Four benefits of enterprise social and five key ways to start using it

REDMOND, Wash. — May 27, 2013 — Employees conducting business on mobile devices. Offices scattered around the globe. More unstructured work than ever before.


There’s no doubt that the scope and pace of business has changed dramatically. To keep up, organizations need to tap into new ways of harnessing employee ideas and connecting with customers, partners and vendors. Enterprise social is a new platform to do just that.


When some people define “social,” they think of chatting with friends and sharing what they had for lunch. While that certainly occurs in personal social environments, enterprise social has the power to transform the way people communicate, share information and get work done.


The key is to start small, using social in targeted ways where it can offer immediate value, and then build off of successes to expand its use. It’s also crucial that leaders listen to the people who are using the technology to find out what’s working and what isn’t.


A recent Microsoft study[1] shows that many companies just don’t understand the business benefits of social tools or how to get started. Check out the following slides to learn more.

[1] Ipsos online poll of information workers (employed adults at companies with at least 100 employees who use a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone for at least 75 percent of their job function); March 25–April 24, 2013; 9,908 interviews in 32 countries. All sample surveys and polls subject to error, including, but not limited to, coverage and measurement error.

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