The CX Blog

Elsua comments on an article from the BBC entitled Facebook “costs businesses dear.” His point is that the people doing the study are looking at the wrong thing–social networking tools–instead of looking at the big waste of time for most knowledge workers: finding useful, relevant information in internal databases.

Here, here!

I would add to this idea that companies would do well to take a good look at what has so completely captured their workers’ attention–social networking.  Come on, not all of work has to be dreary.  With a little imagination, a company could draft on the wave of social networking and make something at least as attractive that actually works for front line agents.  It’s the captivation of networking, building a web of relationships, that is intriguing and companies can instill that same interest level in their own internal systems.

No, I’m not suggesting that companies implement networking so  agents can discuss the latest Britney Spears disaster.  Rather I’m suggesting self-organizing systems of information sharing–more or less what people do in the cafeteria or over the wall of a cube.  Most of us (if not all) don’t like information pushed at us.  Adults especially like to engage in information, be a part of the exchange, and delight in helping to build it.

So, rather than focusing on the overblown cost of Facebook, maybe we could look at what’s behind the fascination and use it.  Just a thought.