If you need to make the case for social networking within your organization, read how TransUnion is well on its way to saving millions by implementing Socialtext. And it's happened in less than five months.
"The savings comes from buying less stuff."
And who doesn't need to buy less stuff these days? Teams at TransUnion are leveraging social networks to develop creative solutions to overcome very real budget constraints.
Beyond saving money, TransUnion CTO John Parkinson realized that if he didn't implement a social software solution internally, it was bound to happen on its own -- on Facebook or in some other public forum. This is perhaps the second biggest reason for implementing social technology within your organization. It's no longer 'if you build it, they will come' - it's 'if you don't build it, they will definitely go elsewhere.'
For those of you wondering how Socialtext can work with your existing SharePoint portal, TransUnion provides great guidelines:
"If an activity is part of a formal process, the collaboration should happen in SharePoint. In bringing on a new customer, for example, many formal steps are involved, and SharePoint has workflow tools that allow for collaboration while making sure the necessary hand-offs happen and the process is completed. On the other hand, if I want to improve the process of bringing on a customer, I launch a discussion on Socialtext."
The final point - which is like icing on a social media cupcake - is that TransUnion is using data from its internal social network to learn more about its employees. Who is my go-to person on a particular topic? Who provides the best answers? Who are the unsung leaders within my organization?
The simple fact that TransUnion is able to calculate the value of social networking in less than five months of implementing it is a huge step forward for those who would still question its value.
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