Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Video: Zoho Mail Add-on for CRM - Product Tour

So here is an instructional guide on how to install Zoho CRM's Mail Add On for their product. It looks like an ideal solution for Small Business that want an effective way of managing their email through a CRM solution. Specifically for those small businesses that utilize Gmail. However, this does not cover Outlook. So Enterprise users may just have to utilize the current Outlook plugin they offer.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Video: SME-TV: ROI On Social Media With Katie Paine

Jason Falls interviews Katie Paine about finding return on investment for social media.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Video: Get your Email inside Zoho CRM

This feature is a long awaited feature in Zoho CRM but has yet to be tested. While Zoho CRM already featured an Outlook Plugin that allowed you to automatically associate incoming emails from Outlook into Zoho CRM at the touch of a button, this new feature being promoted in the video is supposed to seamlessly integrate your email into Zoho CRM by enabling you to receive, create, Respond, and Forward emails related to your prospects or customers right from within Zoho CRM. Lets wait and see when I review it.

Video: The Support Value Proposition When Using Salesforce.Com - Help Resources

There are tons of CRM Competitors and vendors out there, and some of them are free. However, no vendor provides better Best In Class Support than SalesForce.Com. With a vast amount of Video Tutorials, PDFs, Knowledge Bases, and Online Training courses - they are clearly the winner in supporting their CRM application. In this section, well review all the ways you can get help in configuring and customizing your instance of Salesforce.com.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

John Moore's Guide to Measuring Your Personal Twitter Value


As Twitter continues to grow, more and more businesses and companies are increasingly interested in learning how can they effectively measure or manage their Twitter ROI. @JohnMoore wrote an interesting blog summarizing ways to measure the personal and measurable value of Twitter. John indicates that recieving job offers, and interview requests are all examples of positive personal value aspects of twitter. From a measurement perspective he proposes a scoring system that takes into account your # of followers, Retweets, Direct Messages, and Dialogue conversations to come up with an Index.

While his formula would be hard to do manually, you may also want to look at a product called Twinfluence which measures your Twitter value in an index form. It is available online, and seems to do a good job of evaluating your own Twitter Profile while also providing you a Top 50 list of the most influential trends occuring in the Twitterverse.



Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Photo: CRM Magazine's Social Media Maturity Model





Video: The Guitar Breaking Youtube Video That Damaged United Airlines


Here is a great example of how customers of your business will now go through creating a video in the event their experience was a bad one with your business. This customer had his $3,500 guitar broken by United Airlines. He created a video about it and it has been viewed over 3.2 million times. I wonder how much revenue loss that resulted in potential United Airlines customers. Just watching the video now puts United Airlines last on my list of potential airlines to utilize.


Video: iCloud - A Free Virtual Desktop


Your Virtual Computer in The Cloud. Free service that enables you to access a linux based desktop in the cloud at no fee. 3 Gigs of file space, media player, Instant messenger, and more. This service works great using a PC and Internet Explorer. Mac users with Safari will have to wait. Mac users with Firefox will experience clunky performance and browser issues.


Monday, July 20, 2009

Video: Social marketing 101: What works on YouTube?

For those interested in Youtube Marketing here is a Top Subscriber list of the most popular YouTube Channels and what makes the difference. Brought to you by www.yourbusinesschannel.com. In the end, I see most of these channels provide some level of Entertainment value. So as a result, start adding the cool back into your products!! Otherwise you have to hire these social medialites to promote your brand!

Video: Cloud Infrastructure By Marc Benioff

You need a platform you can trust. A platform thats secure, reliable, and fast. The cloud infrastructure beneath Force.com has been fine-tuned over the past 10 years. It powers nearly 60,000 businesses running more than 100,000 applications that 1.5+ million users count on every day.

Friday, July 17, 2009

The Week In Social CRM (7/17/09)

It has been a long week for me but I managed to get this out to you all. As I work on a project for a major Fortune 500 client, we are spending our evenings with building the best in class Social CRM product to launch this year!! I am loving every minute of it!!

Stay tuned in August of 2009 for the debut of our Social CRM Product that will easily integrate with Salesforce.Com. It will be available for Free Download next month on our site. From there we will be introducing to you the same capability into Oracle, Siebel, Zoho, and all other CRM platforms.

This past week was an eventful week for Social Media and Business. Just when you
thought your company does not need a Social CRM strategy - Best Buy, Coca Cola, and Microsoft announced their products and strategy. Learn what they did so that you can rocket launch your business!

Also in this newsletter you can check out our video demos of CoTweet. CoTweet is a Free Social CRM tool that you can use to service, support, and market to your customers using the Twitter platform.

Enjoy the articles!

In ChicagoJohn M. Perez

Service Push, LLC
JohnMPerez.Com
Social Media and Social CRM Solutions for Your Busines



Video Tutorial: Microsoft Introduces Social Accelerator

Social Interactions Built into Microsoft's Dynamics CRM Suite of Products.
Microsoft Social Accelerator
So Microsoft has been a little behind the Twitter bandwagon. It wasn't till just over 1 month ago when they officially launched a Twitter Channel which is currently being used for Marketing purposes. However, it looks like they are making strides in the Social CRM space by announcing last week that they are introducing Twitter capability into their Dynamics CRM application. The application will allow you to monitor, manage, and support social conversations related to your brand's conversations.

