Social Media: Are We Really Listening?

I recently attended a panel at an SAP annual conference in Orlando where the subject of social media and Social Client Relationship Management was discussed. The need to engage with customers through the new channels was iterated multiple times. The message was clear -- communication without really listening and responding isn't communication.

Recently I've noticed the proliferation of new Social CRM stacks. For those of you cloud-based thinkers who don't remember what a stack is, it is basically a diagram that illustrates the relationships between different software tools. The latest Social CRM stack describes the relationship between tools designed to listen to customers; software designed to analyze and to decipher the voice of the customer; and reporting tools to deliver the message to the executives who need to act on it. It was a beautiful depiction of how all the tools work together. But...

While studying the social stack I was struck by the fact that it was basically the same stack we use when describing CRM! All that changed were the channels for listening to customers. And then I realized what was wrong -- executives and experiences.

In the old days of pre-social media (can you believe we survived those dark ages), companies listened to customers through surveys, focus groups, customer service lines, faxes and letters. Listening to customers was not the issue; it was about acting on the information provided through these old-fashioned channels. Then as now, some executives ignored or paid little attention to the voice of the customer; choosing instead to follow the 'business as usual' principle. Just because a socially and technologically superior method for communication has been developed doesn't mean the modern executive will be a better listener. Better portals don't create better listeners. They should, but they don't. Human nature, after all...

The next challenge is customer experience. Engaging with customers through social media is critical. But in the absence of an appealing customer experience, no outreach -- old school market research or modern day social media -- will be useful. There must be an appealing substance to the customer experience coupled with meaningful engagement through the new social channels. If one approaches a customer with an inferior experience, the customer will respond negatively.