taming the future-shock of social computing
DESCRIPTION
This presentation outlines the adoption of social computing into the corporate world and the key changes organisations must adopt to improve their product and service offerings and interact with their customers.TRANSCRIPT
TAMING THE FUTURE-SHOCK OF SOCIAL
COMPUTING
Peter Carr, Managing Director, LonghausJune 2007
About Longhaus
Longhaus is a research publisher and advisory company with a specialty in technology. We publish business reports and advise executives and management across Australia's government, business, and consumer sectors on the application and direction of technology in their business and the wider regional market.
Our directional research reports are utilised by both SME and major organisations across the world while through our advisory services we answer big business questions that most often pertain to your customer, product or services markets.While our expertise maybe research, analytics, and marketing, our real value proposition is transparency and communications; and our commitment is our reputation. www.longhaus.com
The name Longhaus™, Longhaus Pulse ™, and the four-angled stripes forming two-
interlocking arches are trademarks of Longhaus Pty Ltd.
Agenda
Seeds of Evolution
Rise of Social Computing
Web 2.0 and Marketing Information Systems
Observations External – The Customer Internal – The Staff
Corporate Social Computing IBM’s Lotus Connections Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server RightNow Technologies
Opportunities – Where to?
The Way Things Were
4P Marketing represents how an organisation chooses to interact with its customer base
Promotional activities show little consideration for how the customer chooses to interact
Provided a traditional focus on: - Product not Service - Service not Solution - Solution not Relationship
Took companies away from value perceptions: - 10% off promotion leads to… - 20% off promotion leads to… - 50% off promotion leads to… - Free …. leads to…
The Consumer Re-Think
4Ps drives a cultural outcome of: “We’ll take any customer as long as they pay
us!”
For businesses, Web 2.0 means:
“Improving service offerings to provide products and services with a means of interaction”
The Seeds of Evolution
Web 2.0 and Social Computing has ridden a wave of Future Shock - A case of too much too soon
1. Started out as a FAD - Increased broadband access drives - Increased internet adoption drives - Fosters social network sub-cultures 2. Became a TREND - Encourages consumer backlash against 4P - Highly adopted by marketing - Produces vast information by-products 3. Moving into the MAINSTREAM - Corporations attempt to harness - IT aggregates what marketing only adopted
Web 2.0 and Marketing Technology Platforms
Drinking from a fire-hose on two fronts: - New disruptive technologies - New styles of information
RSS, Blogs, Wikis, Communities etc should not just be considered as channels
They need to be harmonized from a suite of technologies into a platform
- Think the CFO and SAP (Finance ERP) - Think the COO and Siebel (CRM) - Think the CIO and Service Mgmt
Each of these positions has carriage and responsibility for a credible information system. It is their ticket to senior management.
Who will own the Web 2.0 Platform? - The CIO? - The CMO?
Home Truth #1: Segmentation and Web 2.0
Organisations no longer dictate the segmentation of their customer base
Customers now choose. They say:
“I don’t want to be in that segment. I want to be in that one.”
…And others follow
Home Truth #2: Customers Join Communities
Organisations no longer acquire customers
Banish the word “acquire” from organizational language
Instead, provide customer with the opportunity to:
- Interact with you - Comment on you - Rate you - Buy from you - Belong to your community
And occasionally entertain them
Meet the Customer
It is all about this guy
He is more important than your CEO
In the new social computing world he is: - Climbing out of the CRM system - Flexing his persona and saying,
“I am not my order!”
Meet the Staff
Organisations should look to harness the information power of the corporate social computing network
When applying Web 2.0 to your organisation, the same rules apply for staff
Staff are stepping out of the business directory and saying:
“I am not my position description, or work unit, or project outcome!”
For it to be successful: - Flatten organisation structures - Social computing is organic not hierarchic
Use for internal brand building, information sharing, mentoring platform, staff attraction or retention
Enterprise Collaboration and Web 2.0
The adoption of corporate social computing is an inevitability - staff will demand it or seek it elsewhere - your competition will adopt it - it requires ownership now
Organisational alignment required between marketing and technology
Identify who and where in the organisation sits: - The Collaboration Strategy - The Electronic Service Delivery Strategy Then: - Seek out and find - Build relationship and realign - Provide input and align with customer - Partner, incubate and foster community
Longhaus PulseTM: Australian Social Computing Solution Landscape
Company Z
Company A
Company TCompany C
Individual technologies = platform
Platforms are only just emerging. CEO’s are still asking,“What’s a blog, wiki, tagging, folksonomie. Where is Iconistan?”
What’s coming?- IBM – Lotus Connections- Microsoft – Office Sharepoint Server- RightNow Technologies – CRM- Omniture – Business Optimization Platform
Where to next?
Build a relationship with the CIO: - Do this by redefining your marketing services catalogue
Build communities: - Invest in the social sciences to support the organisational change
Build a relationship with the HR director: - Direct marketing funding through HR. Treat employees like valued customers.
Build a relationship with the ESD and Collaboration director/s: - At least locate and read the organisational strategies
Receive regular briefings on consumer habits and technology advances: - Companies no longer define these things - The customer and technology landscapes are constantly changing
Thank you
Longhaus Head Office
Level 30, AMP Place
10 Eagle Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Longhaus Research Centre
Unit 7, 269 Abbotsford Rd
Bowen Hills
Brisbane QLD 4006
p: +617 3868 4796
f: +617 3303 8445
Peter Carr
Managing Director
+61 408 344 405
The Naked Chief Blog