A growing number of organizations are using crowdsourcing models on their Web sites to reduce traditional customer-service frustrations and expenses, all while increasing customer satisfaction and providing better insight into customer needs. It works as a 21st century “suggestion box” by allowing anyone to ask a question, submit ideas or complaints, all of which gets posted for everyone to see.

Ironically, some companies themselves are created from the power of the crowd. For example, Wikipedia is often cited as a successful example of crowdsourcing. iStockphoto.com began as an image-sharing network used by a group of designers, but grew to revolutionize the field of stock photography by offering the work of ten of thousands of contributing photographers at much lower fees.

What is another way your business can use crowdsourcing? You can start on a small scale by identifying potential strategic partners or companies that will help your business and ideas grow. Target the decision-makers within those organizations, such as marketing people or innovation leaders, who likely have expansive networks of important contacts. The power of your network, or “crowd,” can open the doors of opportunity, stir innovation, and pave your way to progress toward your business goals.

As with any new idea that so dramatically changes the traditional way things have been done, crowdsourcing has its critics and can present some problems. However, if it’s properly managed, the ability to develop new solutions, streamline the innovation process, and tap into the creative power of the masses will continue to make crowdsourcing an interesting new tool for innovation in the future.