Social Networks Benefit Employees and Customers

Social networks provide information to users through blogs, podcasts, and webinars. Users write reviews or create forums, wikis, and videos. Users connect with each other and with providers through virtual worlds and social media communities.

“Social media has caused a fundamental and transformative change in the way people connect, knowledge is shared, and information flows,” says Charles B. Kreitzberg, Ph.D., CEO of Cognetics, a company that It deals with the human aspects. of computer technology.

Around 50% of large companies and 75% of small ones (fewer than 500 employees) use social networks of all kinds. Of these, it is estimated that 40-60% have their own social network. Microsoft has Town Square, IBM Blue Pages, and Best Buy the Blue Shirt Nation.

“Involve me, inform me and entertain me,” says Bernie Borges, author of Marketing 2.0: bridging the gap between the seller and the buyer on the social web. “But don’t make me read an ad; don’t email me news. Businesses are made up of people; be social with your current and potential customers.”

knowledge sharing

Social networks create personal networks of friends and professional networks of colleagues available to offer information at the click of a mouse. Meeting others through online conversations builds and strengthens relationships, alerting employees to who knows what, where to go for information. Through social networks, people share common interests or needs that they would not normally meet; they support each other in knowledge sharing and problem solving.

Social networks help form business strategies and strategic alliances. Howard Rheingold, Rheingold Associates, notes that a large teachers’ organization had developed and was promoting new standards for teaching mathematics at all levels. Bringing everyone together was unrealistic, so what was the most efficient way to promote the new math standards?

Ultimately, the teachers’ organization partnered with a public television station to produce and distribute videos showing real teachers teaching to the new standards. A teacher facilitated social networking with groups of teachers to share teaching experiences, student projects, and best practices. One teacher noted that simply reading about the new standards would never have given him the “…rich and in-depth information and resources gained through the social network.”

Improve communication

Social networking allows people to get and keep in touch, minimizing the need for endless streams of email or waiting for an “expert.” Online users are amazed at how quickly they get responses from Sears and Kmart employees in response to questions and complaints posted on company websites. Timely communication fosters customer satisfaction, which builds brand loyalty and contributes to the bottom line.

Online social networking at work facilitates ongoing employee communication, which promotes awareness and helps employees better understand the roles and responsibilities of colleagues in other departments. This helps employees feel a part of the whole, increasing employee satisfaction at work.

Making Connections, Cultivating Relationships

Information and knowledge are shared with people, not organizations. We all know that building relationships is essential to business success; Social networks connect people, often forming relationships that last a lifetime.

Two-thirds of all Zappos employees are on Twitter, where they are encouraged to let their personalities shine when they connect online with customers to offer shoe care advice or answer customer questions. Customers describe it as having their own ‘personal shopper’ in the company! Such customer satisfaction can only drive return business.

For 71 of its 75 years, Indium Corporation of America, a developer, manufacturer and supplier of solder and thermal interface materials, has acquired business through trade shows and direct marketing. Four years ago, the marketing manager tapped an engineer on the shoulder and asked him to start blogging. Four years later, Indium has ten blogs and 15 bloggers, professional staff cultivating relationships that have moved offline into ongoing business relationships. Conducted around the world, these relationships have not only improved customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, but also employee satisfaction; employed bloggers feel empowered to engage with customers in new ways.

“Relationships in business mean everything; the relationship should be with the people behind the site, not the site itself. Members of the organization should nurture and nurture the relationship,” says Anne Pauker Kreitzberg, president of Cognetics .

Through social media, employees learn new things about their colleagues, personally and professionally. An employee was surprised by insightful comments made online by a colleague, a man who seemed distant during face-to-face meetings. This realization led the employee to interact more often with this colleague. Social media opens up endless possibilities and resources, one of which may be increased employee satisfaction.

Involve employees

Social media also increases employee job satisfaction because employees feel more engaged in their work. An $8 billion energy company was conducting a strategic analysis of the factors influencing its industry. The usual practice was for the company to hire outside consultants to work with its corporate officers.

However, recently, the company created an online network to engage people from all levels of the company around the world in discussions (real-time and asynchronous) about industry trends, new technologies, the economy and the factors that influence the success of the company. Some group discussions became so dynamic that problem solving turned into creativity and innovation! Social media activities made information relatively easy to locate and summarize in a report.

Facilitating Talent Management

Social networks facilitate talent management. Among the largest law firms in the world, Latham & Watkins LLP has a private social network that contains policies, procedures, forms, invitations, upcoming events, calendars, forums, and photos. The network is used from the beginning of the recruitment process until the ‘alumni’ relationship, when lawyers leave or retire from the firm.

The company gives second- or third-round recruits limited access to the network. Once a position is accepted, onboarding is managed through the social network. By the time new attorneys report to work on the first day, they have already connected and developed relationships with other staff members. This social network spurred a 15% increase in first-year retention and a 38% increase in first-year productivity.

In addition to improving productivity, social media creates an environment where employees continually reach out to others for advice, strategies, and best practices, just in time to apply them at work. This helps minimize the need for training outside the organization, saving time and money.

“The key to the successful use of social networks is listening and the ability to listen is easier than ever,” says Borges. “You identify the community you want to reach and listen to what they’re saying. On the web, it’s easy to track interests and trends. Consumer feedback turns into leads.” Do you know how social networks contribute to your results?