The social workplace

Social media technologies applied strategically to business processes can draw out the best ideas and efforts from employees across functions and can boost a company's revenue, says Deloitte Insights for CIOs. By providing social tools to employees and strategically re-engineering processes around these tools, CIOs can help create a workplace that mines the expertise, passion, and potential of one of its greatest assets-its people-and reshapes knowledge management. A recent research by Deloitte University Press and MIT Sloan Management Review reveals that many organisations are deploying social business tools in innovative ways. For example, marketing and public relations teams monitor public social media channels to get a first-hand look at what consumers are saying about various products and services. Sales groups are collaborating with product development, manufacturing, and fulfilment via internal social platforms to improve product design and enhance the customer experience. Customer service centres are adopting a variety of social business tools to engage consumers, promote products and services.

The report says that enterprises that apply social strategies to their operating models can react more quickly to shifting customer needs, and adapt more fluidly to technological change.