Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web

Chapter 23. A Tale of Two Cities: Social CRM and Relationship Management

WEB 2.0 AND THE EVOLUTION OF CRM 2.0

As in Charles Dickens's novel, A Tale of Two Cities, this chapter is set amidst a revolution that depicts the quandary facing individuals who stand for something more significant than the status quo. While not as dramatic or profound as the experiences depicted in Dickens's book, a tale of two cities exists between the current state of affairs in customer relationship management and the idea of what relationships should symbolize for today's businesses, amidst this social mutiny.

The foundation for CRM, customer relationship management, was set in the 1980s and was traditionally viewed as the technology and doctrines governing marketing automation, sales automation, and customer service.

As Web 2.0 gave rise to a genre of social computing and collaboration, the enterprise infrastructure, business paradigm, value chain, and workflow were forever transformed. Processes and methodologies were suddenly placed under the microscope finding the search for new opportunities for efficiencies and innovation, and thus Web 2.0 spawned an era of Enterprise 2.0. In the process, CRM experienced a renaissance and was ripe for a new name to reflect the impact of Enterprise 2.0 and Web 2.0 on customer management. While many suggestions were introduced, this new generation of CRM was captured most effectively as CRM 2.0. Led by Paul Greenberg (author of the best selling book CRM at the Speed ...