Talking Social Business with Airlines in Prague with a new Social Study for Airlines

 The GLOBAL AIrline Summit. 

On September 9, I’ll be talking with senior airline executives from around the world at the IBM Airline Summit in Prague, Czech Republic. The theme of the summit is “Smarter travelers expect smarter airlines: Delivering an exceptional customer experience while optimizing operations.”

Today’s travelers really do expect more from airlines than ever before. Yes, we expect smooth operations, a pleasant flight and good value.

But more and more we expect personalized customer service while we are shopping for a trip and during each step of the journey, delivered consistently through all the devices we use.

The NEW Socially Connected Airlines. 

Today, meeting those expectations depends on using the latest social business tools to help the airline workforce keep the planes on schedule and to create exceptional customer experiences.

I recently read a related article in Business Travel News that might interest you by Paul Campion, an IBM colleague in the UK.

The SUMMIT.  A Breakthrough Event!

 At the summit, airline executives will share their own experiences and hear speakers from other airlines, industry analysts, a leading international airport, Coca-Cola marketing, Netflix, and from IBM. 

We’ll be launching some exciting new social business research sponsored by IBM with PhoCusWright - “Social media in travel: mayhem, myths, mobile and money.” The study will provide clear quantitative insights around what travel companies need to manage, mobilize, and monetize their social strategy.

Of course, the Summit won’t be all work and no play. I hear that we’ll take a tram ride and walking tour through Prague’s beautiful old town. Then we’ll share a meal in one of the city’s great restaurants. I’m looking forward to it. Watch this space for my blog post after the event.


Sweet tea and screen doors. Social Businesses could learn alot from them!

Yes, I am southern pure as they come!  I love my sweet ice tea, grits with butter, screen doors, and Kudzu.

screen door

In the summer, the screen door is an essential element of everyone's home.  The screen door's entire point is that it's not a barrier.  Its job is to open easily.  It is a welcome to all visitor's and friends that approach it.

Is your social media site like that screen door?   Does it open and welcome others in?

Tips to make your site as welcoming as that Southern Door!

  1. Do you make people type in that "code" to enter?   Don't!
  2. Is your site mobile friendly and usable?
  3. Do you have stellar content ?  Content is Queen!
  4. Is Video part of your strategy?  Video is the highest trusted media!  Use it wisely!
  5. Do you have a Twitter Widget on your Home page to engage your audience?  (Check out my blog on IBM Voices!)
  6. Can you feature other guests on your site?
  7. How do you listen?  All relationships listen first!
  8. Are your employees empowered to really represent the brand on your site?
  9. Have you chosen the right social tools that welcome your audience?  For instance, if you are selling to men, Pinerest may not be the best first choice.
  10. Do you constantly review the feedback and make changes to adapt and change?  

Social is Personal. My story. It is powerful.

The power of social is everywhere.

But no where as relevant than in personal life.

My dad was placed in the hospital for emergency brain surgery.   I got the news while in Vegas, and booked the first flight out.  I had to wait for the plane for over 6 hours -- hoping to get home in time.

I was going crazy in the wait -- and really needed to talk to someone.

So I did something I usually don't do -- I posted something very personal on Facebook about my dad.  Much to my surprise, within minutes I had response from friends all over the world.   The outpouring was overwhelming --- over 500 comments plus dozens of calls.

  • I had calls from friends that I had not heard from since High School.
  • Prayers poured in
  • Comments of encouragement came in texts, comments, tweets
  • And I didn't feel alone

No one gave up either --- days and weeks went by ..... and the love flowed in through twitter, facebook and beyond.

I talk about the power of social in business -- and the power there is very strong and real.  But this personal impact -- priceless.


SoMo -- Social Mobile Beginners View!

Ah!  Happy Monday!  My 2 favorite things in one coffee break -- mobile and social!   SoMo!

This is just a quick introduction to the combination of both with some facts and figures.

Enjoy!  And provide me feedback!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/user/SOASandy?ob=5#p/u/0/gMNTx3LX3SA]


Link Internal and External Social for Higher Benefits!

Hot of the presses!

