Social media gives IT more clout

The rise of social media in today’s corporate environment has created a new set of challenges for the IT department. At the same time, with Facebook alone representing a billion plus community, social media is a huge commercial opportunity that cannot be ignored. According to Geoff Rees, Sales Director of Sunrise Software, IT professionals should embrace – and indeed own – social media as the ideal platform to increase customer engagement, protect the corporate brand and ultimately generate new revenue streams. By adopting a service management approach to social media, IT has an important part to play in creating a best-practice framework that maximises the potential of social media and elevates the role of IT at the same time.

Love it or hate it, the fact remains that today’s social media world is big business and those who consider it just for kids or consumers should think again. Not only do social media networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter represent a vital new sales channel but the real-time, viral nature of their content, posted 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world, can wreak havoc with a company’s corporate brand. How often have you not frequented a hotel or restaurant because of a negative posting on TripAdvisor? How many times have you refrained from purchasing a new product because of a bad review on Twitter?

Round-the-clock social media requires a round-the-clock response. More and more people are using social media to praise or air their grievances about the products and services they receive in both business-to-consumer and, increasingly, business-to-business environments. And consumers are choosing to take notice of complete strangers rather than rely on the traditional word-of-mouth reputation or the opinion of a friend. As a result, companies need to know what customers are saying about them at all times. Even the Government recognises the importance of a strong social media presence. The Foreign Office trains its staff to engage effectively through Facebook and Twitter, encouraging them to deliver foreign policy priorities and even get messages across to British nationals in consular crisis situations.

Inevitably, this brave new social media world poses today’s IT professionals with a real conundrum. Traditionally, IT decision-makers have been gripped with a high degree of nervousness when faced with their own staff using social media in the workplace, for example. Better to block these sites completely rather than risk potential issues of network security or reduced employee productivity. Or is it? By banning social media entirely, companies are denying their staff access to the immense power of social media as a significant new client engagement channel. At the same time, taking a black and white approach to social media effectively isolates companies from what their customers are saying about them and denies them the right to reply where they can protect and defend their brand.

The best way forward is to adopt an IT service management approach to social media. There are many success stories which prove how the IT department can and does take an active lead in creating a best practice technology framework that demonstrably contributes to commercial success. High profile brands such as Anglian Water and Vision Express have introduced flexible but process-driven service management infrastructures that have enabled them to become role models for the rest of their organisation. In just one year, Vision Express raised SLA performance from 87% to 96% and further enhanced its industry reputation by reaching the finals of the Retail Systems Award for IT Project of the Year in 2009.

Similarly, premier contract catering firm Elior applied its IT service management blueprint extensively to other departments including purchasing, supplier management and HR with considerable success. The company’s service desk now manages all HR queries relating to areas such as continual absence, CRB checks, disciplinary proceedings and dismissals. It also monitors holidays, sickness and maternity leave, new leavers and joiners across 1,300 sites, a real bonus when managing a 12,000-strong workforce. Furthermore, Elior’s chefs throughout the UK rely on the same service management platform to make enquiries regarding invoicing, purchasing and delivery, giving them the confidence they need to ensure the best possible service to customers.

IT has long been the vanguard of new technologies and processes that ultimately impact the bottom line and contribute to commercial success. In the same way, the time has come for the IT department to become the corporate hub and centre of excellence for social media. Employees need clear guidelines on how they should access and use social media in the work environment and nominating relevant personnel to post or respond to comments on the company’s products and services are just some of the practical steps one can take to manage social media in business.

Most importantly, vendors should continually strive to improve their service management product offering and invest in developing innovative new technology that addresses their customers’ changing social media requirements. Sophisticated applications that integrate seamlessly with today’s social media networking sites will enable organisations to track industry perception of their products and services so that they can proactively respond to complaints and ultimately encourage consumers to provide direct and constructive feedback online. It is clear that IT has a pivotal role to play in helping organisations to exploit social media to their best advantage, commercially and to enhance customer service.

Along with the right technology, IT should develop a best practice social media policy that supports existing corporate HR and operational risk management procedures and is communicated widely across the organisation in the usual manner.

Social media is no longer the exclusive domain of marketers. By applying their already extensive expertise and proven track record in service management, IT directors are perfectly placed to help their client-facing departments increase their digital presence in the workplace and use it for competitive, commercial advantage.

By Geoff Rees, Sales Director of Sunrise Software, www.sunrisesoftware.co.uk

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