Social Business Benefits

Social Business. People don`t do business with companies. People do business with people. Here is why and how to become a Social Business.

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McKinsey & Company observed that 9 out of every 10 businesses using Web 2.0 technology are seeing measurable business benefits from its use². According to IDC's Social Business Survey conducted in September 2010, 41 percent of respondents indicated that they have already implemented an enterprise social software solution³. And according to the 2010 IBM CHRO Study, standout organisations are 57% more likely than their peers to allow their people to use social and collaborative tools.

While sales and marketing professionals have been at the forefront of using social software to gain better understanding and to cultivate deeper relationships with customers, they are only part of the Social Business transformation.

Rather than a way to gain fans or followers, a Social Business uses software and hardware tools to create new pathways centered on people and the relationships between them – helping to solve the persistent problem of searching for the information needed to accomplish tasks, make decisions, and inspire new ideas.

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² McKinsey Quarterly, "How companies are benefiting from Web 2.0: McKinsey Global Survey Results (link resides outside of ibm.com)" 2009.

³ IDC White Paper Sponsored by IBM, Becoming a Social Business: The IBM Story (PDF, 179KB), Doc.#226706, January 2011.

Social analysis: becoming a social business

Today's business climate has created a demanding landscape where people and companies are more connected, workforces are more distributed, and technology is making collaboration easier. Enterprise social software is not merely another set of collaboration tools but an emerging way to conduct business. Social software adoption is on the rise, and the interest in social business transformation has gained increased attention worldwide. Every business leader should be asking: Where and how can social business practices help transform my business and relationships?

Download the social analysis report from IDC

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