I am an employee of a company that is planning on using social networking tools to support its customers. As the Head of Customer Service I need to develop my strategy on how best to use them. But, can I really put tools to best use and seize opportunities if I don’t use them myself?
How do Generation X techno-migrant senior managers successfully create strategies and policies that embrace 2.0 technology if they are just stood at the edge of the pool looking at the water – rather than in their swimmers and diving in?
The world is changing; the way we shop, learn and communicate is changing, and with it work needs to change. . . .
During breakfast I read with interest an article called ‘generation expects’ which discussed how the ‘net generation’ have different expectations of the workplace. These new employees who are familiar with using online collaborative tools as a part of their studies and social life are dissapointed with the low-fi approach to the average office.
Why shouldn’t the office embrace social networking tools? Why can’t we be liberated from endless face to face meetings and instead share ideas and problem solve on our intranet? Couldn’t this approach: reduce the silo thinking we all complain about, get the ideas from the shop floor we know we all need, empower our workforce and improve quality?
It seems logical – so why is the world of work so slow to catch up? What are we afraid of? Which organisations are out there right now making the technology work as hard for their employees as they are for their customers?
Will the exercise of writing this blog make me any better at my job or help me make better decisions? I guess there is only one way to find out!
It’s all about giving customers freedom and responsibilities. The corporate world will only ever really get benefits from social networking if they are comfortable and confident enough to see customers being negative about them in public. A business that too tightly controls what people say about it, and feels that any negative comment that leaks out is a PR disaster see social networking a too great a risk.
Whilst a business that is confident and understands that negative comments are actually more valuable than praise, and is happy to converse with customers on a level playing field, will be able to exploit social networking properly.
By: Simon on November 12, 2008
at 10:25 am