Dreamforce 2011: Will a social enterprise alienate customers rather than entice them?

Salesforce unveiled an additional feature for Chatter this week at its annual US-based event, Dreamforce.

The feature, Chatter Service, allows enterprises to integrate and use publicly available information about their customers via social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Chatter Service is intended to improve the customer's experience because enterprises have a fuller picture of who they are.

However, Melissa Stevenson, research analyst at IDC, argues that as enterprises look to use information on social networks, serious concerns arise surrounding the privacy of individuals.

"I'd say that the integration of the social media profile capability raises a lot of questions in this space.

"For some customers it could be a little unnerving. Even though people are sharing information about themselves publicly on social networks, they don't necessarily want companies to access or use it," explained Stevenson.

"That's not to say there isn't demand for social interaction. Without a doubt, the way customers want to interact with their products and services is changing vastly, but it needs to be done carefully and with caution. Many customers want to interact socially on their own terms," she added.

Stevenson suggests that the social aspect of customer care within the enterprise is still new and, as a result, the "rules of etiquette" haven't been established yet.

"What are the processes around using this information and how are customer care agents trained in how to use it?

"While there are certainly some great opportunities, companies also have the potential to alienate customers by using this tool improperly," she said.

In a Q&A with journalists and analysts at Dreamforce this week, Saleforce CEO Marc Benioff argued that the social enterprise, especially when interacting with customers, is a "new world" that will take time to establish itself.

"The rules are not clear. They'll be different based on different cultures and different industries. On the one hand we have the example of the Arab Springs, where the internet was shut down and what people were saying didn't exist. I'm sure there are extremes on the other side, where there is overexposure and too much information used," said Benioff.

"However, I think companies will find that for a lot of customers and users there is going to be a happy middle ground.

"Our job is to provide the platform, to provide the capability. Each customer has to find their own way and I don't think there is a defined answer," he added.

"I think we are in a new world – that's the key point. If you go out and interview customers about this issue you will get 10 different answers, but at least they are thinking about it now. Two years ago they weren't even thinking about it."

Chatter Service is to be made available to enterprises in early 2012.