Social media as a business tool

Johannesburg, 02 Sept 2009

Businesses are increasingly embracing social media as a means of learning from and communicating with their customers.

This is according to automation software company, Network Automate, as it prepares to unveil its updated business process automation platform, the AutoMate BPA Server.

“Organisations can passively “listen” to what customers are saying about their products and services, both the good and the bad, to gain valuable market insights that can spur innovations and improvements in their offerings,” says Dustin Snell, the company's CEO.

Snell advises companies to actively join in the conversations, to assure current and future customers they recognise issues and trends, and are working hard to address them.

Building relationships

Additionally, offers Snell, teams of workers within organisations are finding that social media tools are helpful as a mechanism for notifying colleagues of important issues, as well as for keeping informed about the progress of key projects.

“This makes accessing and reacting to social media content a natural part of their work, rather than just another manual task they have to do,” offers Snell.

Kate Elphick, director of Digital Bridges, says Web sites with Web 2.0 technology help to cement relationships between a company and its stakeholders.

Elphick explains: “The key to achieving the benefits of digital communication are embedded in realising that this channel facilitates a dialogue between you and your clients where you are able to view the entire interactive relationship with your clients over time.”

She points out that one of the biggest trends in SA is the growth of the user experience, adding that the customer is driving the demand for what the business should be offering, not the other way around: “The audience is a social network community that becomes a strategic asset to the company.”