Don’t Use the F Word When Describing Enterprise Social

NEVER use the word Facebook to describe enterprise social.

“People will be able to connect instantaneously, just like Facebook.”

“Our employees will be able to have conversations regardless of time of day or location, just like Facebook.”

That F word drives fear of a productivity black hole into the hearts of the CEO, CIO, CFO and most others on the leadership team in your organization. Some of them may have already been on Facebook. Your leadership team is already aware that Facebook can easily suck an hour or two out of your day. That isn’t productive, unless your company specializes in videos of people doing stupid things or produces cute pictures of cats doing stupid things.

If you want to sell enterprise social to the CEO, CIO, CFO or anyone else for that matter, show them how it will save time.

Do contracts take forever to review because you are doing it through email? How much turnaround time could be saved by having the discussion all in one place? Posting links to similar contracts within the conversation? Not only will it shorten the turnaround time for contracts, it will free up your sales team’s time to build more relationships with your clients.

Now we have another F word.

Fabulous!


No Time for Questions After the Town Hall Meeting? YamJam.

030514_1559_NoTimeforQu1.jpgThe CIO just finished the yearly Town Hall Meeting, but ran out of time to answer all those pressing questions from employees. Now what?

YamJam with Yammer.

Set up an hour or so long session on Yammer after the Town Hall Meeting for the CIO to answer questions from the crowd. Employees feel more satisfied with a meeting if their questions get answered.

Be candid. If you’re not, no one will listen.

If your CIO is a troglodyte, don’t panic.

“If your leaders can talk, they can YamJam. Bonus if they can type.” – Melanie Hohertz, Cargill