OK, when BusinessWeek starts writing articles about how the new customer centricity will affect businesses, you know it has hit the mainstream. The latest issue has a lot of articles about social media, blogs, etc. and their potential to alter brand awareness and revenue…

There are a lot of companies already braced for the 2.0 world, marketing correctly inside this model, etc. Paul Greenberg has spoken on this topic at length at a lot of SugarCRM events.

But can companies instantly do an about face and change the way they do business overnight? No, I don’t think so. So, where do they start?

I think that once a company recognizes the power of blogs, social media, and so forth, it is already well on its way to getting the big picture. These companies, before they can master reaching out to consumers via web 2.0 technologies, need to make sure their channels are in place to listen to their customers, as well as provide top-notch service. With a strong CRM initiative, organizations can at least insure they are trying their hardest to provide the kind experiences that customers will go and spread in a positive way. Step two is the more proactive phase, and it can be done in a multitude of ways (which I will hopefully expand upon later - we’re all learning here).

But anyway, with your best face on for the customer, you will not have to deal with these “customer vigilantes” as often as you might have to otherwise…