  • 96% of companies don’t link internal & external efforts – Dachis Social Business Council, August 2012
  • And if you do link them together as per McKinsey's Web 2.0 Survey – calculating the average benefit increase of Fully Networked compared to only Internal or External -- showed that “Fully Networked” companies achieve 3.6X higher benefit increase.

So how about you?  Are you linking the 2 together?


Social Business Coffee Break Vblog! CEMEX as best practice

Happy Social Business Coffee Break!

This is CEMEX one of the very best Social Businesses in the world!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHf-p_CeDeA&feature=youtu.be]


Video blog from Social Business Coffee Break Series! Social Selling!

Happy Monday!

Today in our Social Business Coffee Break series we will focus in on the value of using social in your sales process.

I'd love your thoughts as well!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQdKGyCit0s&feature=youtu.be]


Social Business Tip of the Day! LinkedIn Mentions

Social Media Tip of the Day!

Did you know that LinkedIn just announced a new function – mentions – which makes it easier to engage with your network by mentioning connections and companies in conversations on LinkedIn. Just start typing the name of a connection or a company in your status update box or a comment field and select the person from the list that appears in the drop-down.

The person or company you mentioned will receive a notification that they have been mentioned. Mentions will be rolled out to English-speaking members first.


Social Business Governance: Relationship over Rules

I have been meeting with a lot of clients and see a lot of discussion around governance and structure required.   In a survey done in 1Q 2013, we see 2.7X the focus on developing social business governance. 
 
Because there is no natural organizational owner of “social,” an effective governance structure must balance  responsiveness and inclusiveness. 

Being inclusive means engaging stakeholders early and broadly to build shared understandings and expectations.  Responsiveness provides for clear accountability and speed in decision making.  The  challenge is to build governance structures and processes that accomplish both.

Having a relationship with your employees not just rules makes a huge difference in how successful you are!

Achieving the transformative value of becoming a Social Business involves connecting all parts of the organization (including channels, partners and customers) in new ways.  It often requires quite new ways of managing people, flatter organizations, and significant cultural change.  While becoming social provides individual flexibility, it’s important that the change achieves the unifying value for the company  of the new goals and culture. 

A strong governance program facilitates coordinated change.  The governance is led by two complementary leadership groups who’s members include the major “organizational structures” (e.g., LOBs, Finance, Supply Chain, HR, Channel Management,  …). 

The first, the Executive Sponsor Group, defines the strategic linkage and goals   of becoming a social business.  Members are leaders across the organization.  The second is a Digital Council.  These are executives who are responsible for the organization-wide, execution creation of the Social Business plan.  The representatives are often the social business leaders in their respective LOBs and functional areas, which ensures focus on the vertical and horizontal needs.

governance

The Digital Council focuses on the key areas of a social program:

  • Community Management – Provides a common approach to drive change and adoption at and across the LOB and functional level.  It includes actions like community management, Content Management, community analytics, and best practices.  While the focus is value at the  LOB / functional level, the governance processes has a Center of Excellent that shares best practices to create a common social voice and approach across and outside the organization. 
  • Metrics and Measurement -  Covers all elements of data and measurement.  Starts with analytics / listening to guide the where and how to engage socially.  This includes internal analytics of social networks, expertise, and projects, as well as the external listening and analytics.  This group also is responsible for creating and automating the overall program measurements to track success, progress on the plan, and social return.
  • Reputation and Risk Management – Focuses on 3 main areas:  1. regulatory risk and compliance(if relevant),  social record retention for general discovery, and other legal and financial risks;    2. policies, guidelines and processes for the organization and associates to participate in social media (for example, IBM’s Social Computing Guidelines); and    3. proactively managing the organization’s reputation and having a defined plan to respond to various levels of negative media or emergencies.
  • Standards – This group focuses on process and technical standards for a social business.  While LOBs, major business functions, etc. require the freedom to build their social programs tailored to their needs, the Standards group ensures that the overall company can be nimble in connecting across boundaries in ways not always anticipated.  Standards for brand and ways of connecting with partners, channels, clients, etc. ensure that the company is viewed as coordinated and focused on needs vs. a “collection of parts.”   On the technical side, a common social business framework enables the new ways of working.