Blackberrys Social Scope as a Business Tool - Research Paper Example

? Blackberry’s Social Scope as a Business Tool BLACKBERRY SOCIAL SCOPE AS A BUSINESS TOOL Social scope is an app for Blackberry users, which combines twitter and Facebook, and displays them on a single screen. It also makes the sharing of links between users easier since it provides an option during surfing that prompts one to send to Social scope. The app also has a built-in feature for re-tweeting, a hash tag search and allows the user to access the whole URL in order to tell where the URL in truncated form is pointing. Blackberry owners running a business who also have twitter and Facebook accounts should use social scope. The app can be considered as the furthest that mobile technology has come to a desktop. This paper discusses Blackberry’s social scope as a business tool. The initial ubiquitous team that developed the app, in the beginning made it as a mobile application. The project began under iPhone backing but switched to Blackberry because of background processing (Word Press, 2010). This allows the user to monitor, as well as report, their tweeter feeds while continuing to use other apps on their platform. In business, the background processing allows the user to access their emails, browse information they do not understand, check on stock markets, and read their business Facebook and Twitter messages. These messages are pulled for viewing each time one switches back to using Social scope. Given Blackberry’s fundamental utility as a messaging device, the vibrant half-VGA display and QWERTY keyboard completes a two-way device for communication (Haws, 2011). The app also ensures that no delay is experienced when receiving Twitter messages, which can be crucial in an organization that relies on information. Social scope ensures that all recent messages are displayed on the screen. The entrepreneur does not require their app be left open in order to receive messages, and they do not require to re-login. The messages are just present when required, providing immediacy for the organization’s PR department (Haws, 2011). The app also enables integration with the user’s business contacts that allow the user to view messages on twitter directly from the contact’s page. This is usually important for PR departments that have to respond to comments about their company or client. Additionally, they can also allow them to post a picture on their status updates via incorporation of a URL by using the integrated camera and browser. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers introduced their new burger line last month and turned to social media. They chose to focus on using Social scope where the 460- restaurant chain chose to use Social scope to combine its already existing Facebook and Twitter pages to share recipes and the best and fastest way to prepare between the managers. Instead of having to re-login to their accounts or having to use PCs, or even getting feedback during the sporadic visits made by the executives and waiting for months for feedback, the apps freewheeling and instant video and audio messaging produced results almost instantaneously. They also pick suggestions from their customers via their official Twitter and Facebook pages and effect recipe tweaks based on this feedback. Beyond this, the restaurant also uses the app to solve conflicts faster and more effectively as well as for team bonding and sharing of information among employees, partners and customers in order to come up with new ideas for better recipes and redesign their recipes through Facebook’s easy to understand style (Word Press, 2010). Using Social scope to foster connections also allows companies to match the skills of employees working for them across the world who, otherwise, would have found it difficult to communicate in between their work schedules. It has become especially valuable for business entities built on acquisition where the managers in the various divisions are not acquainted to one another. An American supermarket chain such as Shaw in Boston, has utilized Social scope for this purpose (Word Press, 2010). Early this year, the supermarket chain, used Social scope to build a network to connect over eleven thousand store managers and executives. They reorganized themselves into over one thousand groups to talk about the specific challenges facing their business. For example, 182 managers drawn from all the different chains of the supermarket are joined to mull over common difficulties of running their business in college towns. Another one hundred and fifty three came together to discuss the problems of running stores in beach settings where business tended to be seasonal. Instead of collecting all the managers together for a costly meeting or retreat, the supermarket chain decided to utilize Social scope by buying their managers Blackberry phones. This app was used to share ideas from various managers and collect views from customers, since their Twitter and Facebook IDs were displayed on their storefronts (Inc., 2010). This resulted in promotions being held at the college-oriented supermarket branches that involved coupons being stuffed, into refrigerators, to encourage students to come back and buy food. Another discussion over Social scope led to beer pong displays in college towns that packaged ping-pong balls, red cups and brewskis to be used for filling them up. Both ideas were floated in February and were ready for implementation in April. According to one supermarket chain executive, it is important that the conversation is never ending and is always happening, even if the management does not like what is being said in the conversation. However, this conversation will take place during their free time. Since the app combines Facebook and Twitter, two tools that allow people to relay their thoughts instantaneously, other individuals see immediately the thoughts from the managers (Inc., 2010). Some companies have also taken to Social scope to bring their clients into their product design process. Dell’s computer division that sells its products to companies based on the internet has utilized this. Via its Social scope integrated IdeaStorm site, they can collect ideas from both their Twitter and Facebook page. Dell has so far collected over seventeen thousand ideas for improved or new products, adopting approximately five hundred, including the backlit keyboard that work better on airplanes. Other times, the company puts ideas on Facebook and tweets about them in what they refer to as their storm session to get feedback prior to moving ahead with their plans. Their users can comment on their ideas and comment on other user comments, leading to strong ideas on improvement. Dell posted a specialty laptop descriptive plan on their social sites, which aimed to upgrade their existing machines to target those who used wireless apps using Ubuntu, on May 6th. By Monday, there were over 100 ideas for refinement, collected from both their Facebook and Twitter sites. References Inc. (2010). The Best Smartphone Apps for Business. Accessed from, www.inc.com/ss/best-smartphone-apps-for-business#9 On, Oct 31 2012 Haws, Spencer. (2011). Exploring the Mobile Phone App Business. Accessed from, www.nichepursuits.com/exploring-the-mobile-phone-app-business/# On, Oct 31 2012 Word Press. (2010). Facebook as a Successful Business Tool. Accessed from, www.facebookbusinesstool.wordpress.com On, Oct 31 2012 Read More