Last year John Stepper from Deutsche Bank spoke at the Melcrum Digital Content Summit and presented a fascinating case study focused on internal social media. Stepper described how a simple comment on their social media channel led to an increase in productivity and a greater sense of morale at his company.
It began with an employee comment on an enterprise-wide service provided by an outside vendor that was not working as well as it should. The employee simply posted, “Anyone else struggling?” The employee thought he was perhaps the only one who was having issues with the service. In fact, 124 other employees commented that they too were experiencing difficulties. Unfortunately, the team who implemented the service was completely unaware that things were not working as efficiently as they should. The simple post created a bottom-up, grassroots movement that evolved into a well-thought-out thread that didn’t simply complain but provided excellent suggestions and ways the problem could be resolved. This quickly got the attention of the team responsible for the service and the necessary changes were made.
Stepper’s point is that internal social media effectively made day-to-day work better by making an otherwise invisible problem, transparent. Equally as important, once the problem was addressed, Deutsche Bank’s social media channel took off with comments praising the company’s action and sincere appreciation for being listened to. Social media allowed employees to have a voice and have a sense of control over their work.
Social media on every screen is an essential part of any corporation’s internal communications strategy. By being able to ask questions, share solutions, and build relationships, social media provides a way to empower employees who may otherwise be imperceptible. Integrators working in the enterprise space need to become familiar with the benefits of social media and remind corporate communicators how effectively it can drive engagement and productivity.
Vern Freedlander is vice president of production services for Montréal-based X2O Media, a full-service provider of technology, network management, and content services for professional digital signage applications. With more than 20 years of broadcast television experience as a producer, director and executive, Freedlander oversees all of X2O Media’s content initiatives. He can be reached at [email protected].
