Three weeks ago I tore down the bunk beds from my girls bedroom. The beds were attached to one side of the wall and suspended from the attic. In order to remove them, I had to crawl through the attic and remove the bolts to loosen the tension. The attic must have been 130 degrees with 80 percent less oxygen. Taking them apart was a board by board process. The girls know what they want; they want a white twin sized bed with a pull out trundle. I have been looking online and haven’t found the right solution. My job is to find something that meets their needs and that falls in our family budget.
Talking with business owners, I find this story parallels the current process of finding a Social Media monitoring and measuring tool that can be integrated with current CRM data systems. The problem is finding a solution that is flexible to accommodate both technologies and that doesn’t break the bank to convert or deploy.
If your business has a CRM system in place and is looking for a free Social Media monitoring and tracking tool, take a look at PeopleBrowsr and HootSuite. Make sure you create a new lead category in your CRM system for Twitter and for Facebook (assuming you already view those as a lead generation sources). Both of these tools are free and available online for download. Using these free tools can give your team a better idea of what is important when engaging the public through Social Media channels.
SocialCRM Tools
PeopleBrowsr will allow you to mark profiles with various tasks and statuses like VIP, To Do, Favorites and manage multiple Twitter accounts. Scheduling tweets at a later time is also a nice feature from PeopleBrowsr. HootSuite is also a great tool to use for multiple Twitter accounts and is less complicated than PeopleBrowsr. HootSuite uses their Owly URL short system for updates to Twitter and Facebook which provides tracking of links by number of times viewed by day, month or by individual tweets. These tracking tools provide HootSuite an advantage over PeopleBrowsr in that respect.
Free SocialCRM Tools HootSuite
If you are considering a move from your current CRM system to something new, Radian6 just announced their integration with Salesforce.com. This combination offers the complex functions like PeopleBrowsr and the tracking and monitoring functions like Hootsuite within a 2010 CRM platform. Salesforce.com clients are Starbucks, Dell and SunTrust.
Premium SocialCRM Tools - Radian6
Another CRM solution that is moving forward in combining CRM and Social Media functionality is SugarCRM. SugarCRM is an open source scalable and customizable CRM system. New modules are being added, such as GetSocial, which allows Twitter updates to be integrated within the tool. SugarCRM clients include Avis, H&R Block and Coca-Cola Enterprise. Sugar CRM and Salesforce.com both have extensive community forums to provide technical support and discussions about future product enhancements.
SocialCRM Tool - SugarCRM
Deconstructing the old methods of communicating with your clients can lead to opening new channels of communication with new prospects and enhance relationships with existing clients. The painful process of tearing down the rigid and static system can be a healthy process for building a more flexible and fluid CRM system. Welcome to SocialCRM.
Update on the girls bed: This weekend I took the boards from the old bunk beds and began to form a new day bed with space for a trundle. I hope my girls like the new bed. It’s white and it was custom built to meet their needs. There’s nothing better for a Dad than to see a smile of surprise and excitement on his daughters’ faces.
Deconstructing the Old to Create a New SocialCRM
Popularity: 5% [?]
