing your business goals, and then tried to outline 'who can help'. Most, but not all of the providers we mentioned have service arms –not just software out of the box/cloud.

    Charlie, I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis, I'll admit we don't have all the answers, and really are open to the community's feedback to make it better. I'll make sure Ray sees this as well.

  17. As an email subscriber to your invaluable blog (site) I am left amazed at the level and detail of information that you offer. Of all the “Experts” out there you are quickly becoming a standout.

    As for the article itself I would add the following:

    1) As tools become available to assist Enterprise in customer relations will they ever be able to move fast enough?

    2) As customers voice their opinions (good or bad) are Enterprises held hostage when it comes to addressing them and is this just the way it is?

    3) Are businesses in this new digital age having to comply with and give customer service that otherwise used to be ignored or overlooked?

    A very appreciative professional,
    James Chai

  18. As an email subscriber to your invaluable blog (site) I am left amazed at the level and detail of information that you offer. Of all the “Experts” out there you are quickly becoming a standout.

    As for the article itself I would add the following:

    1) As tools become available to assist Enterprise in customer relations will they ever be able to move fast enough?

    2) As customers voice their opinions (good or bad) are Enterprises held hostage when it comes to addressing them and is this just the way it is?

    3) Are businesses in this new digital age having to comply with and give customer service that otherwise used to be ignored or overlooked?

    A very appreciative professional,
    James Chai

  19. As an email subscriber to your invaluable blog (site) I am left amazed at the level and detail of information that you offer. Of all the “Experts” out there you are quickly becoming a standout.

    As for the article itself I would add the following:

    1) As tools become available to assist Enterprise in customer relations will they ever be able to move fast enough?

    2) As customers voice their opinions (good or bad) are Enterprises held hostage when it comes to addressing them and is this just the way it is?

    3) Are businesses in this new digital age having to comply with and give customer service that otherwise used to be ignored or overlooked?

    A very appreciative professional,
    James Chai

  20. As an email subscriber to your invaluable blog (site) I am left amazed at the level and detail of information that you offer. Of all the “Experts” out there you are quickly becoming a standout.

    As for the article itself I would add the following:

    1) As tools become available to assist Enterprise in customer relations will they ever be able to move fast enough?

    2) As customers voice their opinions (good or bad) are Enterprises held hostage when it comes to addressing them and is this just the way it is?

    3) Are businesses in this new digital age having to comply with and give customer service that otherwise used to be ignored or overlooked?

    A very appreciative professional,
    James Chai

  21. As an email subscriber to your invaluable blog (site) I am left amazed at the level and detail of information that you offer. Of all the “Experts” out there you are quickly becoming a standout.

    As for the article itself I would add the following:

    1) As tools become available to assist Enterprise in customer relations will they ever be able to move fast enough?

    2) As customers voice their opinions (good or bad) are Enterprises held hostage when it comes to addressing them and is this just the way it is?

    3) Are businesses in this new digital age having to comply with and give customer service that otherwise used to be ignored or overlooked?

    A very appreciative professional,
    James Chai

  22. James

    1) not right now, but in the future, yes. The ideology is these tools will help companies become more efficient in dealing with thousands of customers –it not millions of prospects and their individual discussions and relationships.

    2) Those who participate hold the power. Enterprises, like consumers, must participate to regain power.

    3) Yes and no. Bad experiences can no longer be ignored, they simply get published (like the Kevin Smith and South West Airlines incident). The truly sophisticated company will empower their advocates and customers to do the support *for* them. (Use case 11)

    Also, thanks for the kind words, I'm fortunate to have a business model that rewards me for the more I give away, the more I get back.

  23. James

    1) not right now, but in the future, yes. The ideology is these tools will help companies become more efficient in dealing with thousands of customers –it not millions of prospects and their individual discussions and relationships.

    2) Those who participate hold the power. Enterprises, like consumers, must participate to regain power.

