This is another in a series of my notes on Lotusphere 2011. To the the left is another great sunset over the event. I attended a session on social business ROI hosted by IBM VP Sandy Carter, Social Business and Sales, Collaboration Solutions. The panel featured clients discussing the business value received from their social software investments.
IBM defines social business as “the world of possibility that occurs when all of the energy and opportunities that have been generated around consumer-side models such as Facebook and Twitter are focused, and brought to bear on business challenges.” They feel that the interest in social on the consumer side is just the beginning of its potential. The real power to transform and help push innovation is on the business side.
Tracy Hackshaw, is the Chief Solution Architect for iGov for the government of Trinidad and Tobago. Tracy discussed how the government is using social business for more effective e-government efforts. There are 1.3 million people in Trinidad and Tobago. A main goal is to increase the engagement of these people with their government and have them more satisfied with what the government is doing. They often look for what the people want and more interaction was a request. Another was the simplification of information, which became another goal.
Within the country there is a high percentage of access to mobile phones so this was one channel they focused on. They wanted the user experience to be similar to what was offered on computers. One popular example was maps with the location of government offices and transit information on to reach them. Another was the reporting of such things as broken street lights or potholes in the roads. They have reduced the time that these issues are reported.
The different government agencies were each providing their own siloed source of information. So they consolidated this to offer a single, consistent point of access. Different agencies could collectively created content that they shared with the residents. They also built in more interactivity to get greater feedback. They wanted the government to be more accessible so they created interactive town hall sessions. They have achieved a 90% satisfaction rating from the residents and this is remarkable for government services. As you will see, each of these cases in their own way demonstrates the value of social business but, of course, I was already convinced. It is nice to see these tangible examples.
Kristina Verner, Windsor University, discussed “How A Collaboration with IBM Improved the Quality of Life of Our Citizens.” Working with IBM for seven years, the region of Windsor-Essex has significantly improved the quality of life for its citizens. Through the region’s innovative use of technology and IT services, asthma attacks have been alleviated. Improved online communication reduced the time from diagnosis to treatment through the use of remote resources. They also set up air quality alerts that reduced the number of visits to the ER during times of poor air quality.
Kristina said that one way they were successful with social was breaking down silos for more effective collaboration. In one case they recycled 250 tons of waste materials from a road construction project into new housing for those who needed it the most. In this case, a new bridge to the US called for the destruction of 400 homes, some of which were new. Rather than simply waste these resources, they looked to recycle the components within the homes for use elsewhere through Habitat for Humanity. The first step was creating an inventory of possible components such as appliances that made sense to re-use. Then thirty jobs were created to support a very successful pilot and now the recycle project will continue through the entire construction project.
This region is comprised of 393,000 citizens who live in the city of Windsor and the seven lower municipalities of the County of Essex. Windsor-Essex region uses a variety of IBM collaboration software and Services and was named one of the “Smart 21 Communities” in the world by the Intelligent Community Forum in both 2010 and 2011.
Jamie Page, Director of Information Services & Brian Larson, Process Guru, Slumberland, discussed “How A More Interactive and Dynamic Web Experience Delighted Furniture Buyers.” Slumberland Furniture is a privately held furniture retailer with 120 stores in eleven Midwestern US states. In this case Slumberland was able to transform the way it interacts with its employees, franchisees and customers, leading to a higher quality buying experience for their customers and prospects.
One of the issues was to increase communication consistency with their franchises, as well as their company stores. They implemented a Websphere portal and gave access to both franchisees and in-house stores. They have now just rolled out Connections 3.0 and are using SameTine and Quickr. Although they are using Quickr less now that they have Connections 3.0. Brian said that they are a lean organization focused on continuous improvement. They use social business to reduce silos, help with collaboration, and make it easier to find information.
Slumberland deployed Genus Media Upshot and IBM Lotus Connections 3.0 software to support the firm’s training and communications initiatives and provide a platform for project based collaboration within the company. This is helping 2,300 geographically dispersed employees and franchisees to work more efficiently. For example, employees can view product and vendor training packages on video kiosks located in our retail stores. In the past DVDs were shipped out to stores. This paid for itself within the first year. They are also sharing sales tips from the top performers with the rest of the staff. Another cost savings came through the reduction in paper based documents and associated courier services. That project paid for itself within a few months. It is nice to see these very tangible benefits.
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