Salesforce.com releases new products to improve customer relations

            Already one of the most prominent Customer Relationship Management companies in the world, Salesforce.com just released its plan to further expand its consumer base.  This Wednesday, September 19, 2012, Salesforce.com unveiled a new series of products, most notably Social Key, Chatter Communities for Partners, and Chatter Communities for Service.  According to the company, Social Key will tie data from social networking sites to more customary data, such as employer and phone number.  Chatter Communities for Partners is designed to allow for more efficient communication between suppliers and distributors.  Lastly, Chatter Communities for Partners aims to improve customer-service operations.  Each of these products will allow Salesforce.com to improve its top line in different ways.

            As we learned earlier this week, Customer Relationship Management deals with a company’s communication with both its current and prospective customers. I have no doubt that the new services released by Salesforce.com will lead to easier and fuller comprehension for its users.  Social Key, for example, will extract data from social networks, allowing Salesforce.com to better understand its consumer base.  Not only will the company “develop deeper connections with customers,” but it will also be able to spot trends that will lead to new clients.  One essential aspect of Social Key is that it will be able to identify customer tweets and other personal communications; this will allow Salesforce.com to both strengthen and expand its current consumer base.

            Chatter Communities for Partners, an update from the company’s current Chatter, will work to more efficiently connect suppliers and distributors.  This new product will affect Salesforce.com’s top line in that it will allow for customers to build private sites.  These private sites will allow for communication between supplier and distributor to be faster and more reliable.  This will benefit to both parties, as greater efficiency entails more sales, which consequently means more revenue.  Like Social Key, Chatter for Partners should lead not only to stronger relations, but more consumers.

            Chatter Communities for Service, on the other hand, will focus on Customer-Service procedures.  The Chatter for Service will allow for customers to share information, making it easier for them to find answers to their specific questions.  Customers like simplicity, because it saves them both time and stress.  Like Salesforce.com’s other products, I feel that Chatter for Service will be successful in helping the firm bolster its current relations and grow its clientele.  As Salesforce.com continues to simplify its business, its current customers will be happier, and new customers will look to connect with Salesforce.com.

            Despite being one of the top CRM firms in the world, Salesforce.com is constantly looking for ways to improve its company.  The new products released by Salesforce.com should be effective in making growth a reality.  All three products give Salesforce.com distinct advantages that will allow it to improve direct interactions with its customers.  In CRM, nothing is more important than these interactions, so I confidently believe that Salesforce.com will continue its rise to the top of the CRM industry.

Sources:

http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/salesforcecom-unveils-social-key-chatter-communities-marketing-cloud-202692?page=0,0

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Cloud-Computing/Salesforce-Extends-SaaS-Platform-With-New-Social-Web-Tools-824606/