    3) Yes and no. Bad experiences can no longer be ignored, they simply get published (like the Kevin Smith and South West Airlines incident). The truly sophisticated company will empower their advocates and customers to do the support *for* them. (Use case 11)

    Also, thanks for the kind words, I'm fortunate to have a business model that rewards me for the more I give away, the more I get back.

  24. James

    1) not right now, but in the future, yes. The ideology is these tools will help companies become more efficient in dealing with thousands of customers –it not millions of prospects and their individual discussions and relationships.

    2) Those who participate hold the power. Enterprises, like consumers, must participate to regain power.

    3) Yes and no. Bad experiences can no longer be ignored, they simply get published (like the Kevin Smith and South West Airlines incident). The truly sophisticated company will empower their advocates and customers to do the support *for* them. (Use case 11)

    Also, thanks for the kind words, I'm fortunate to have a business model that rewards me for the more I give away, the more I get back.

  25. James

    1) not right now, but in the future, yes. The ideology is these tools will help companies become more efficient in dealing with thousands of customers –it not millions of prospects and their individual discussions and relationships.

    2) Those who participate hold the power. Enterprises, like consumers, must participate to regain power.

    3) Yes and no. Bad experiences can no longer be ignored, they simply get published (like the Kevin Smith and South West Airlines incident). The truly sophisticated company will empower their advocates and customers to do the support *for* them. (Use case 11)

    Also, thanks for the kind words, I'm fortunate to have a business model that rewards me for the more I give away, the more I get back.

  26. James

    1) not right now, but in the future, yes. The ideology is these tools will help companies become more efficient in dealing with thousands of customers –it not millions of prospects and their individual discussions and relationships.

    2) Those who participate hold the power. Enterprises, like consumers, must participate to regain power.

    3) Yes and no. Bad experiences can no longer be ignored, they simply get published (like the Kevin Smith and South West Airlines incident). The truly sophisticated company will empower their advocates and customers to do the support *for* them. (Use case 11)

    Also, thanks for the kind words, I'm fortunate to have a business model that rewards me for the more I give away, the more I get back.

  27. Thanks, Jeremiah.

    So useful. One of the greatest tensions I experience is between top down, hierarchical institutions and the free-flowing nature of online conversations. Your tools and charts are really helpful in this area and I hope a lot of brands learn from them.

    Thanks for sharing so freely.

    Simon Mainwaring

  28. Thanks, Jeremiah.

    So useful. One of the greatest tensions I experience is between top down, hierarchical institutions and the free-flowing nature of online conversations. Your tools and charts are really helpful in this area and I hope a lot of brands learn from them.

    Thanks for sharing so freely.

    Simon Mainwaring

  29. Thanks, Jeremiah.

    So useful. One of the greatest tensions I experience is between top down, hierarchical institutions and the free-flowing nature of online conversations. Your tools and charts are really helpful in this area and I hope a lot of brands learn from them.

    Thanks for sharing so freely.

    Simon Mainwaring

  30. Thanks, Jeremiah.

    So useful. One of the greatest tensions I experience is between top down, hierarchical institutions and the free-flowing nature of online conversations. Your tools and charts are really helpful in this area and I hope a lot of brands learn from them.

    Thanks for sharing so freely.

    Simon Mainwaring

  31. Thanks, Jeremiah.

    So useful. One of the greatest tensions I experience is between top down, hierarchical institutions and the free-flowing nature of online conversations. Your tools and charts are really helpful in this area and I hope a lot of brands learn from them.

    Thanks for sharing so freely.

    Simon Mainwaring

  32. Thanks Simon.

    We're glad that 'Open Research' is working, we're hearing from vendors and brands that are gearing up for Social CRM that they are applying this framework as a roadmap –we couldn't be more pleased.

  33. Thanks Simon.

    We're glad that 'Open Research' is working, we're hearing from vendors and brands that are gearing up for Social CRM that they are applying this framework as a roadmap –we couldn't be more pleased.

  34. Thanks Simon.

    We're glad that 'Open Research' is working, we're hearing from vendors and brands that are gearing up for Social CRM that they are applying this framework as a roadmap –we couldn't be more pleased.

