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• 3/28/2009 2:21 PM Matthew Hardy wrote:
  The difference between a "white pages" and CRM is indeed vast. The restriction to Facebook certainly limits; notwithstanding 200 million members.
  
  > to track and/or record
  
  Interoperability and persistent, historical context stored in an open format that can be controlled by the user/business is typically the missing component to true CRM.
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  1. 3/28/2009 4:54 PM Pat Kitano wrote:
     Yes, white pages and CRM are vastly different, but the first step to CRM is automating the "white pages" process by getting 200+ million people to subscribe to the idea that updating their contact info is their responsibility. Plaxo tried to do this five years ago but never gained the traction that Facebook has.
     
     Second, CRM may start looking quite different than today's closed CRM systems. It's possible that CRM may become an open/closed system where persistent data may be stored in aggregate across various applications like Facebook, Twitter, email and phone conversations (perhaps transcribed by some type of future Google Voice functionality) and presented within a contextual CRM engine like Salesforce or even Facebook. Friendfeed, and now Facebook, is demonstrating that communication across various social media is not as abstract, complex or messy as it was once thought.
     
     I myself now interface with my business associates via Twitter, Facebook, email and phone interchangeably, and it works.
     
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     1. 4/1/2009 10:36 AM Matthew Hardy wrote:
        Just to assure we're using the same term, I understand CRM to mean Customer Relationship Management; decidedly a business tool first and one that contains "social" information only to the degree that storing it facilitates the interests of the business.
        
        > the first step to CRM is automating the "white pages" process by getting 200+ million people to subscribe to the idea that updating their contact info is their responsibility.
        
        The first step to CRM is having data. It may be on a napkin or in a relational database, but you gotta know a person as a Customer and determine how much information you want to collect and manage in order to serve the relationship; how caring to the details of the encounters and communications that occur between the customer and the business you want to be.
        
        So, strictly from a real estate businessperson's perspective, I would disagree that the first step to their own CRM capability would be to update and populate the databases of another entity. Now, to the extent that a social media company's data assets become a useful reference for their subscriber's, that's great, but in the long-term interests of a real estate practitioners' business, collecting and managing data on clients and prospective clients for the purpose of providing agency to a transaction is foundational.
        
        > CRM may start looking quite different than today's closed CRM systems... CRM may become an open/closed system... Facebook, Twitter... Salesforce
        
        These are just larger closed systems. Who determines the type and extent of their interoperability? The owners of these businesses do because their primary motivation for collecting this data is to leverage it for the benefit of their company. These systems are "open" to the extent they create value for the business. Do I think that all the major social media companies will give up their data for aggregation with competitors? In the unlikely event that this happens, it will be for base contact info only (your "white pages" analogy), but never for the rich, proprietary data on the actions (and inherent business opportunities) relating to the people behind the contact data. I have long advocated the type of data-aggregation capability you are referring to; however, your use of the term "presented" is key because displaying data from other systems is, of course, very different from owning the data for analysis and business planning.
        
        Finally, interfacing with business associates via any method that both parties understand is communication; recording and maintaining the details for the purpose of customer acquisition and retention is CRM.
        
        Thank you for your reply Pat. It's good to engage on this topic with someone of your caliber.
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• 3/28/2009 2:52 PM Benjamin Ficker wrote:
  Question: Doe s the app sync with your contacts on the Iphone, or are you still running a separate database?
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  1. 3/28/2009 4:42 PM Pat Kitano wrote:
     Unfortunately, Facebook app doesn't have a sync feature "Add to Contacts". But LinkedIn for iPhone does...
     
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• 3/28/2009 3:14 PM Susie Blackmon wrote:
  Verizon gets the only decent coverage here in WNC right now so I have to remain happy with my BB (which I am). But I know I'm missing out, and I hate that!!
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• 3/28/2009 6:28 PM Dan Hamilton wrote:
  Pat...It won't be long until someone releases a CRM application on Facebook for Realtors....
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  1. 4/1/2009 10:38 AM Matthew Hardy wrote:
     Let's say that "someone releases a CRM application on Facebook for Realtors". Setting aside a cultural shift in Facebook becoming "pro-business", if one houses their real estate business in some "Facebook CRM", what happens when you want to sell your real estate business? The buyer will certainly want the historical data that comprise past transactions for the target-marketing the data affords, but I don't think it's likely that Facebook will allow you to sell your account to another or re-assign large datasets to another subscriber.
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     1. 4/2/2009 9:25 PM Pat Kitano wrote:
        Thanks much for your wise comments on possible variations of social CRM, Matthew. You certainly understand the moving parts. I've been busy with ReBarCamp LA and will revisit your comments later (I need to study up with you!)
        
        
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        1. 4/6/2009 9:50 AM Matthew Hardy wrote:
           Always a pleasure Pat. Best of success with ReBarCamp LA.
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• 3/29/2009 5:39 AM Andy Piper wrote:
  Face book becoming the new white pages makes sense. Storing calls in the date base - makes sense! I would be all over a CRM that offered these features. Thanks for the post.
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