Change Management & Social Business

Becoming a social business – not just a company with a Facebook page – is a change management opportunity and challenge for a company. It requires attention to people, processes, and technology.

The more important question is what can a company do to provide a better customer experience? And what changes to people, processes, and technology are needed to support the strategy and tactics for such a customer-centric business model?

Doing social from a holistic corporate perspective needs to be driven at...

Read More

Tweet Up schedule–Social Customer Service ROI

Starting on Monday, June 6, 2011, Dr. Natalie and I will host a 3-session tweet up series on the Social Customer Service.

Over the 3 sessions, we’ll discuss topics related to thought leadership we shared in our recent white paper Calculating the ROI for Social Customer Service.

Our end goal with our recent paper and coming tweet ups is to help people combine strategy with ROI to accelerate executive approval of social customer service programs.

Of course, each of you have your own experiences and thoughts to share so it won’t be complete unless you join in the discussion!

Mark your calendars and join the discussion on:

  1. How to Build the Business Case for Social Customer Service – Monday, June 6, 2011 at 3 pm EDT.
  2. Calculating ROI for Social Customer Service – Week of  June 13 - TBD.
  3. How Social Customer Service Benefits the Entire Company – Week of June 20 - TBD.

The hash tag for each session will be #smROI.

Read More

Shaping Customer Service in the Social Era

I love talking about collaboration almost as much as I like doing it.  When people come together, one idea spawns others and before you know it, greatness erupts into the world.

The reason social media is transforming business today (and in years to come) is because it allows us to team together in ways we could never achieve in our traditional, proximity-based societies or companies.  And that includes collaborating to meet customer needs.

Your customers know as much or more about the “real world” use of your products than your service reps or even product engineers might know. 

Read More

The True value of Social Business – Free white Paper

Focus recently released a white paper I wrote on The True Value of Social Business.  Check it out.

It blows through various misconceptions circulating about ROI.  For example, results such as influence, engagement, impact or customer satisfaction are not values but benefits.

Use the white paper to arm you to gain the green light on your social initiatives by discussing the value with your executive team in monetary terms. This paper will tell you what you need to know, and explain the benefits of social business including:

  • Extended influence with prospects and customers.
  • Improved branding.
  • Improved customer service.
  • Heightened customer loyalty.
  • Better insight into customers.

The white paper is free.  Click here. 

Social Media ROIs are excellent so get on with it

As a consultant, I often have prospects trying to buy my services by promising me leads or “exposure.”  Those results are beneficial but they don’t put food on my table or pay my rent.  Know what does?

Money does.

Now take what I just said and translate that to a company.  A business can’t pay its employees with tweets.  It can’t build a new factory paid for with impressions.  That takes money.

Are you really surprised then, when executives want a social ROI to forecast the revenue or savings potential from undertaking what could be a six- to seven-figure social investment?  They need to know how much Money Out and In to expect to run the business.

To me, any corporate initiative should be able to stand the test of economic analysis -- and no, marketing isn't excused.

Read More

PR Agency Social Media ROI Calculator

And how PR firms can benefit

Thought you’d be interested in insights into a social media ROI methodology geared specifically towards the PR agency world.

Check out the preso.

PR Agency Social Media ROI Calculator - And how PR firms can benefit

Each ROI calculator is a little different, depending on the industry and company.  However, the basic elements are consistent and building the methodology is the hardest part.  I’ve done the hard thinking to help you.

Thanks to Dr. Natalie Petouhoff for her thought leadership.  She’s the bestest!

SCRM’s dirty little word is really not so dirty

Lawrence Buchanan wrote a dandy article about the importance of understanding the dollars and sense impact of social business. 

While he values determining the return on investment (ROI) for social business initiatives, he also expresses a preference for the Return on Customer (ROC) which is a means to determine the total customer equity.

To me, ROC is the little brother to smROI because getting to the latter is influenced by the former.

Read More