  35. Thanks Simon.

    We're glad that 'Open Research' is working, we're hearing from vendors and brands that are gearing up for Social CRM that they are applying this framework as a roadmap –we couldn't be more pleased.

  36. Thanks Simon.

    We're glad that 'Open Research' is working, we're hearing from vendors and brands that are gearing up for Social CRM that they are applying this framework as a roadmap –we couldn't be more pleased.

  37. Jeremiah, I'm afraid I don't subscribe to your premise. You offer rules of engagement so companies can learn how to put customers first. I assure you that there are not any businesses today that can survive if they have not put their customers first. Furthermore, companies are not likely to use social media unless they can help keep customers or make sales. Consumer companies have found ways to do that. B2B companies are struggling to find ways to do it. I think your Altimeter Report makes an important contribution to companies who want to understand social media better.

  38. Jeremiah

    I just realized you often use the term of “social marketing” in this report instead of the “social media marketing”. Is it just because you want to use the same methodology like when you write about “social sales” or “social response”? These last two don't really catch my eye, because these terms have just been recently coined from existing terminology (like social + sales) to create new meaning.
    But when you use social marketing it is a different thing, because the original meaning is:

    “the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good.[1] Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as a whole. For example, this may include asking people not to smoke in public areas, asking them to use seat belts, or prompting to make them follow speed limits.” (wikipedia).

    Anyway I'm just interested, because here where I come from (Poland) we have even a bigger problem in terminology, as we have only one Polish word both for “social” and “community” (when you use it as an adjective) and these are not always the same when you mix them with other words.

    Anyway, this report is great. I will study it very carefully.

  39. Hi Jeremiah,

    Great material as always!

    I work with Bruno here at Foreplay as “the research dude”, and as such I was wondering how you came up with the indexes in the Tech Maturity/Market Demand matrix; Was there a reasonable degree of arbitrariness or did you come up with a multi-attribute structure to gauge and plot each use case? All that is mentioned in the report is how you assigned the upper and lower limits (5 and 0).

    thanks for sharing this anyhow.

    cheers!

  40. Great article Jeremiah, seeing how much the Internet is changing on a daily basis, also seeing a fantastic group here to learn a wealth of information! Now, time to dig into previous articles, and signing up for webinar, Tks providing this article!

  41. Jeremiah, I'm afraid I don't subscribe to your premise. You offer rules of engagement so companies can learn how to put customers first. I assure you that there are not any businesses today that can survive if they have not put their customers first. Furthermore, companies are not likely to use social media unless they can help keep customers or make sales. Consumer companies have found ways to do that. B2B companies are struggling to find ways to do it. I think your Altimeter Report makes an important contribution to companies who want to understand social media better.

  42. Jeremiah, I'm afraid I don't subscribe to your premise. You offer rules of engagement so companies can learn how to put customers first. I assure you that there are not any businesses today that can survive if they have not put their customers first. Furthermore, companies are not likely to use social media unless they can help keep customers or make sales. Consumer companies have found ways to do that. B2B companies are struggling to find ways to do it. I think your Altimeter Report makes an important contribution to companies who want to understand social media better.

  43. Jeremiah, I'm afraid I don't subscribe to your premise. You offer rules of engagement so companies can learn how to put customers first. I assure you that there are not any businesses today that can survive if they have not put their customers first. Furthermore, companies are not likely to use social media unless they can help keep customers or make sales. Consumer companies have found ways to do that. B2B companies are struggling to find ways to do it. I think your Altimeter Report makes an important contribution to companies who want to understand social media better.

  44. Jeremiah, I'm afraid I don't subscribe to your premise. You offer rules of engagement so companies can learn how to put customers first. I assure you that there are not any businesses today that can survive if they have not put their customers first. Furthermore, companies are not likely to use social media unless they can help keep customers or make sales. Consumer companies have found ways to do that. B2B companies are struggling to find ways to do it. I think your Altimeter Report makes an important contribution to companies who want to understand social media better.

