And I’m not talking about Facebook. Like it or not, social media is here to stay. The fact is customers go to a number of places online to learn from and interact with peers and industry experts—discussion forums for industry or trade groups, or online communities in LinkedIn, for example. This reality leads every company to ultimately ask themselves a hard question: just how much should we enable our reps to interact with customers online?  Should we really enable them to build their own personal brand? The answer, in short, is that you have to. Allow me to explain…. MORE >>

For those unfamiliar with the platform, Salesforce Chatter is like Facebook, but for organizations. Organizations have perpetually struggled to drive collaboration and knowledge-sharing across their different functions, business units, and geographies. In recent years, many have looked to social media as a potential solution, but hesitated given privacy concerns and protection of proprietary information. That all changed with the launch of Salesforce Chatter , a platform which promises to bring the benefits of social media to sales organizations. Do you find it useful? MORE >>

If you haven’t been keeping up with this popular spoof, Peggy now has his/her own YouTube channel, a  Facebook page , and a few A-list customers including  Lou Holtz and  Bobby Bowden. (This is a guest post by Matt Lind of the Customer Contact Council , our sister program for heads of Customer Service and Contact Centers.). Let’s face it, though. Despite the fact that we all strive to eliminate poor experiences that are frustrating for customers, from an outsider’s perspective these situations can be…well… absolutely hilarious. 2.    Elaborate prank on Belgian call center. MORE >>

Gen Xers competed to be the Homecoming King/Queen of their individual school, while Millennials competed to have the most Facebook friends of anyone in their entire social network. (This is a guest post by Matt Hoffman of the Customer Contact Council , our sister program for heads of Customer Service and Contact Centers.). When speaking with members recently, one question has come up again and again:  “What does the rise of the Millennials mean for how we think about rep performance?”. This generation only takes yes for an answer”. For example…. MORE >>

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn) and staff from different internal business partners (e.g., There are many reasons why companies should engage in social media tools for their businesses — provide more relevant product information, keep strong brand recognition, and even build an emotional connection with their customers. However, with the development of multiple platforms (e.g., sales, marketing, and customer service) interacting with customers via social media, it is often challenging to maintain a consistent voice to serve customers. Has this information changed your mind? MORE >>