Almost without fail, one of the most useful features of a CRM tool is the social media CRM add-on/integration. By meeting potential and current customers where they are, CRM systems are allowing for better communication, more transparency and a more personalized approach to customer service and doing business.
Unfortunately, in 2014, LinkedIn changed the requirements for CRM applications and disabled many CRMs’ API access, limiting the options of CRM users who relied heavily on LinkedIn. As a result LinkedIn matches stopped appearing in CRM fields, unless the user had purchase SalesForce and Microsoft Dynamics products.
In a statement to Zoho CRM, LinkedIn stated that it “prioritizes whom we partner with based on strategic alignment, size of opportunity, and current needs.” Yet it seems difficult to understand why they allow only two vendors to be part of its CRM Partner Program. In other unofficial statements, the social network argued that the disabled third party vendors access because they violated their terms and agreements; although there was no mention of what part(s) of the terms and agreements the vendors violated. It seems hard to believe that every CRM software vendor, but two, violated the social network’s terms and agreements.
This has forced many will CRM software providers to explore other opportunities that allow customers to connect with their customer base socially and strengthen relations with other social platforms, like Facebook and Twitter. Keep in mind that social media integration is one aspect of CRM tools and you should not consider purchasing a software simply because it does or does not have LinkedIn integration. There are other benefits and features you should keep in mind when shopping around.
One such vendor that has strengthened its relations with other social networks, since LinkedIn lock out, is InfoFlo. InfoFlo lets you view a live feed of your Twitter and Facebook accounts. Download your free trial today to check it out.
InfoFlo staff is committed to making CRM software affordable for every business regardless of their size. It is their belief that contact management software is meant to help your business – not over complicate it. They built InfoFlo to empower users to intelligently manage the overwhelming amount of information they are exposed to daily.