  45. Jeremiah

    I just realized you often use the term of “social marketing” in this report instead of the “social media marketing”. Is it just because you want to use the same methodology like when you write about “social sales” or “social response”? These last two don't really catch my eye, because these terms have just been recently coined from existing terminology (like social + sales) to create new meaning.
    But when you use social marketing it is a different thing, because the original meaning is:

    “the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good.[1] Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as a whole. For example, this may include asking people not to smoke in public areas, asking them to use seat belts, or prompting to make them follow speed limits.” (wikipedia).

    Anyway I'm just interested, because here where I come from (Poland) we have even a bigger problem in terminology, as we have only one Polish word both for “social” and “community” (when you use it as an adjective) and these are not always the same when you mix them with other words.

    Anyway, this report is great. I will study it very carefully.

  46. Jeremiah

    I just realized you often use the term of “social marketing” in this report instead of the “social media marketing”. Is it just because you want to use the same methodology like when you write about “social sales” or “social response”? These last two don't really catch my eye, because these terms have just been recently coined from existing terminology (like social + sales) to create new meaning.
    But when you use social marketing it is a different thing, because the original meaning is:

    “the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good.[1] Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as a whole. For example, this may include asking people not to smoke in public areas, asking them to use seat belts, or prompting to make them follow speed limits.” (wikipedia).

    Anyway I'm just interested, because here where I come from (Poland) we have even a bigger problem in terminology, as we have only one Polish word both for “social” and “community” (when you use it as an adjective) and these are not always the same when you mix them with other words.

    Anyway, this report is great. I will study it very carefully.

  47. Jeremiah

    I just realized you often use the term of “social marketing” in this report instead of the “social media marketing”. Is it just because you want to use the same methodology like when you write about “social sales” or “social response”? These last two don't really catch my eye, because these terms have just been recently coined from existing terminology (like social + sales) to create new meaning.
    But when you use social marketing it is a different thing, because the original meaning is:

    “the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good.[1] Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as a whole. For example, this may include asking people not to smoke in public areas, asking them to use seat belts, or prompting to make them follow speed limits.” (wikipedia).

    Anyway I'm just interested, because here where I come from (Poland) we have even a bigger problem in terminology, as we have only one Polish word both for “social” and “community” (when you use it as an adjective) and these are not always the same when you mix them with other words.

    Anyway, this report is great. I will study it very carefully.

  48. Jeremiah

    I just realized you often use the term of “social marketing” in this report instead of the “social media marketing”. Is it just because you want to use the same methodology like when you write about “social sales” or “social response”? These last two don't really catch my eye, because these terms have just been recently coined from existing terminology (like social + sales) to create new meaning.
    But when you use social marketing it is a different thing, because the original meaning is:

    “the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good.[1] Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as a whole. For example, this may include asking people not to smoke in public areas, asking them to use seat belts, or prompting to make them follow speed limits.” (wikipedia).

    Anyway I'm just interested, because here where I come from (Poland) we have even a bigger problem in terminology, as we have only one Polish word both for “social” and “community” (when you use it as an adjective) and these are not always the same when you mix them with other words.

    Anyway, this report is great. I will study it very carefully.

  49. Hi Jeremiah,

    Great material as always!

    I work with Bruno here at Foreplay as “the research dude”, and as such I was wondering how you came up with the indexes in the Tech Maturity/Market Demand matrix; Was there a reasonable degree of arbitrariness or did you come up with a multi-attribute structure to gauge and plot each use case? All that is mentioned in the report is how you assigned the upper and lower limits (5 and 0).

    thanks for sharing this anyhow.

    cheers!

  50. Hi Jeremiah,

    Great material as always!

    I work with Bruno here at Foreplay as “the research dude”, and as such I was wondering how you came up with the indexes in the Tech Maturity/Market Demand matrix; Was there a reasonable degree of arbitrariness or did you come up with a multi-attribute structure to gauge and plot each use case? All that is mentioned in the report is how you assigned the upper and lower limits (5 and 0).

    thanks for sharing this anyhow.

    cheers!

  51. Hi Jeremiah,

    Great material as always!

