Lithium Technologies is buying Social Dynamx. Thus a firm whose software enables hundreds of “brands” to foster online communities is formally adding technology designed to engage contact center agents in conversations over social media. Mike Betzer, CEO of Social Dynamx will join Lithium’s executive, although he, and all of Social Dynamx employees will operate out of existing offices in Austin, TX.

The new “combined product” is available immediately as Lithium Social Web(TM). Based on collateral on the Lithium Web site, it bears a strong resemblance to Lithium Response, unveiled in May at the LiNC 2012 (Lithium Network Conference). The solution is designed to keep contact center agents in the loop, “at scale” when individuals begin to make their sentiments known over Twitter, Facebook or various blogs. Agents are given the ability to embed content from Lithium-powered community sites, directing anyone watching a live stream to existing, relevant suggestions.

The acquisition reduces the ranks of stand-alone providers of agent consoles to support interactions over social networks. While a number of providers of CRM software suites and partners of Salesforce.com showcase agent consoles that include Twitter streams and Facebook fan pages, these usually involve fairly shallow integrations with other contact center components – like workforce optimization (WFO) or supervisory resources. By our count only 3CSI and newcomer SoCoCare remain as independent companies committed to keeping customer care specialists in socially networked talkpaths.

Categories: Articles

Tags: customer care, Contact Centers, Social Media, Social CRM, Lithium Techniologies