To enhance any midsize business, IT managers need to assist leaders in accessing information online. Customers nowadays spend a lot of time on the Internet. More individuals are using the Web to look up information about the products, services, and companies they engage with, as shown in an IBM report. Additionally, customers desire a more personalized experience from the businesses they interact with and expect quick responses. So, how can a business meet these customer expectations? One solution is to become a more social business, and IT administrators play a crucial role in achieving this.
Getting Social With Business
What does it really mean to become a more social business? It affects both how a business runs internally and how it interacts with customers outside. On the inside, becoming social may involve IT managers using some of the social and online tools that are used outside the company to improve information flow and share insights more broadly. Companies that adopt these tools usually have happier, more engaged employees and experience boosts in creativity and innovation. Additionally, these advantages contribute to stronger competitiveness and higher revenue.
The Value of Online Customer Data
Externally, becoming more social mean IT administrators must help business leaders get a handle on the customers who access information online. Every time they visit the business website, make a purchase, share content, or talk about the business on social media, customers generate useful data that can help businesses shape both operations and marketing to deliver on customers’ expectations of customer service. Customers are putting all the data businesses need out there, and it is freely available. IT workers can help midsize businesses gain an advantage over their industry peers by using the technology to improve customer relations and help business leaders get the products and services customers want to market more quickly.
Accessing this information and becoming more social also helps businesses to:
- increase awareness of their business within the market
- improve the skills of their employees
- connect employees worldwide
- become more innovative
Online Data, Analytics, and IT
IT administrators can be a big help in harnessing this online information to boost business. In consultation with business users throughout the enterprise, IT administrators can identify business needs and configure a solution that collects and analyzes the online information that customers are providing. More than that, they can integrate this into a business analytics system so that it works in tandem with operational data to give business leaders a holistic view of their business.
The strategic advantages of such a system are obvious. Better strategy equals better business and better revenue – it’s a simple equation.
Image credit: Jocelyn Augustino