    I work with Bruno here at Foreplay as “the research dude”, and as such I was wondering how you came up with the indexes in the Tech Maturity/Market Demand matrix; Was there a reasonable degree of arbitrariness or did you come up with a multi-attribute structure to gauge and plot each use case? All that is mentioned in the report is how you assigned the upper and lower limits (5 and 0).

    thanks for sharing this anyhow.

    cheers!

  52. Hi Jeremiah,

    Great material as always!

    I work with Bruno here at Foreplay as “the research dude”, and as such I was wondering how you came up with the indexes in the Tech Maturity/Market Demand matrix; Was there a reasonable degree of arbitrariness or did you come up with a multi-attribute structure to gauge and plot each use case? All that is mentioned in the report is how you assigned the upper and lower limits (5 and 0).

    thanks for sharing this anyhow.

    cheers!

  53. Great article Jeremiah, seeing how much the Internet is changing on a daily basis, also seeing a fantastic group here to learn a wealth of information! Now, time to dig into previous articles, and signing up for webinar, Tks providing this article!

  54. Great article Jeremiah, seeing how much the Internet is changing on a daily basis, also seeing a fantastic group here to learn a wealth of information! Now, time to dig into previous articles, and signing up for webinar, Tks providing this article!

  55. Great article Jeremiah, seeing how much the Internet is changing on a daily basis, also seeing a fantastic group here to learn a wealth of information! Now, time to dig into previous articles, and signing up for webinar, Tks providing this article!

  56. Great article Jeremiah, seeing how much the Internet is changing on a daily basis, also seeing a fantastic group here to learn a wealth of information! Now, time to dig into previous articles, and signing up for webinar, Tks providing this article!

  57. Insightful, as always. That said, I do want to echo an earlier sentiment – HR/internal comms should be included in a meaningful way. There is a great deal that can be done in terms of utilizing social media to “reflect outward” a brand's employee culture. In my work, this is a critical component in sourcing/identifying potential applicants who will “fit” into a particular organization (think “birds of a feather…”). Additionally, the utilization of social media allows a brand to use its own employees (with some guidance, or “swim lanes”) as quasi-recruiters; bringing an authenticity to the recruitment process that applicants sorely crave.

    Thanks again. Always a great read.

  58. Insightful, as always. That said, I do want to echo an earlier sentiment – HR/internal comms should be included in a meaningful way. There is a great deal that can be done in terms of utilizing social media to “reflect outward” a brand's employee culture. In my work, this is a critical component in sourcing/identifying potential applicants who will “fit” into a particular organization (think “birds of a feather…”). Additionally, the utilization of social media allows a brand to use its own employees (with some guidance, or “swim lanes”) as quasi-recruiters; bringing an authenticity to the recruitment process that applicants sorely crave.

    Thanks again. Always a great read.

  59. Insightful, as always. That said, I do want to echo an earlier sentiment – HR/internal comms should be included in a meaningful way. There is a great deal that can be done in terms of utilizing social media to “reflect outward” a brand's employee culture. In my work, this is a critical component in sourcing/identifying potential applicants who will “fit” into a particular organization (think “birds of a feather…”). Additionally, the utilization of social media allows a brand to use its own employees (with some guidance, or “swim lanes”) as quasi-recruiters; bringing an authenticity to the recruitment process that applicants sorely crave.

    Thanks again. Always a great read.

  60. Insightful, as always. That said, I do want to echo an earlier sentiment – HR/internal comms should be included in a meaningful way. There is a great deal that can be done in terms of utilizing social media to “reflect outward” a brand's employee culture. In my work, this is a critical component in sourcing/identifying potential applicants who will “fit” into a particular organization (think “birds of a feather…”). Additionally, the utilization of social media allows a brand to use its own employees (with some guidance, or “swim lanes”) as quasi-recruiters; bringing an authenticity to the recruitment process that applicants sorely crave.

    Thanks again. Always a great read.

