This document discusses how companies can leverage social CRM by listening to online conversations to gain customer insights and identify opportunities and threats. It recommends conducting a social audit to understand who is talking, what they are saying and where, in order to extract actionable intelligence. Examples are given of companies that successfully nurtured brand evangelists through social media or were caught by surprise by consumer complaints. The importance of having a social media strategy and plan to monitor conversations and respond to crises is emphasized.