CRM- September 2008 - (Page 32) gettingCust When man invented the wheel, it made long-distance travel a lot easier, and perhaps a bit more fun. Jack Dorsey’s creation of Twitter had a similar effect: It made talking to the world a lot easier and a whole lot more fun. With over two million subscribers to date, Twitter is forging its way as one of many social media platforms, becoming a noun, adjective, and verb in our everyday vernacular. What started out as something fun and cool, recalls Paul Greenberg, president of consultancy The 56 Group and one of this year’s Influential Leaders (see page 27), soon became a tool with tremendous business value. And it’s not just for the software vendors and other techies: Companies from Baskin-Robbins to JetBlue to Comcast have a public presence on Twitter, tracking themselves among the millions of voices, joining the conversation, and creating a convenient way to resolve disputes. Twitter also means that public announce- TWITTER choose. “You have complete control,” he says. “The only thing interesting about technology at all is that it gives you control over things you wouldn’t have otherwise.” The fact that Twitter often suffers system overloads—represented by its ironic (and iconic) mascot, the Fail Whale—is likely an indication that it’s on its way to becoming mainstream, reaching capacities the creators never expected. Frustrated users who leave for other social media solutions—FriendFeed, for one, is gaining notice—often come back, Greenberg says. But, of course, “mainstream” is a relative term as users of social media— namely the affluent, tech-savvy population—only make up a small portion of the world’s six billion. But for now, it’s enough to impact business strategy and the way people communicate; the growth doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon. As Greenberg says, “Who doesn’t like to be doing cool things?” —Jessica Tsai omers All A-Twitter ments about the latest product launch or white paper require less overhead, cost, or noise—a PR rep’s dream come true. And Twitter allows users to build a bonding (albeit digital) relationship; a fellow Twitterer can evolve from a trusted resource to a trusted person—or “tweep,” in the parlance. (See “CRM on Twitter,” page 16.) Perhaps what’s most appealing about Twitter is its convenience. Greenberg himself uses Twitter via products for his Outlook (OutTwit), for voice Tweets (TwitterPhone), his Apple iPhone (Hahlo 3.1), and his MacBook (Twhirl). While it may seem like a lot of disparate solutions, the appeal is actually in its wide availability and comes down to simply using the solution according to the medium. “This is not a giant revolution that’s transformed everything in the world, but it has changed a lot,” Greenberg says. Twitter is perpetuating a conversation—one that extends to however many people you TRAMPOLINE SYSTEMS networkingt he Enterprise As enterprises begin to adopt and embrace Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 technologies, solutions are popping up all over the place. Rather than starting small, the developers at Trampoline Systems are going about Enterprise 2.0 in a unique fashion. For five years now, the London-based provider of social-enterprise software has focused on the power and benefits of peer-to-peer networking. Dubbed by several analysts as “Facebook for the enterprise,” the company is catching attention of vendors and analysts alike. This year, Trampoline was named a “Cool Vendor” in Collaboration and Social Software by Gartner, and became a member of Oracle’s Emerging Business Partner Program. As companies begin to apply social networking to business processes, Trampoline is bouncing onto the scene with its Sonar Dashboard (a social-networking platform for the enterprise) and Sonar Flightdeck (visualization software that maps out relationships and skills). Kathleen Reidy, analyst with The 451 Group, says that what’s particularly unique is Trampoline’s specific focus on expertise analysis. “Because of the technology they have, they can do the analysis of content to see ‘who knows what,’” she says. “The combination of visualization with the ability to analyze content-related activities across email is the other differentiator.” Trampoline not only provides insight into “who does what,” but also shows what projects employees are working on and what contacts or clients a given person might have. In a customer support scenario, an agent could use the system to swiftly direct customer needs to the appropriate staffer with specific skills or contacts. Like many social-networking initiatives, what Trampoline really needs is to gain traction—partly because, as Reidy admits, there’s still a question if enterprises are truly ready for social networking in the first place. When asked, though, many organizations list expertise analysis as a main goal of Enterprise 2.0 endeavors. The social-networking arena isn’t easy, but with its ambitions and goals of connecting the enterprise internally, Trampoline seems to be taking big steps—or jumps—toward a springy future. —Lauren McKay www.destinationCRM.com R I S I N G S TA R S 32 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | SEPTEMBER 2008 http://www.destinationCRM.ctionCRM.com
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