Enterprise 2.0, Meet Customer 2.0
Posted by
During preparations to attend the Enterprise 2.0 show in Boston in June, we began discussing the definition of “Enterprise 2.0” as it stands. Seems that the term is still primarily defined as social software used in business/commercial contexts, and only loosely defined as Web 2.0 technologies, including RIAs, SaaS, and using the Web as a general platform. In our experience, there’s a whole world of enterprise software and solutions outside of the narrow definition of Enterprise 2.0. While it’s not yet “Enterprise 3.0,” it is a direct descendant of Web 2.0 advancements and it’s in response to a new level of expectations from users—be they consumers or even employees. Emboldened by their smartphones, blogs, instant messages, and social networks, customers now expect anytime, anywhere access to companies they do business with. We call these users Customer 2.0. And while we’re not the first to use this term, we’re surprised by the fact that it’s barely made it into today’s lexicon. Because it seems that Customer 2.0 is at the heart of this digital evolution. As Nortel forecasted in a positioning paper in 2008, “the enterprise shift to the Customer 2.0 experience represents a fundamental shift in the way [businesses] interact—taking command of a customer’s experience and ensuring it works to a company’s benefit.” Likewise, in 2007, a former SVP at Cambridge Technology Partners wrote, “The era of Web 2.0 is raising the bar on our collective expectations for information access, service levels and customer experience. Customer 2.0 has access to more information than ever before, and almost unlimited choices and options in making his or her buying decisions. More and more companies will start to focus on customer service as their next key differentiator—and gain significant benefits as a result.” The future of enterprise software goes well beyond using social media to increase your call center efficiencies or get a better read on your customer’s opinions. Advances in RIA (rich Internet application) technologies like Flash, AIR, and Silverlight, combined with advances in mobile devices, kiosks, and connected appliances such as Google TV, have created a dramatic multichannel wave of opportunities. Lines are blurring between what used to be called an “application” and what is now possible using these devices. And Customer 2.0 is at the helm, spurred on by ever-increasing levels of information access and quality of experience, no matter where they are, or what device they are on. For savvy business leaders, the opportunity is not only in leveraging these next-generation technologies and devices—after all, seems like anyone can create a one-off iPhone app—but in integrating them with the existing business infrastructure. That’s where the customer’s expectation for a relationship with a brand meets the opportunity for businesses to create incredible efficiencies with existing processes, and even open new revenue streams. Posted by Tammie Helm
There are no comments yet. Be the first.