Dynamic Space: Microsoft Pushes Forward Its Social CRM Vision

Even amid the hubbub of its recent Windows 8 release, Microsoft hasn't neglected its Microsoft Dynamics CRM offering. The upcoming Polaris release, for example, includes integration for Yammer - feeds, Follow and Like buttons all make an appearance, along with created Pages and activity reports if a user makes significant updates.

And Redmond company is also partnering with Moxie Software, the companies announced this week, which provides a "customer-centric enterprise social software suite" through its Spaces product line. Social engagement is clearly a focus for Microsoft and its CRM offering, but is this approach a long-term game changer, or flash in the pan on the heels of social successes like Facebook and Twitter?

Plugging In

The rise of social media as an enterprise-level force is undeniable. It first took the form of employees surreptitiously checking Facebook at work; soon, companies had Twitter accounts and executives worked frantically to perfect LinkedIn profiles. It has taken longer for CRM to heed the siren call of social media, in large part because companies make easy missteps in an instant social universe and adding interactive, potentially entertaining components for front-line employees causes worry among higher ups about abuse instead of use.

CMS Wire has a handy infographic reviewing some data on the current state of social CRM, shoring up both a need for enterprise integration and a clear indication of market infancy. According to the graphic, a divide exists between users and executives in the business to community (B2C) segment of this market. Execs want "...