Beyond the Hype: Can Mobile & Social CRM Really Transform the Customer Experience?

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Let’s face it--within customer management communities, the hype for mobile and social media is inescapable, and the fact that customer management professionals also enjoy social and mobile media from the end-user perspective accelerates the belief that these new media are changing the game.

These individuals witness first-hand the impact of mobile apps and networks like LinkedIn and Facebook on their personal and professional lives, and they take that excitement with them into the business.

If this culture of mobile consumerism helps businesses recognize the valuable role new media can play in improving relationships, the result can be an enormously-positive impact on how companies and their customers and clients interact.

The trick, however, is refusing to get lost in the hype—progress into mobile and social CRM needs to be driven by the ability of the media to enhance business practices rather than on the desire to keep up.

"Fundamentally, an organization needs to determine if mobilizing an existing process makes sense—does it actually increase value vital to the organization or the customer experience-- before it actually chooses to mobilize that business process or that interaction using modern technology," advises Vivek Thomas, president of Maximizer Software.

In this exclusive podcast with CustomerManagementIQ.com, Thomas shares detailed insight into the challenges facing CRM professionals, and where advances in mobile and social technology can truly make an impact. He addresses:

• What "pain points" are making customer management and CRM professionals sweat, and how can mobile and social help companies address the gaps?
• Amid all the aggressive hype and laundry lists of "features," what is the real "must-have" feature for those looking to incorporate mobile technology into their CRM?
• Certain aspects of new media CRM remain pipe dreams, but many significant, tangible benefits are being realized. What value and accomplishments are presently attainable with mobile and social?
• Does investment into mobile and social media need to go hand-in-hand?

Technology should not simply be a "patch"—it takes a certain level of customer-centricity for mobile and social rollouts to truly succeed. How can an organization ready itself to maximize the benefits of these technologies?