At its heart, social business is about the business value in collaboration and sharing
The ‘Social’ paradigm is as old as the web Compuserve = early ISP with active discussion groups
Roll on a few years and you see more web-based collaboration. In this instance Google Groups containing millions of discussion threads
Let’s skip on to where we are now. Social networking tools are woven into the fabric of our lives. Social media is having an impact on our culture, our politics, everything.
Ok, so we understand the impact this is having on us. But what does this mean for businesses? Let’s explore the impact this is having. What did business look like before it got social?
Let’s start with the prospects: that potential market that could be using a company’s products and services
Marketers would broadcast messages to this audience This could take the form of billboard advertising, TV/Radio spots, banner ads. The net would be cast wide.
The messages would resonate with a small proportion of this audience They would go on to become customers.
At this point they may have some connection with account managers or customer support representatives Perhaps they would have access to an office-hours dial-in service
Within the enterprise, there would be little interaction between different teams Whether they be finance, accounts or product development With very poor visibility of the customer
So, what impact did the social web and the access to collaboration tools have on business?
Marketers now engage and facilitate conversations rather than purely broadcasting messages Conversations also take place between customers and prospects, often in the form of recommendations
Who in turn will share their experience.
Social media opens up the potential for customers to interact wiith the brand 24/7 And open the possibility for others within the enterprise to engage with customers Through social customer relatioinship management
Within the company, teams no longer work in isolation They are linked together, bringing internal departments nearer to the customer. Knowledge can be shared throughout the enterprise
How can you turn all this interaction into effective business processes? Social analytics offers the key Analytics allows you to filter the noise and extract meaningful insights
Here you see an example of a dashboard being used to track social chatter across the web However social analytics can take many forms From discovering influencers and experts To incovering new markets and proving business value
So, what feaures does a social business possess?
Engaged – A Social Business connects people to expertise. A willingness to openly share information. Transparent - A Social business strives to remove unnecessary boundaries between experts inside the company and experts in the marketplace. Nimble – A Social Business leverages these social networks to speed up business, gaining realtime insight to make quicker and better decisions.
So, to sum up…
So, to sum up…
Any company: No restrictions Not one platform: Goes beyond being a technology story Culture: Look to employees and where their strengths are Risk: Training Rules Clearly defined processes