Tim Bursch

The buzz today in business is engagement and listening. Social media tools have made it easier for companies to listen to what customers and prospects are saying. Listening helps business monitor complaints, find fans, track competition, and stay in touch with industry trends.

This is great information to have at our fingertips, right?

Here’s the deal though, having spent some time using free and pro listening tools, I see a few problems.

1. Data overload- Yes tools are getting better at helping find data that matters, but there is still a lot of information that needs a set of human eyes
2. Time shortage- Unless you have a huge budget and FTE’s dedicated to online monitoring, you will have extra work on your hands doing this listening work
3. Hearing-impaired- Are we really hearing people on the other side? Or is this like a game of telephone?

We need tools that cut through the data to find meaning. We need technology that helps us connect with relevant conversations. We need deliberate practices that help the human touch come through all of this monitoring, collecting, and tracking.

I’ve yet to find the perfect tool to help a business really hear, unless you count sitting across from a real person.

Any suggestions?

Image credit: dno1967