The use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter is only increasing. As more and more people join these websites, different opinions and feelings are tossed around for others to see. This freedom of speech however is not always appropriate when released onto the Internet. People, namely companies, can see what is being said about them and it can be upsetting or helpful. One small company, Zone Labs based out of Massachusetts, has integrated Cisco Systems software product called SocialMiner to help listen and learn to their customers. The product is designed to help companies find and respond to customers communicating in social networking sites. It monitors status updates, blogs, and posts on popular networking websites.
For small companies, especially Marblehead, Massachusetts based Zone Labs, [1]a tool like SocialMiner presents a big improvement on communicating with customers. In this case, Zone Labs only has seventy employees, within which requires three of them to spend half their day weeding through Facebook posts. With the new software it cuts that number down to one employee only spending a couple hours. Peter Etholm, CEO of Zone Labs calls this next generation software “a game changer” to his company. His employees certainly could not catch all the information being put out on the Internet, but SocialMiner constantly monitors social media material so humans don’t have to.
The ability for a company like Zone Labs to understand what customers are saying about them is prevalent to their future growth and development. By hearing consumer reaction, Etholm can identify problems to create solutions. If a certain product is working well, they definitely want to know about it. Having workers constantly check statuses thwarts them from retrieving all information. Small companies especially have trouble with manpower and growth. When SocialMiner identifies all the news feeds, Zone Labs’ personnel can then focus on their task at hand. Do they need to change a specific aspect of their product? Do customers think we have good service and support? These areas are vital to company progress and growth potential. Having a simple software application like SocialMiner provides the tools to tackle these questions and find better solutions.
In a day where social media is one of the hottest trends, it has become imperative to various companies to make a presence on these websites and communicate clearer with consumers. CEO Etholm claims, “Now, [SocialMiner] is saving us man-hours and we respond to customers in a much better way." Zone Labs, a company that sells wholesale vitamins and supplements online, needs any sort of feedback to conduct their business. They need to know if their diet products are effective in the body or if people are “posting” their unhappiness from results. With Cisco’s new product it takes less time to locate the gossip so they can shift their focus on how to improve their company. Don’t be surprised if companies jump on this bandwagon to utilize such innovative software because it provides better time management and efficiency.
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