After a delicious pie is baked in your kitchen, everyone runs over for a slice. Its delectable aroma is irresistible, and the temptation is enough to have everyone willing to try it, regardless of its flavor.
These days, the same can be said about CRM. This sector continues to grow and show promise, attracting businesses from near and far. Companies like Salesforce have already staked their claim in the industry, but they aren’t scaring away others who want to get in on the action.
Gene Marks, a contributor to Forbes magazine, recently wrote a piece in which he stated that Google would be wise to get in on the CRM market. This doesn’t mean that Google is doing so by any stretch of the imagination, but the potential is hard to ignore. Now we have to wait and see if it takes the delicious bait.
Google is currently proving that it’s skilled in the area of “social CRM.” The sector of CRM breaks down like this: CRM users routinely communicate with customers (existing and potential) via social media outlets such as Twitter and LinkedIn. However, few CRM models offer the option for users to receive social media messages in their CRM/email as opposed to their regular inbox. In turn, these communications are stored off-site, away from the CRM system, creating a disruption.
So how is Google breaking the pattern?
Those who use Google+ can send messages to other Google+ users – regardless of whether or not they know their actual Gmail email address. Once a response is sent, the email address is revealed, and the conversation is housed within Gmail. Of course individuals have the option to to turn this setting off, but it demonstrates one key point – Google is already skilled in terms of social CRM. Its services are all under one umbrella that makes it easy to use.
Keep Faith in Your Existing CRM
There’s no need to realistically view Google as a primary provider of CRM – go ahead and wipe the sweat off your brow if you were worried about having to switch from your current provider. The entire discussion of Google and social CRM and hypothetical, but it highlights areas where current CRM businesses could make improvements.
Integrating social media and CRM could save an ample amount of time for sales teams. Additionally, the risk of communication getting lost within several different websites can be dramatically reduced. For now, the big players such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics will have to do, but don’t look at this as a disappointment – CRM has come a long way since its early days. Salesforce, for instance, can get your sales team where you want it to be in terms of productivity and efficiency. There just happens to be a little room to dream for bigger, better advancements in existing technology.
Salesforce is already rolling out more personalized features to meet customer demands, and CRM continues to evolve with each new update. As additional companies follow its trail toward success, don’t be surprised if a bigwig like Google shows up to play.
