Cloudforce Takes Washington

Hello, capital: Salesforce.com comes to town.

Heading to next week’s Cloudforce in Washington, D.C.? Here are my recommendations for the top sessions to target:

Radian6: How Social Engagement is Transforming the Enterprise

Want to keep tabs on social media? Try Radian6, a social networking plug-in for Salesforce.com.

Why track social media? Say you’re Sony, and a lot of people have lately been commenting on your security-related outages. Using Radian6, you can comb the Twitterverse, automatically updating your customer service system to reflect the latest discussions and queries. In addition, time permitting, your service personnel — or where required, your director of marketing — could field some of the highest-priority issues or outrage.

For some time, I’ve been arguing that customer service will evolve to the point where we have a universal queue. Today, a plug-in such as Radian6 gives us a clear look at how we’ll get there.

Service Cloud: Welcome to the Future of Customer Service

Historically, large companies have run their call centers using on-site tools and technology, from call center software to PBXes. Now, however, the service cloud has become ready for primetime, and as this Cloudforce sessions suggests, we’re seeing a lot of excitement about handling service in the cloud.

Why move service to the cloud? For starters, because the cloud can handle most service operations with aplomb, offering the latest features and functionality, at an attractive price point. For relatively complex requirements, or lots of integration, businesses should also examine on-premise service. But be sure to evaluate the service cloud whenever you consider launching, improving or upgrading your service program. Because you might be pleasantly surprised by the possibilities.

Chatter

Here at Innoveer, we’re similarly gung-ho about Chatter, which adds a Facebook-like interface to Salesforce.com. Why is this important? Primarily, because it provides another way to track important information. For example, you can follow an important account, or help brainstorm ideas or problem-solve any issues, very quickly.

Chatter is also an excellent tool for addressing that perennial CRM challenge: enticing salespeople to adopt it. Accordingly, what’s not to like about giving them all of the addictive qualities of Facebook and Twitter, only in their CRM application?

Learn More

Want to take your CRM program to the next level? Fill out our 7 question survey to discover the best “what next?” step for your marketing, sales, and service programs.

Also watch for me at Cloudforce — camera in hand — as I capture attendees’ latest thoughts on video. Here are highlights from this year’s Cloudforce NY:

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr user Tony The Misfit.