AT&T has been engaging employees through internal social media since 2007. They launched an internal social network called tSpace for collaboration, file sharing and knowledge management. Over time, they learned the importance of addressing legal concerns upfront and allowing open participation from employees. Usage of tSpace and social media among AT&T employees has grown significantly in recent years, with increases in things like member counts, tweets and file sharing. AT&T provides guidance on appropriate social media use through standards and education, while aiming to sync up their internal experience with how employees use consumer social platforms externally.
Explore and Increase access opportunities
External social medial sites: Facebook
Non-management commenting on AT&T Insider
Solicit more feedback
Use of Frontline Advisory Council to collect feedback and adjust plans accordingly
Continue to resource LDP / ADP groups
Employee surveys to collect information on overall success and specific improvement points
3Q Highlights:
tSpace content increased in every category
Overall content increased 32 percent
Blogs QUADRUPLED
Communities DOUBLED
tSpace engagement increased 36 percent
Blog entries up 78 percent; comments up 191 percent
Community membership up 128 percent; forum posts up 105 percent
File shares up 78 percent; downloads up 270 percent
Twitter Tribe content engagement QUADRUPLED
AT&T-related tweets up 105 percent
Grew 38 percent, from 116 to 160 members
How we address disclosure and content proximity. Two examples
What does our policy address: disclosure using hashtags. Adding tweets are my own opinions in profile, disclosure one works for AT&T, general guidelines around how to engage and where one can direct those asking difficult questions.
Going forward will we all be required to have distinct personal and business profiles in social media. FTC may force?
When you get someone or some department in your organization wanting to do social first thing to do is listen.
What goal are they trying to accomplish: sales, service, loyalty, education, hiring?
We are consumed with being liked, brands too. It’s important to get people to understand that facebook is not a strategy and that it’s what you do with said ‘fans’ once you have them there. What actions do you want them to take? What goals are you trying to meet.
A lot of the time we can share what the brand is doing and what can be a good fit for their business need and outreach
Most important is to foster the imagination and enthusiasm and find a way to make employees excited about how to engage within the brand’s constraints. By this point they understand it’s not the same as talking to their BFF.
How does this all come together? Last week we launched Windows7 Phone and here is how some of that collaboration with employees, ATT social properties and the community worked.
Image: show the connections across our social properties and websites (Windows Mobile 7 Launch Example): Twitter, FB, YouTube, ATT.com
Social Media Management, Education & Adoption
Community Management
Twitter Tribe
Social Media Certification
Technology Development
Insider / tSpace Platform Integration
Extranet Access
Social Video
tSpace server and database upgrade
Employee COU Mobile Apps
New, expandable platform for InsiderTxT
Digital Apps & Video
Mobile video
iPhone COU apps
Sr. Leaders iPad App
Business Quality Improvements
Insider Story Pitch Engine
Expanded News Now archive