  61. Insightful, as always. That said, I do want to echo an earlier sentiment – HR/internal comms should be included in a meaningful way. There is a great deal that can be done in terms of utilizing social media to “reflect outward” a brand's employee culture. In my work, this is a critical component in sourcing/identifying potential applicants who will “fit” into a particular organization (think “birds of a feather…”). Additionally, the utilization of social media allows a brand to use its own employees (with some guidance, or “swim lanes”) as quasi-recruiters; bringing an authenticity to the recruitment process that applicants sorely crave.

    Thanks again. Always a great read.

  62. Jeremiah, thanks for putting this together with Ray. Great content. These 18 use cases can help align some future standards that are needed in the industry. I just wrote about it for my Latam audience – 18 ejemplos de como usar Social CRM – mi entrada sobre el ebook de Social CRM de Altimeter Group http://ow.ly/1n0TR – from the Latam perceptive these Social CRM use cases need to have some global characteristics since I believe that Social Media is a global initiative in the enterprise and have many local implications. Also companies need to fix their current customer service issues (well, all CRM issues) in order to provide a better experience in all channels, including the Social CRM channels, and last we need to integrate the social channels with all other CRM channels… otherwise we are creating more islands of information.

    Thanks again for creating these uses cases!

  63. Jeremiah, thanks for putting this together with Ray. Great content. These 18 use cases can help align some future standards that are needed in the industry. I just wrote about it for my Latam audience – 18 ejemplos de como usar Social CRM – mi entrada sobre el ebook de Social CRM de Altimeter Group http://ow.ly/1n0TR – from the Latam perceptive these Social CRM use cases need to have some global characteristics since I believe that Social Media is a global initiative in the enterprise and have many local implications. Also companies need to fix their current customer service issues (well, all CRM issues) in order to provide a better experience in all channels, including the Social CRM channels, and last we need to integrate the social channels with all other CRM channels… otherwise we are creating more islands of information.

    Thanks again for creating these use cases!

  64. Jeremiah, thanks for putting this together with Ray. Great content. These 18 use cases can help align some future standards that are needed in the industry. I just wrote about it for my Latam audience – 18 ejemplos de como usar Social CRM – mi entrada sobre el ebook de Social CRM de Altimeter Group http://ow.ly/1n0TR – from the Latam perceptive these Social CRM use cases need to have some global characteristics since I believe that Social Media is a global initiative in the enterprise and have many local implications. Also companies need to fix their current customer service issues (well, all CRM issues) in order to provide a better experience in all channels, including the Social CRM channels, and last we need to integrate the social channels with all other CRM channels… otherwise we are creating more islands of information.

    Thanks again for creating these use cases!

  65. Jeremiah, thanks for putting this together with Ray. Great content. These 18 use cases can help align some future standards that are needed in the industry. I just wrote about it for my Latam audience – 18 ejemplos de como usar Social CRM – mi entrada sobre el ebook de Social CRM de Altimeter Group http://ow.ly/1n0TR – from the Latam perceptive these Social CRM use cases need to have some global characteristics since I believe that Social Media is a global initiative in the enterprise and have many local implications. Also companies need to fix their current customer service issues (well, all CRM issues) in order to provide a better experience in all channels, including the Social CRM channels, and last we need to integrate the social channels with all other CRM channels… otherwise we are creating more islands of information.

    Thanks again for creating these use cases!

  66. Jeremiah, thanks for putting this together with Ray. Great content. These 18 use cases can help align some future standards that are needed in the industry. I just wrote about it for my Latam audience – 18 ejemplos de como usar Social CRM – mi entrada sobre el ebook de Social CRM de Altimeter Group http://ow.ly/1n0TR – from the Latam perceptive these Social CRM use cases need to have some global characteristics since I believe that Social Media is a global initiative in the enterprise and have many local implications. Also companies need to fix their current customer service issues (well, all CRM issues) in order to provide a better experience in all channels, including the Social CRM channels, and last we need to integrate the social channels with all other CRM channels… otherwise we are creating more islands of information.

    Thanks again for creating these use cases!

