connected2_thumbIt's no secret that this world is becoming more and more connected through the tool of social media.  To stay relevant in this day in age, we need to get online, and Microsoft is no stranger to this clear truth.  In an effort to help businesses keep up with the continually connecting world of social media, they rolled out Microsoft Social Engagement this past April.

Microsoft Social Engagement comes as an evolved form of Microsoft Social Listening, and the name change reflects a changed sentiment of the tool. It Is no longer about simply listening, Social Engagement is now about reaching into the social media world to engage with customers and prospects on a level that has never been reached before.  From setting up watches to know who is talking about your company or product, to monitoring complaints to create prospects, Social Engagement offers a way to keep one eye on your company’s social pulse and the other on prospective customers.

 So what are the best parts of Social Engagement and why could it be a game changer for you? Great questions, we’d love to tell you:


5. It’s Free! – Sort of…SDM03P88BO4

It’s true. If you already have Dynamics CRM Online with at least 10 professional users, then you automatically have access to Social Engagement as part of your subscription with no added charge.  Or, if you have an Dynamics CRM Enterprise subscription, you have access to Microsoft Social Engagement without a minimum user requirement.  So the real question is, why wouldn’t you use Social Engagement? However, if you still need to be convinced, read on for the powerful, intuitive tools that make Microsoft Social Engagement beneficial for businesses who care about the social pulse of their company.


4. The Nifty UI

With a clean, crisp UI, Social Engagement allows you to check on all your favorite dashboards of your social engagements in one view. From here, you have access to the most important aspects of your social engagements with a few simple clicks.  This layout allows you to quickly get to the posts or information that matter most to you and take action in an efficient manner.  You also have the option to opt for a darker color theme for whichever suits your preference.


3. Powerful Searches

Setting up searches allows you to funnel and filter what you want to listen to from social media.  Choosing search topics allows you to listen to conversations that pertain to the topics you specify so you can understand what people are talking about and take action accordingly.  Within your search, you can add multiple rules that specify and sort out what you want your search to report back to you.  Within Search Setup, you can create search categories (1) and see the category-specific search topics that have been created (2) followed by a quota view (3) that is a prediction of how a search will impact the monthly post quota generated by Social Engagement.


2. Analytical Widgetsimage_thumb11

Not only are the widgets in Social Engagement presented in an easy-to-understand display, they also powerfully analyze social data to help you understand the direction your company is heading in multiple ways. These widgets analyze  social media to tell you what people are talking about in terms of most popular phrases, the sentiment behind posts, where the posts are coming from, and the top languages spoken of people posting.   Additionally, Social Engagement analyzes all of those facets across Facebook, Twitter, News, Blogs, and Videos.  Social Engagement will also let you know which social media platforms are showing the most posts about your company or your assigned search.  Regardless of which information is most important to you, the widgets displayed on the UI of Social Engagement make it easy to understand the information that has been gathered in a well-organized fashion.


1. The Engaging Social Center

Now this place is cool.  Here, you can set up streams to monitor the social media posts about your brand, product,  competitors, or anything else you see as valuable to watch.  Each stream can be customized using specific filters and can select specific (or all) social media platforms to be displayed on the stream.  In addition to this, posts within streams can be assigned to users for them to be responded to or followed, and a setting label can be given to a post so it can be monitored as it moves through your social engagement process.

From the social center, you can directly respond to any posts through the various means that the social media platform provides.  For example, you can like, comment, share, or send direct messages for posts from Facebook, and you can retweet, favorite, respond, or send direct messages for posts from Twitter.  The wide range of monitoring and response capabilities that the Social Center offers makes it one of the best features of Microsoft Social Engagement. 



Want More?

Looking for more information on Social Engagement and how you can get started? Follow the links below to get a foundational understanding of Microsoft Social Engagement and how it could impact your company.

Take a quick Test Drive - Who doesn't love a good guided tour? I know I do. There's nothing like being walked through a place (or in this case - application) you've never been before. Microsoft will gladly show you around Social Engagement with the promise of a free 30-minute trial for you to get your hands dirty after they're done showing you around.


Microsoft Social Engagement Overview - In this quick video, you can get a quick visual overview of the navigation in Microsoft Social Engagement and its components.

Microsoft Social Engagement Help & Training – This is a great place to get started. There's links to videos, forum, support, etc. and you can access the user's guide from here to get information on all of the nuts and bolts that comprises Microsoft Social Engagement?


Like what you've read here? Stay tuned for more information and insight from us on Microsoft Social Engagement and how it can be a game changer for your business! Or, Contact Us today!