- [Narrator] Customer relationship management software
has evolved from a simple contact management system
into a robust set of tools.
And these tools allow you to manage sales, marketing,
customer service, and other types of operational data
all in one easily accessible solution.
As a whole, social CRM offers your organization all
of these tools in addition to adding on other social
and online data points.
And all this information combined will help to grow
and scale your business powerfully and is all accessible
in one central hub and that is your CRM platform.
There are three main ways that social CRM platforms
are set up to help an organization.
Now, some will have all three combined and others
may only focus on one.
First is sales.
So, for any organization looking to automate
and boost sales, a social CRM platform will be a great help.
And for marketing.
So, organizations looking to streamline finding
and engaging with customers and prospects,
a social CRM platform will be extremely powerful
for this part.
Customer service and support.
So, organizations looking to deliver outstanding
and responsive customer support and service
will be looking towards a social CRM platform
to help support them as a consumer turns more social.
Here's what to look for in a platform.
First is business size.
So, is the platform you're looking to use built for
your organization's size?
Do they have an enterprise level if your organization
is expanding rapidly?
How easy is it to use?
And how easy is it to train employees on the platform?
And also to consider, what is your onboarding
and implementation process look like?
What features are available to you?
And to sales, marketing, and other aspects of your business?
How easy is it to integrate with other solutions
that your organization already uses?
What is the total cost of the software and is there
any setup or additional fees?
You'll want to take a look at what type of security
features it has in order to protect your business's
and customer's information.
And, if you need help,
what type of customer service do they offer?
You're going to want to ensure they also have
these social features.
First is support for social media platforms.
So, you want to make sure that they have support
for the social media platforms
your organization is using.
Some programs offer simple integrations with one or two
networks and others may offer an array of tools
for community creation management.
Take a look to see if they have brand monitoring.
This will enable you to track conversations
about your organization across all digital channels.
And, you'll want to take a look at how robust
their social CRM analytics are.
So, information pulled from social networks is only
as valuable as the means you have to analyze it
and make it actionable.
And, if your platform isn't a one-stop shop,
or you have other CRM tools you already use,
how easily do they integrate with those other services.
So, an example of this would be
your email marketing platform.
Do they have the ability to integrate with, say, MailChimp?
Here you can see a table with some of
the top social CRM platforms.
You'll notice here there are a ton of different options
and each focus on a different aspect of social
and customer relationship management.
First, we have Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Next we have Hubspot.
SproutSocial is an effective social media management
software for business.
And, Brand24 is an effective social listening app.
SugarCRM touts responsive customer management.
And Salesforce IQ is a lot simpler CRM platform.
Then you have Base CRM and they consider themselves
the all-inn-one sales platform.
Next is desk.com.
This is an online customer support software
and helpdesk solution.
Lithium boasts itself as a social media management solution.
And Hootsuite is a wonderful
social media management platform.
Zendesk, similar to desk.com, is a cloud-based
customer service software.
Zoho CRM is a multichannel CRM for businesses of all sizes.
And Nimble is a really powerful contact management
and social relationship management software.
One thing to note on pricing is that some platforms
charge per user and others like Hubspot are an integrated
suite and charge accordingly.
When choosing a platform,
consider how many users you'll be using,
it's a platform that fits your business size,
and if their features fit your current needs
and will also allow for future growth.
You don't want to be stuck with a service that doesn't have
an enterprise option if you're organization's growth
will lead to requiring that option.
Based on your priorities for leveraging social CRM
software, you'll really want to consider which ones
will help you meet your goals.
I recommend spending some time going through demos
and free trials to test drive some of the ones you have
on your shortlist.