High-tech companies excel at applying CRM to increase sales automation, service speed, marketing efficacy, as well as partner relationship management. Lately, the industry has also been leading the embrace of social business capabilities. Learn how to put these high-tech CRM best practices to work.

For companies that want to get up and running with Salesforce quickly, focus on keeping integration lean and mean, if you initially do it at all.

With customers spending more of their online time on social networks, your next step should be obvious: market accordingly. That means courting customers on Facebook, Google+, Twitter or anyplace online where customers or potential aficionados of your products and services gather.

Chatter is changing. Here’s how to use the microblogging platform’s new features to actively drive better interactions not just between employees, but with your customers.