CRM 2.0: Firing the First (Hi-Tech, Customer Collaborative) Cannon

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOOM!!! BOOOMMMM!!!

Okay, consider the guns for CRM 2.0's first volley to have been fired. I've begun to develop a working definition of CRM 2.0 that I'll use in all my classes and writings and teaching and speaking and consulting and though leadering and blabbing and yapping and babbling this year and subsequent to replace my solid but a little rusty original CRM 1.0 definition. I'm asking for input to both make it less awkward, more poetic and more content rich and I'll attribute those suggestions I use to improve it. Keep in mind, if I truly DO have any influence in CRM, and there are those who think I do (though I'm not among them), then what you tell me can make a difference. In fact, I'll pledge here and now that the final CRM 2.0 definition will become the industry watchword if I have ANYTHING to say about it at all - so choose wisely, well and poetically.

First a reminder of the now rusty, but still very serviceable classic:

"CRM is a philosophy and a business strategy, supported by a system and a technology, designed to improve human interaction in a business environment"

Now, the working model:

"CRM 2.0 is a philosophy and strategy for collaboration with customers through the provision of tools, technology, processes, culture, products and services, with an eye to providing experiences that will create appropriate value for all parties involved."

"CRM 2.0 is a philosophy and a strategy for collaboration with customers to provide mutually beneficial value using aggregated tools, technologies, processes, products, services and a culture that leads to the creation of advocates."

Both of these are incomplete and both of them lack poetry. In other words, while they show some intellectual heart, they still suck. I need to complete them, which means provide missing content and make them more linguistically elegant than they are. All in one - maybe two - sentences.

I need help. Please send me suggestions as to what I might add, or how I might say it. This should be a community based thing. I'd like to come up with a completed definition by the end of January at the latest - based on your suggestions I hope.

I've created a wiki for this so you can work off of my two definition or create an entirely different one on your own. Ultimately, I'm going to choose a final version and use that from hence forth. Anyone who aided me directly in this process will be listed here with their permission of course as a contributor to this new definition and to any single link they'd like me to link their name to.

The wiki uses ZohoWiki as the source wiki.Zoho is a company that totally intrigues me because as salesforce.com and NetSuite begin to move up-enterprise, Zoho, which has a productivity suite, social media tools and a CRM (at this point salesforce automation) service - web-services based at a free or reasonable price, their potential to fill the holes that our SaaS buds might leave is mighty.

In the meantime, they are my wiki site tool. I'm a little awkward yet on all of this so bear with me. To become part of the group that will have permission to work on the wiki, please pop me an email with your name, email address and whatever affiliations you want me to know about (which can be none) and request to be part of the definition group. I'll send you a notice that you'll have to accept and voila you can be part of the group. I'd rather do onsite registrations for the wiki, but reality is, I can't find the option to do that so this slightly awkward procedure (which will have to be modified incidentally or my stupidity corrected) will have to do for now.

My email is paul-greenberg3@comcast.net. Click on it so I can get you moving.

The wiki name is Defining CRM 2.0 - A Customer-Friendly Wiki. Once you're registered log on and go to it. I've set up a page to work with the first definition, another for the second definition and a third to provide brand new definitions, ideas, commentary etc. They can be on any pages. PLEASE work with me on this. Consider this a community effort. I may or may not use all the suggestions but all participants will be thanked with permission do so. The direct hyperlink is http://crm20.wiki.zoho.com/.

Let's bring it so we can start pushing CRM 2.0 - the right way. Nuthin' wrong with standards is there?

Technorati : CRM, CRM 2.0, CRM 2.0 definition, CRM 2.0; CRM, CRM at the Speed of Light, social networking, wiki

Comments

[Craig]

It is like the saying, if at first you dont succeed, try, try again. I do believe that CRM 2.0 is going to be the trendof the future.

[GrahamHill]

Paul

I have to admire your boundless energy. And insight.

This is a very important discussion. Whether you call it CRM2.0, Customer Co-Creation (CCC) or something else, opening up the company for customer-driven business is going to become increasingly important. It is the business 'third estate' so to speak. CRM2.0 is the future of customer business.

Please sign-me up. You know my details.

Graham Hill