Chapter 19. Accessing the CRM Online Community

In this chapter

Online Communities

CRM Communities Benefits

Translating from Corporate CRM to Microsoft CRM for the SME

Categories of Sites

Sites by Category

Summary

Because CRM practitioners understand the value of relationships CRM is successful at utilizing the Internet's capabilities to support community. After all, it's their business! As a result there is already a robust and active online user community for CRM.

An online community shares many of the same objectives as one operating offline, including providing a forum for interaction and collaboration, bringing people together, building synergy, and helping community members spark each others' ideas and creativity.

Online communities provide a place for sales, marketing, and service people to keep up-to-date with CRM developments, as well as to meet, discuss, and contact each other about CRM-related issues. They also act as a focal point for research, management advice, and news of commercial developments in CRM.

Although many of the online CRM communities focus primarily on corporate CRM for large organizations, there are many synergies between large and small companies and much of the information applies equally well to small companies. At the least, finding a few online CRM communities with which you keep current can help broaden your perspective on what CRM is and how it can work for your company.

This chapter explores how to tap into the online community to get ideas and help with your CRM questions.