Comments by Lawrence Byrd Subscribe

On What Is Share Of Conversation And How Do I Measure It?

I was hoping you would show the depth of Sentiment capabilities available, since obviously what is being said about you is likely to be more informative than just the raw numbers. I also wondered in general in response to one graph about the effectiveness or not of the Virgin periodic big spike strategy versus the more sustained smaller spike strategies seen by the others. Any results or thoughts on the effectiveness of different social engagement "shapes" (must be out there, I need to dig). Thanks for the effort of video creation.

On Three Things You Must Understand to Get Customer Service and Social Together

Agree, but as the long dialog below attests - I am willing to extend the word "relationship" to those vendors who do this consistently for me. If various people in this space want to use the term "Social CRM" then we have to be willing to use the "R" word in some way :).

On New Oldspice Campaign: Social Media or Social CRM?

I'm sorry to be critical, but you are trying to create a debate here where none exists. This was advertising pure and simple. The intent was to reposition their brand and create awareness. Social media was used to create viral resonance and it succeeded - hundreds of distinct YouTube videos, the clever first-time selective twitter response gag, and massive word-of-web-mouth (that's what friends are for). There is no evidence of a CRM initiative to gather databases and customer understanding and use this. This is a consumer store-shelf semi-impulsive purchase decision - CRM does not make any sense. Any advertising campaign in any media can generate lists of prospects. With social media you have the opportunity to reengage them in another campaign (free stuff, next big secret, whatever) but it's all about awareness in my opinion.

On Introducing The Social Customer Engagement Index

I wonder if the large (>1000) and very small (<50) data is closely comparable across some of these measures? Social media integration for a very small organization might mean that they have email, a web site and run Tweetdeck. For a large organization that wouldn't count - they would have to have a far more serious integration into contact centers and complex service processes for it to be meaningful. Essentially a whole different activity.

I always wonder in all technology surveys, especially in early markets, what "fully integrated" really means. I can't say I believe it and I wonder what it could mean in such an early exploratory area as customer care through social media? I personally think it means "we think we have done quite a lot comparatively and may not immediately do a lot more until we understand this more".

Aah, statistics - have fun building the report :)

 

On The Power of Social Media...and an Apology

I am sure you know that this is an instance of a classic customer service result (I will have to dig for references) that customers who have problems that then get resolved satisfactorily are more likely to repurchase (are more loyal) than customers who never had a problem at all (statistically). The media and listening-process are new here, but the customer service dynamics are classic!

On Three Things You Must Understand to Get Customer Service and Social Together

Enough already says everyone! But I do think we disagree about the meaning of the term "relationship" within an SCRM or CRM context. You are saying it would require emotion and you don't want it with providers. I am saying process is sufficient and relationship in this context does not require emotion (although I now have some here), and I do want it with certain providers. I feel you are kind of saying that the terminology "CRM" never made any business sense :):).

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On Three Things You Must Understand to Get Customer Service and Social Together

Thanks and hi.

I suppose I am trying to take a broader view of what "Relationship" means. I think that the end-to-end processes (beyond just "service") that Amazon has designed and continuously improved are a relationship as well as being intended to gradually pull me into a deeper relationship. And this has worked. It started as a simple "buy a book" relationship but now is, bizarrely, at a level of pretty deep trust! Amazon Prime feels like them placing trust in me. My continuous subscription service for McCann's oatmeal and Taylors of Harrogate tea feels like me placing trust in them. Getting a post-purchase automatic price reduction message is a trust proof point. My purchase of most of my big ticket HD and electronics through them is their benefit from this relationship. Being able to easily sell my old stuff through them - part of the whole relationship. And the books and DVDs are just gravy.

Once upon a time, this was the ultimate goal of "CRM" - end-to-end cross-enterprise processes that empower customer relationships. I am finding it strange that the online companies that focused on "customer processes", rather than perhaps classical "customer service", seem so far ahead now in my personal experience. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised (I must have an old-time CRM bias).

And I am saying I want this "kind" of process relationship. While I agree that this has grown over time, for any competitor to now come in and take some wallet share from me - they are going to have to demonstrate that I am likely to have this right kind of relationship pretty quickly. It won't be something where I "wait to see if it develops over time". Because I'm a Grumpy customer these days (to refer to an idea I am experimenting with at http://bit.ly/LofAvaya).

On Three Things You Must Understand to Get Customer Service and Social Together

(Hi Esteban!)

I think the meta understanding from your post is "let's not forget everything we knew and painfully learned about customer care". I am absolutely experiencing 1999 deja-vu from all this "new" #SCRM and amazing twit-service in 2010.

Absolutely agree about the Scylla and Charybdis dangers of being ensnared by channel-fetish and efficiency-desire in mapping out customer strategies with new media and tools. However, I think the relationship angle is more complex.

Although I am not engaged in phone, email, or tweet conversations with Amazon I do believe I have a pretty intense and deep relationship built around my payment setup, Prime shipping, history, recommendation knowledge, consistent delivery and return simplicity experience, etc. And I suspect they have put immense research into establishing this relationship for me (and others). We just don't "chat" (although my wife enjoys the bizarre "Gold box" water-cooler communal experience they make available). I also have a pretty good relationship with Schwab which does involve some amount of chatting (email and phone) with real people. So I do want engagement, I do want a relationship - but ones, as you say, that are extremely well tailored to me getting my tasks done without hassle. So I think the "R" remains key in these times - but is not simple.

Lawrence