Search Results: Posts Tagged ‘Business’

I don’t know the exact number of organisations that have experimented with social software or social media for internal communications, but from those that we’ve connected with and listened to it’s clear there are a large number of them that didn’t get the results they wanted because they didn’t know where to start or were unsure of how to build adoption. So if you fall into one of these categories, here are a few pointers that you may find useful.

More than just push messaging tool
First off, social tools (wikis, forums, tagging etc), and more importantly social networking behaviours, can be deployed to help information flow more freely, enhance knowledge sharing and internal collaboration, activate deeper employee engagement, and even has proven results in achieving staff retention. They shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a replacement for those things you are already doing, and they should be seen as something more wide-reaching that simply a communication tool versed with message pushing!

Command and control no longer
The days of command & control are numbered as social tools place greater emphasis on people at all levels by providing everyone with a voice, whether they choose to exercise it or not. Therefore, their is no such thing as ownership - it is owned by everyone, and more so by those with a hunger, passion and willing to participate and contribute. This is heightened by the fact that there are less rules than before - but guidelines are vitally important nonetheless, as leaders seek to engender adoption.

Social networks are a solution, not a problem
There are a lot of organisations and business leaders out there banning the likes of Facebook and other social networking sites from the workplace as they see it as a threat to productivity. I question, is technology the reason that people want to do something other than what they are paid for within the workplace? Perhaps job satisfaction should be studied very carefully, as should the behaviours that are now commonplace among staff in their private lives, for it is this which needs to be harnessed in the workplace.

Host the conversation, it’s taking place anyway!
Business also fears that their workers will talk negatively about a range of work-related issues. To this I say embrace it, listen carefully, and if it becomes such a problem then let the community themselves report it and deal with it in a way they deem relevant. By offering these controls, you will find such negativity rare indeed! What’s more, these conversation are taking place elsewhere, so better to be able to gather them and respond to them in the best way possible.

Don’t be afraid to experiment (and fail)
When considering the use of social tools within the workplace, don’t be afraid to experiment, and we advocate starting small. Invite a number of people whom you believe will be early adopters, and allow them to spread the word. Make them champions within the business, and they will help culture the guidelines and behaviours that can achieve your goals. Social tools are by their very nature flexible and cost-effective, so create a playground, sit back, watch and learn.

A range of business applications and solutions
And finally, developing social tools for internal communications isn’t an initiative that should be led or driven by your IT department. Why? Simply put, they exist to implement now out-moded command and control systems, and are much more focussed on the ‘tech’ rather than the all important behaviours.

Wrapping up, social tools can help you with a plethora of business cases, including the following;

• Internal collaboration
• Knowledge sharing
• Business networking
• Learning
• Internal communications
• Resource management
• Sweating knowledge capital
• Sales support
• Customer service

If you’re asking yourself how you can achieve some of these points, and want to learn more how social tools can benefit your organisation on the inside then drop me a line, I’d be happy to help, advise, guide and get my hands dirty.

We've been off-line for a while now, for good reason. We're getting bigger by the day, and this week welcomed our latest team member, Nuno, all the way from Portugal. He's a php god, the kind of guy you want on your side. Nuno officially has the longest name ever - Nuno Miguel Novais Soares da Silva Dias (it just got bigger!) - let's hope his code isn't so lengthy!

We've also been working hard at localising our platforms, and we're proud to be able to say that we now have localised platforms for China, Korea, Japan, France, Germany, US, Poland, Brazil, Spain and Italy. There are of course many more to come, but we like to think that these will keep you, our friends and clients, happy for some time to come.

We're also working hard at rebranding, but I'll save this story for another day.....

The UK's favourite retailer, Marks & Spencer, has garnered a lot of media attention recently following its decision to raise the price large bras by £2. The media I refer to is of course not only the tabloids, but social media and those vocal customers versed in using it to rally the crowds. Perhaps the best example of the groundswell is a Facebook group called Busts4Justice which as of today stood with over 17,000 members!

An organisation the nature of M&S - large, customer-facing, national/international - clearly had a business case to support their action, however, their reputation took a dive not only because of the decision they took, but the lack of engagement and consultation that took place ahead of making the decision and presenting the price hike to the public.

Social media allows consumers with a shared passion or common interest - in this instance large breasts - to hyper-connect and create unilateral campaigns that have been known to have an immense negative impact on reputation, brand trust and loyalty. Turn social media on it's head and it presents the perfect medium with which brands can engage in conversation and discussion with consumers, be it in an public or private environment.

As a business that helps and advises brands how to use social media to engage with consumers and staff, we take much from a story like this. The lessons to learn include:

Trigger the conversation, don't wait for it to happen - Before the announcement were made, but at the time of it being discussed internally, locate consumer that are already having conversations around this topic or subject, and invite them into a private conversation. These people will by their very nature be the most vocal and passionate since they are already sharing their views and opinions in the public domain. Knowing where to find them can take time and expertise, but the chances are there will be a public forum somewhere out there where they are already active.

Listen carefully - Once you've triggered a discussion, pay attention carefully and listen to the views and opinions of your customers. Use three ears to do it if necessary! Researchers and moderators have the necessary skills to do this as well as interpreting the information being shared, so consider using them.

Empathise - As the issue or decision is made public, continue to listen and acknowledge points that are being raised. Your Community Manager(s) should provide the voice of your brand at this stage.

Reward - Acknowledgement and involvement with the decision-making process are forms of reward, but there are many others. Loyalty schemes and price promotions are other forms that cab used (within retail businesses), whereby you nurture the customer relationships you have by offering them discounts on other associated products (in the case of M&S where the hike was publicised, for example).

The result of M&S not following some of these recommendations resulted in a very public u-turn, which despite giving customers their requests, left M&S bruised and with a new layer of distrust.

• 76% of people don't believe that companies tell the truth in advertisements (Yankelovich, 2005)
• In the 1970's the average person was exposed to between 500-2,000 ad messages. Now it's 3,000-5,000 (USA Today)
• In 2005, MTV viewers were exposed to 21% more prime-time commercials per hour than in 2004 (Mindshare)