Although the adoption of social applications by sales, marketing and customer service departments continues to grow rapidly, Gartner, Inc. said that, by the end of 2012, only 50 percent of Fortune 1000 companies will receive a worthwhile return on investment (ROI) from their social customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives.
During the next two years, the success of social CRM will depend on how well companies and social CRM technology providers can make social CRM projects more than just social objectives by tying them to clear and measurable business objectives. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2012 three-quarters of new social CRM initiatives that receive funding will have a business case incorporating measurable ROI.
Many organizations have established a form of social presence. However, many also lack a clear business performance objective for social CRM, being at early stage in their measurement of its business outcomes.
Gartner analysts said they expect the worldwide market for social CRM software licenses and subscriptions to total $2.1 billion in 2012, up from 850 million in 2011, and that social CRM revenue will represent 10% of the overall CRM market.
Initially, social CRM was mostly a concern of marketing, but it now affects every discipline, from marketing and sales to customer service and support. Social CRM is increasingly important to lead generation and cross-selling and up-selling capabilities, and to other functions that are key to successful sales organizations. Gartner said that business-to-business applications for sales use will have the fastest growth and will account for 30 percent of social CRM spending by 2015, up from 5 percent in 2011.
Today, social CRM vendors differentiate themselves on the basis of functions, analytics, ease of use and superior experience delivered through professional services. Over time, however, they will find it harder to gain an advantage by providing unique core functions. They will need to show quantified business cases and, more importantly, deliver repeatable social CRM processes that are not yet broadly available.
More information on CRM and social media can be found at www.CRMindustry.com
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