Gartner: CRM will have to embrace social media growth

Gartner has concluded that Facebook will be the top social network in all but 25 countries, including markets such as Brazil, Russia, China, India and Japan, highlighting the importance of customer relationship management (CRM) during these times.

Ed Thompson, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, said: "For most organisations, the single most logical way to differentiate the business is through great customer experiences, rather than having the lowest cost or most innovative products and services."

He added that despite this, gaining a clear understanding and getting coordination across departments will be necessary when it comes to deciding which customer-centric initiatives in particular will prove decisive and justify investment.

Mr Thompson raised statistics gained from the Gartner Executive Programs 2010 CIO Agenda survey, which discovered that CRM is high on the business agenda for chief intelligence officers in 2010, as retaining new customers was seen to be the fifth-top business priority for this demographic.

Gartner was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, with 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts across 80 countries.

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