Best Buy Uses Twitter for Service & Sales

Best Buy Introduces Social CRM Learn why Best Buy Chose To Invest Resources in Twitter for Sales & Support.

Best Buy Co., the world's largest electronics retailer, is building a customer-service team that will use Twitter Inc. to answer questions about products to help increase sales.

Starting July 19, Best Buy's "Twelpforce" will search Twitter posts to find people seeking information about flat- panel televisions and other electronics, Chief Marketing Officer Barry Judge said in a telephone interview today. More than 500 employees at stores and at the company's Richfield, Minnesota headquarters are signed up to participate, he said.

Read More
Coca Cola Teaches The World Social CRM

Best Buy Introduces Social CRM How Coca Cola utilized Facebook, and their Fans to Increase Sales!

This article by Paul Greenberg provides a great summary on how Coca Cola truly leveraged the Facebook platform to create a world class community of customers on their network.

Read More
Video Overview: CoTweet - Twitter & CRM Finally Meet

Microsoft Social Accelerator Learn why JetBlue, BestBuy, and So many others utilize this application.

Check out this video demo of CoTweet in action. John Perez of http://www.service-push.com (A Social CRM Consulting Firm) demonstrates how you can support your customers and twitter conversations using Co Tweet. Can co tweet replace traditional ticketing systems for small businesses?

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Best Buy Utilizes Twitter For Sales & Support. Why Should You Care?

A recent article published this past week revealed that Best Buy is placing their bets on their Service and Sales Strategy on Twitter! According to the article, it states:

Best Buy Co., the world’s largest electronics retailer, is building a customer-service team that will use Twitter Inc. to answer questions about products to help increase sales.

Starting July 19, Best Buy’s “Twelpforce” will search Twitter posts to find people seeking information about flat- panel televisions and other electronics, Chief Marketing Officer Barry Judge said in a telephone interview today. More than 500 employees at stores and at the company’s Richfield, Minnesota headquarters are signed up to participate, he said.

“The old paradigm is you open your doors and hope someone comes in,” Judge said. “In the new world, you can go out and find people that are talking about technology and what they’re interested in buying, and be generous with your knowledge. And hopefully if you’re generous and knowledgeable, people will come and buy.”


So why should you care? As Consumer, you maybe missing
out on some of the best realtime support on the product you just purchased at Best Buy. Or better yet, you maybe missing out on a Downloadable Coupon that offers a 15% Discount on your favorite item.

If your running a business, you should care even more! Businesses that fail to leverage Twitter for Support, Marketing, and Sales are missing out on Free Publicity, Free Marketing, and Sales. With the right strategy, your company can increase sales through entirely new Sales Channel while also providing a higher quality of Service and Support for your existing Gen X, and Gen Y Customers!


Wednesday, July 15, 2009

CoTweet - The Free Social CRM Tool for Twitter Interactions


Check out this video demo of CoTweet in action. John Perez of http://www.service-push.com (A Social CRM Consulting Firm) demonstrates how you can support your customers and twitter conversations using Co Tweet. Can co tweet replace traditional ticketing systems for small businesses? Visit http://www.service-push.com and http://www.socialcrmtools.com for more information on Social CRM Tools, Information, and Strategy.



Video Demo of Microsoft CRM Social Accelerator


So Microsoft has been a little behind the Twitter bandwagon. It wasn't till just over 1 month ago when they officially launched a Twitter Channel which is currently being used for Marketing purposes. However, it looks like they are making strides in the Social CRM space by announcing last week that they are introducing Twitter capability into their Dynamics CRM application. The application will allow you to monitor, manage, and support social conversations related to your brand's conversations. Microsoft also has announced the ability to integrate other social networks like Facebook at a later time.

The application will be available for free for Microsoft Dynamics CRM users at http://crmaccelerators.codeplex.com/. One of the highlights of the video above is their ability to provide comprehensive Social Conversation analytics and dashboards right from within the CRM environment.



Friday, July 10, 2009

Microsoft Gets on The Twitter Bandwagon


Microsoft has integrated Twitter functionality into its customer relationship management software.

The company announced on Friday that its Dynamics CRM software will have a 'Social Networking Accelerator' component that will allow companies to monitor what customers are saying on Twitter, and to provide information about products and services based on that data.

In a Microsoft statement, Ovum analyst Warren Wilson said: "In this market, insight into what customers are saying is extremely valuable."




While starting with Twitter, Dynamics CRM will have further social-networking components added to it in future releases. Social Networking Accelerator will be available "in the next few weeks", Microsoft said.

Source

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Clara Shih (Author of The Facebook Era) Says Facebook Is Her New CRM

I have been meaning to put this post up since last week but have not gotten around to it till tonight. Clara Shih wrote a great article last week in Asian Week outlining her thoughts on the landscape of Social Media and how companies should utilize channels like Facebook and Twitter. In the article she states:


I started using Facebook in 2004 while I was a graduate student at Stanford. As I moved on to work at Microsoft and Google, moving from city to city, I began to rely more heavily on Facebook to keep in touch with my friends and colleagues. Many businesses use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to manage their customer contacts and improve sales. I realized that Facebook was becoming my personal CRM– increasingly, it is how individuals like you and me manage and maintain relationships across our personal and professionals lives.


