Case Study: Social Media Success

One company that has been in the forefront of social media usage is Dell. We mentioned them previously as being a leader in the space. Rather than restrict employee use of social media, Dell has put in place a process to actively encourage use, both for employees and customers.

Dell engages with over 80,000 employees in using social media. They want to make discussions and information more transparent. There are internal blogs and forums for employee education. Employees can share ideas and suggestions, vote on major topics, and interact more openly using social media.

For customers, Dell has created the Social Media Command Center (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4ooKojHMkA). They are actively listening to and engaging with customers. They are gathering real data on the ROI of social media and coordinating customer mentions to the brand. The statistics are proving whether the conversations actually lead to sales, as they can actually track sales from their Twitter stream.

Dell uses third-party tools such as Radian6 and Bazaarvoice to engage customers, track and report on activity, and respond in a more focused manner. By tracking over 25,000 daily conversations, the company gains insight into customer services, reputation, new product development, and marketing strategies. Dell can monitor activity, respond, record actions, and change tactics based on all these data points.

But Dell does not blindly allow social media usage. They have a detailed Social Media Policy (http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/corp-comm/social-media-policy.aspx) and all employees have access to it and are aware of the consequences of breaking the corporate policy. The main points covered in the policy about social media usage by employees are

Using information technology resources effectively

Speaking on behalf of Dell

Ensuring ethical conduct

Ensuring transparency of origin

Disseminating accurate information

Protecting confidential information

Ensuring accountability

The policy has a specific section for Procedures and Training, Reporting and Investigation, and Discipline. These operational guidelines are provided to employees to educate them on the possible consequences of using social media inappropriately.

The operational tactics Dell has put in place provide for a robust monitoring and reporting infrastructure. They have invested in tools to manage their social media usage, have provided employees with training in appropriate use, have a specific policy in place, and can gain detailed insight about all of their social media activities, both by internal employees and external customers.

Although many companies do not have the resources available that Dell has for such an expansive operation, but, as we have discussed throughout the book, there are many affordable solutions and best practices you can put in place to move the needle to a more secure operational stance.