(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Software as a service provider Salesforce (www.salesforce.com) announced on Wednesday that it will add social networking website Twitter (www.twitter.com) to its recently launched Service Cloud solution, and will begin offering integration with customer data to subscribers from this summer.
Salesforce recently expanded into the cloud computing environment with the launch of its Force.com sites.
According to the press release, Salesforce is the “first to offer integration with social networking websites,” a move the company says will likely lead to other CRM vendors following suit by addressing the demands for social networking in the near future.
Salesforce previously added integration with Google and Facebook. This latest integration with Twitter connects social networking with client interaction processes, enabling users to access forums and search engines for customer feedback.
Twitter has recently seen a surge of activity in recent months. According to TweetRush, a service providing estimated statistics on Twitter usage, the website went from having around 400,000 users per day in early February to over 600,000 active users per day by the end of Ma
The move was a logical one for Salesforce, considering that Salesforce’s clients need to develop brand equity and focus on improving customer service, and Twitter is an open web service with information available to all Internet users.
Available from this summer, the integration with Twitter will allow automated searches of Twitter content to be pulled into Salesforce customer relationship management.
Since Twitter now enables users to search all updates to find relevant words or phrases, Salesforce.com customers can use this technology to select appropriate phrases or words to create records in the Service Cloud.
Brands such as Bank of America, Comcast, JetBlue, and Zappos have recently began using Twitter as a customer service tool.
These companies can now offer customers advice in response to queries and provide information about new products and services, making information more readily available as well as allow customers to share advice and information among themselves.
These brands can use Salesforce to set up alerts when someone mentions the company name in order to track sentiments.
Salesforce will offer analytics capabilities for customers to find trends and data patterns.
