Software that ‘listens’ to consumer sentiments launched

Microsoft Business Solutions Area Lead, Michael Strand, explains the “social listening” tools that are fully integrated with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. MATIKAS SANTOS/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Microsoft launched in the Philippines Tuesday the latest version of their Dynamics CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software which helps businesses improve their services for their customers.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is equipped with tools that allow businesses to “listen” to what their customers are saying about their products or services on various social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Michael Strand, Area Lead, Microsoft Business Solutions, said during the launching that Dynamics CRM Online did “social listening” and “sentiment analysis” fully integrated within the software.

“Business owners set the parameters and keywords then select which [social media platform] they want to track and Dynamics CRM Online does the search over a period of time,” Strand told reporters in a round table discussion.

“We can get a clear idea of customer sentiment and it measures all the different ways people are feeling [about the product or service],” he said.

Colette Yee, Asia Pacific Group and Marketing Lead of Microsoft Business Solutions, said that Dynamics CRM Online collated the large amount of feedback from the consumers into one place to give the company in depth insight into the market.

“Dynamics CRM Online collates all the different information from several data sources covering different languages and do analysis on it,” Yee said.

“However, listening is just one thing. Engaging with the consumers is the next step,” she said.

The software is fully hosted online giving business owners greater accessibility since they can use it whether they are on their desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or mobile devices.

It also allows greater flexibility for small and medium enterprises because it is available on a monthly subscription basis. The full package is available at $65/month while the basic features is available at $15/month for up to five users.

Karrie Ilagan, Microsoft Philippines General Manager, said that the changing behaviors of customers means that enterprises have to become more attuned with their needs in order to be able to cater to them better.

“If a customer is not happy, 96 percent will not complain while 91 percent will simply leave. At the same time, 70 percent of a customer’s buying experience depends largely on how the customers feel about the company they are buying from,” Ilagan said in a statement released during the launch.

“Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online allows marketers and sales people to have a better understanding of what the customer wants and respond accordingly,” she said.