Unlike several of the analysts out their talking about Social Media, and Social CRM - Clara Shih is a natural Social Media enthusiast who has managed to become an expert in her field. Be sure to purchase her book if your interested in launching Social Media for your business. I just finished reading it myself, and find it to be a must have if your in the Social Media or CRM business.


Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Video: How to Obtain a SBA Loan? - FrugalTech

For someone who is funding my own business out of my own pocket, I truly appreciate a video like this. While I have heard of the SBA providing small business loans, this summary by FrugalTech is a great introduction of how to go about getting one. Great job done here by FrugalTech. I think I am going to apply now and need to go see my Accountant now!

Video: Zoho Projects 2.0 - A Social Approach To Project Management

Zoho has pretty much impressed me with their Zoho Projects On Demand Project Management Application. Their new 2.0 version is packed with social features that make project management across large scale teams a joy.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Mashable Reports That Facebook Users Are Now Much Much Older!



According to a Mashable article and a poll done by iStrategyLabs on Facebook, users are getting much more older on the network. According to the Mashable article, it states:

As you can see in the chart below, the overall number of users between 18 and 24 years of age has grown only 4.8% between the fourth of January and the fourth of July of 2009. In comparison, the number of users aged 25 – 34 has grown 60.8%; the number of users aged 35 to 54 has grown 190.2%, while the number of users older than 55 years has grown a tremendous 513.7%.

See the full chart below.





Sunday, July 5, 2009

Social CRM Definition By Martin Walsh


A Great summary by Martin Walsh defining the landscape of Social CRM. Martin even makes his Powerpoint Deck downloadable. Great job done here compiling these slides by Martin over in Australia.

Video: Social Media Rockstars Panel Discussion On Social CRM


Here is a 45 Minute at The Social Media Rockstar Conference in Boston just last week. Forward 2 minutes into the video if your already familiar with the Radian 6 and Salesforce.Com integration. This video includes a panel of experts in the Social CRM space. The panelists are Brent Leary, Michael Thomas, Paul Greenberg, and Frank Eliason.

Source: SocialmediaB2B.Com

3 Simple Diagrams That Explain Social CRM

The Social Media Ecosystem



Traditional CRM Prospecting



CRM Prospecting in A Social World

These slides I believe are from Brent Leary. Great stuff.


U.S Consumer Preferences for Company Usage of Social Media

Here is an interesting Customer Study done by Customer Think in June 2009 that illustrates what U.S Consumer Preferences for Companies using Social Media. According to the study, it concluded the following:

  • 68% of Consumers Agree that Social Media is an ideal tool to Service and Support Issues for their customers.
  • 50% agree that would use Social Media to Host Online Communities.
  • 45% agree that companies participating in relevant communities run by consumers is also an appropriate use.
  • 42% agree that companies should monitor conversations to research consumer issues and requirements.
  • 33% of consumers agreed that Creating a LinkedIn, or Facebook Site is an appropriate use of the medium, but 36% of consumers also disagreed with putting their brands on a site such as LinkedIn.
Overall, it looks like companies are really getting the fact that Social Media can be used to Support Customer, Participate in Conversations, while also using Social Media to enhance their products.

Social CRM Customer Support with Twitter & Salesforce.Com


Here is a video Demo showing you how to monitor support issues within the Twitterverse from within your CRM system. This demo illustrates Salesforce.Com monitoring Technical Support Issues occuring in Twitter, all the while seamlessly creating support cases from the Twitter Conversations. This is a set of upcoming features for an application called Social CRM Tools that will be available soon on app exchange.

Slideshow: Introduction To Social CRM By Brent Leary


This is probably the best presentation that I have seen that articulates the difference between Social and Traditional CRM. This was done by Brent Leary.

CRM In The Age of A Socially Empowered Customer


Here is a great white paper by Sage CRM Solutions outlining the Traditional vs. Social CRM Strategies being employed in today's market. The document has a good indepth overview for those who are still not clear on what Social CRM is all about. There are some ideal Process Flows and Diagrams across

Slideshow: Understanding The Social CRM Landscape

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

How To Use Social Media in Your Enterprise Business

Here is an excellent article outlining ways that you can utilize Social Media for your Enterprise Business. While companies like Jet Blue have been successful there are several Business to Business companies that do not believe there is value in pursuing Social Media Marketing strategies. Here is a 4 step guide written by Ben Parr of Mashable.Com that describes a great way to accomplish such a goal.

The steps outlined in the article are:

1. Build a reputation of expertise - Through the use of portraying that expertise using blog updates to your website.

2. Research your customers - Using Twitter and other tools you can research who is talking about you or your product.

3. Ramp up your networking - Using Social Networks for Winning Your Next Deal!

4. Learn from others - All about how your business can learn from the various other sources of information in the Socialphere!