The New Small Business On-Ramp to Social CRM

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Apps -- External

Not only has Google created a business interaction-based platform with their dizzying array of applications, but they've invited third-party application developers to extend that foundation through the Google Apps Marketplace.  And according to a recent post on the Official Google Apps blog, the top search term for installable apps in the marketplace is CRM.

Of the thirteen CRM apps in the marketplace, five of them are under the Social CRM umbrella, including Gist, BatchBook, and BantamLive.  Vendors like Zoho and Tactile add more traditional CRM functionality to Google's interaction platform.  These and a growing group of application developers will continue building the CRM functionality Google doesn't build itself.

Android

While everyone has been captivated by the developments surrounding the iPhone4 release, worldwide sales of phones with Google's Android operating system crossed over the five million unit mark, according to Gartner.  Google recently announced that 160,000 Android units get activated every day, and it expects Android to eventually be a $10 billion business.

No doubt the same apps being used on Web browsers are also driving up Android activations, as people are able to work from wherever they need to.  But Android tablet devices haven't even hit the market yet.  And with multiple vendors like Cisco, LG, and others committing to running Android on their upcoming tablets, Google will effectively be extending their business interaction platform to new areas. 
Cisco's tablet -- The Cius -- is a key piece in the company's push to enable the social enterprise.  The device will be optimized for collaboration via video chat, Webex meetings, and conference calls.  So the device will be optimized for video interactions, while other vendors may optimize their devices for different kinds of interactions.  But the bottom line is Android will be extended to cover more ground, while still offering Apps people can run across vendor-specific tablet devices.

Analytics

Google Analytics has become of staple of many businesses to track their Web traffic.  And Google's ability to turn text into context to serve up ads when we do searches and read emails has driven targeted traffic via Google Adwords.  And with this ability to analyze text for ads, Google should also be able to analyze text for sentiment.  Just imagine if Google (or a third party developer) could analyze the interactions we've had with someone across all the Google channels we engage them over so we can know what's on their mind, and also what is their state of mind -- and how they feel about us.  Or even being able to take a group of people we communicate with on Google channels, say VP's of marketing in the retail industry, to find out what those interactions can reveal.  This could lead to more targeted, efficient and meaningful interactions with those we're trying to create relationships with -- based on a business interaction lifecycle taking place across Google's services.

Social CRM is about meaningful interaction as well as information management.  And while business interactions are taking place all over, Google -- with search, e-mail, Web traffic, and collaborations via Docs, Sheets, etc. -- has created an inexpensive platform for building relationships with customers in the Social Age.  Through Apps (including third party apps), Android, and Analytics, Google is as much a Social CRM player as anyone else.  And for small businesses it may be the most important player.

Brent Leary is a small-business technology analyst, adviser, and award-winning blogger. He is the co-author of Barack 2.0: Social Media Lessons for Small Business. His blog can be found at http://brentleary.com, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/brentleary .

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