  67. Pingback: Social CRM
  68. Jeremiah,
    Great post, very interesting. The only difference I advocate is…a different name than Social CRM. I know it's industry standard, but… With the wealth of possibilities you demonstrate, the term 'relationship management' becomes obsolete, because in a world where consumers/customers co-create, help improve your products, build your sales as ambassadors, replace (part of) your customer service, the stakes are much higher than managing relationships – they become a core strategic play. I use the term 'End-to-end External Engagement' (E^4) to describe this: ie the ability to truly engage with customers and external partners throughout the value chain and continuously in time. What do you think ?

  69. Jeremiah,
    Great post, very interesting. The only difference I advocate is…a different name than Social CRM. I know it's industry standard, but… With the wealth of possibilities you demonstrate, the term 'relationship management' becomes obsolete, because in a world where consumers/customers co-create, help improve your products, build your sales as ambassadors, replace (part of) your customer service, the stakes are much higher than managing relationships – they become a core strategic play. I use the term 'End-to-end External Engagement' (E^4) to describe this: ie the ability to truly engage with customers and external partners throughout the value chain and continuously in time. What do you think ?

  70. Jeremiah,
    Great post, very interesting. The only difference I advocate is…a different name than Social CRM. I know it's industry standard, but… With the wealth of possibilities you demonstrate, the term 'relationship management' becomes obsolete, because in a world where consumers/customers co-create, help improve your products, build your sales as ambassadors, replace (part of) your customer service, the stakes are much higher than managing relationships – they become a core strategic play. I use the term 'End-to-end External Engagement' (E^4) to describe this: ie the ability to truly engage with customers and external partners throughout the value chain and continuously in time. What do you think ?

  71. Jeremiah,
    Great post, very interesting. The only difference I advocate is…a different name than Social CRM. I know it's industry standard, but… With the wealth of possibilities you demonstrate, the term 'relationship management' becomes obsolete, because in a world where consumers/customers co-create, help improve your products, build your sales as ambassadors, replace (part of) your customer service, the stakes are much higher than managing relationships – they become a core strategic play. I use the term 'End-to-end External Engagement' (E^4) to describe this: ie the ability to truly engage with customers and external partners throughout the value chain and continuously in time. What do you think ?

  72. Jeremiah,
    Great post, very interesting. The only difference I advocate is…a different name than Social CRM. I know it's industry standard, but… With the wealth of possibilities you demonstrate, the term 'relationship management' becomes obsolete, because in a world where consumers/customers co-create, help improve your products, build your sales as ambassadors, replace (part of) your customer service, the stakes are much higher than managing relationships – they become a core strategic play. I use the term 'End-to-end External Engagement' (E^4) to describe this: ie the ability to truly engage with customers and external partners throughout the value chain and continuously in time. What do you think ?

  73. “For companies, real time is not fast enough”
    Then why does it take longer than 24 hours for many companies to reply to an email (not using an auto-responder)

  74. “For companies, real time is not fast enough”
    Then why does it take longer than 24 hours for many companies to reply to an email (not using an auto-responder)

  75. “For companies, real time is not fast enough”
    Then why does it take longer than 24 hours for many companies to reply to an email (not using an auto-responder)

  76. “For companies, real time is not fast enough”
    Then why does it take longer than 24 hours for many companies to reply to an email (not using an auto-responder)

  77. “For companies, real time is not fast enough”
    Then why does it take longer than 24 hours for many companies to reply to an email (not using an auto-responder)

  78. Pingback: Social CRM, part 1
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  80. Great information.
    Whilst I'm currently in the 'one man band' category developing my company, I get great value from reading your insights into where the industry as a whole is headed, and try to apply this to my own situation.

    I know you've mentioned to focus on the specific business goals and which use case to target initially… but as a small startup that wants to scale in the future, can you recommend a tool/s which can integrate a majority of these use cases at an initial low or no cost price, that will grow with me as my client base develops.

    thanks

  81. It was very interesting article on Use Cases of Social CRM! Your tools and charts are really helpful.
    Thanks for sharing!

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