5 reasons to use social tools

Previously we used to hold meetings to discuss the most futile of matters, but that form of communication is of course far from efficient. Social tools, on the other hand, are. They have fundamentally altered the way in which we work together. And believe me: this is just the beginning.

I am convinced of the usefulness of social tools and I am not alone in this. A recent survey from McKinsey of more than 2000 managers indicates that the vast majority of organisations (93 percent) are already using one or more social tools, an increase of 11 percent compared to the previous survey.

An integral part of our work

Three quarters of managers asked indicated that social tools are at least partially integrated into their activities. In other words, they have actually become part of our work. This is a favourable development. For most companies, the use of such tools on mobile devices is also already well established.

Social tools are popular for a good reason. Literally every organisation benefits from it. There are 5 ways in which social tools transform business:

1. Fast and effective communication

Communication can be improved in most companies. It begins with e-mailing. Social tools allow staff to communicate much more effectively with one another. They are user friendly, work smoothly and present information in a visually appealing manner. The contrast with overfull mail boxes is stark.

OK, not every social tool is a great success. The survey underlines the fact that users place the necessary demands on a tool. It needs to at least make real-time interaction possible, ensure that you can work easily in groups or with individuals and can be used on multiple platforms. 

2. Changing organisational structure

Thanks to social tools, we communicate more freely and as a result classical structures such as teams, functions and departments become blurred. Thus social tools are an excellent fit for a modern, flat organisation. They help large companies once and for all deal with islands, unnecessary bureaucracy and a crippling hierarchal structure. Knowledge is shared rather than defended.  

Due to social tools, we are less attached to dividing lines and fixed task packages. That’s great! This trend cannot be halted. Two thirds of managers expect more communication across such ‘boundaries’. And half of them think that daily activities will be performed more and more on a project-by-project basis.

3. Key role in digital transformation

Social tools play a key role in the digital transformation of companies. If only because they are a good example of accessible new technology which immediately proves its worth. McKinsey also sees a connection between social tools and digitalisation. According to the bureau, they stimulate the digitalisation of all business processes.

4. Better results, such as higher conversion

At the same time, social tools stand out even more if a business process is digital. For example, according to McKinsey, when marketing plans are digitalised, thanks to social tools, the conversion rate increases by 27 percent. When this is not the case, the average increase is about 20 percent. Quite a large difference.

You can of course analyse the data coming from social interactions with customers. Perhaps this produces usable information, for example about language use and the preferences of your target group, which can help you in optimising your marketing efforts. When digital and social go hand-in-hand, conversion increases still further. 

5. Eventually a replacement for e-mail

The newest generation of social tools still have much more to offer. For example, they work seamlessly with all other business systems, such as applications for sharing files and social media. And they enable the user to query his or her automatically archived conversations. Thus you will never lose anything ever again.

I have especially high expectations for this search functionality. Social tools could even replace e-mail in future as the medium for written communication. Unfortunately, we are not there just yet. The next-gen tools we are talking about are still not widespread. Only a handful of companies are already using them.

The future for social tools looks bright. Companies deploy them on a large scale and reap the benefits in all sorts of ways. The importance of social tools will only increase further over the next few years. Are we finally free of the dreaded overfull mail box?!