Social software is one of the latest innovations that businesses are quickly catching on to. According to research from Gartner, enterprise IT spending will hit a total of $2.7 trillion in 2012, with cloud computing, mobile technology, and social networking being the three main areas of spending.
Once implemented with proper testing, enterprise social software helps your employees enhance communication, share information, and develop a stronger team-based mindset.
But, what are some tips and tactics to keep in mind in order to ensure your employees are making the best use of your internal social network? Here are a few:
- Use the software exclusively for work-related tasks. Without direction in regards to the purpose of the network, employees might not know what sort of messages are appropriate to post. It helps to identify tasks that are appropriate for the current user base. For example, you could create a subject for a focused discussion on a specific project for a couple teams.
- Do not allow chitchat, for chitchat’s sake. People are naturally curious and want to get to know one another. There’s a fine balance to strike here. On one hand knowing your colleagues better can create a positive and efficient work culture. However, the dialogue should be professional and should relate to projects, initiatives or other work efforts.
- Any complex work-related topics discussed should be simple. Like all forms of written communication, there’s an opportunity for a message to be misinterpreted. Follow your company’s email best practices and keep communications on complex topics simple and straightforward. Also, encourage office personnel to pick up the phone when needed.
Establish These Ground Rules… They Make a Big Difference!
When everyone is on the same page and is using internal social software as intended, you will streamline processes and discover efficiencies that you never knew existed.
