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Ratings and reviews for business users ARE valuable!
OK, the results are in! During April and May I asked business users in USA, Denmark, and Sweden to tell me their experience of ratings and reviews (if you were one of them, thank you!). Given the focus and relatively short duration of the study, the sample rate was somewhat small (75 valid responses) which needs to be considered when looking at the results. However, some of the results are quite overwhelming so it should be possible to get a good pointer of the business users’ thoughts on the subject.
Overall, although not as mature as in the consumer space, ratings and reviews for business users is clearly seen as valuable. Most importantly, when looking at the results the findings from the study indicates that 93% of the respondents overall consider ratings and reviews for business users as Valuable or Very valuable.
Other findings include that ratings and reviews are highly rated as both reliable and trustworthy compared to other online information sources; it is seen as the most mature user-generated medium; and it is predominantly used in new-buy situations (96%).
Experience with ratings and reviews are greater for those respondents who participate in researching and evaluating new products or services in their job roles, and the medium is reported by a majority of the respondents to have influenced purchase decisions at some point. This latter point is of course of great interest for Marketers since it again indicates what affect ratings and reviews can have on purchase decisions.
The survey also asked business users about they perceived the benefits of ratings and reviews are:
- in looking for hands-on experience and transference
- in increasing trust, clarity and transparency in the manufacturer
- in minimizing uncertainty
- and providing information otherwise not available in the marketing text.
Some of the barriers reported are that respondents find it hard to know the experience and competence of the reviewer (89%), as well as distrusting if the reviews are authentic (69%).
To supplement the knowledge gained from the results of the study, key literature was investigated on topics such as:
Organizational buying - For the business user ratings and reviews are of course most likely used in the pre-purchase information stage when multiple sources of information are used, by multiple people. Here information is used as the key tactic to reduce uncertainty and risk, and helps the buyer in transference when judging potential partners or suppliers if they can be trusted. This online information (determined to be easily accessible and sharable) has also increased the customer power, affecting not only the Buying cycle but also the Selling cycle (Trailer and Dickie, 2007).
Word-of-Mouth (WOM) - The knowledge contained in the information is effectively spread through Word of mouth, and this is also related to the “age of advertising consciousness” since WOM is believed more trustworthy due to it not being connected to the manufacturer or service provider.
Trust - Several key factors in a 2-way communication are minimized in online ratings and reviews, and to bridge the gap in learning about competence, social bond, and reputation, characteristic-based and process-based trust-systems can be used – however, as studies shows, they are seldom used by B2B sites today, even though they rest on well proven theories and research (Son et al., 2006).
If you are interested in this subject I would be happy to learn about your thoughts! Perhaps you know of any good examples where ratings and reviews are being used in a B2B context? I would especially be interested in best practices when applying ratings and reviews to service offerings.
Have a good summer!
Christian C Carlsson
ibm.com Site Architecture team
Categories
: [ buying_behavior | christian_carlsson | ibm.com | ratings_reviews | ratings_survey | research_results | reviews_survey ]
Jul 15 2008, 10:37:44 AM EDT
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Under the hood of IBM’s next Web 2.0 Muscle Car, the Blue Business Platform
I’ve said it before – I’m not a technical person and the only code I know how to write is:
10 PRINT “BLUE BUSINESS PLATFORM”
20 GO TO 10
So when trying to explain what Blue Business Platform is from a more technical perspective I needed to find a way that makes it easier for me. Therefore I’ll try the Top Gear approach – taking a peek under the hood of IBM’s latest Web 2.0 Muscle Car.
But first, a re-cap: I wrote about the Blue Business Platform in May under the subject Enterprise 2.0. Since then there has been more press coverage, for instance here. In short, the Blue Business Platform is a marketplace where IBM partners and software developers can market and sell their solutions online to small and mid-size companies across the globe. This, of course, requires a flexible and innovative infrastructure. To learn more about the underlying technique, I sought help from Rosa Bolger who is one of the Site Architects involved in the project.
The engine is a V6.1 WebSphere Application Server which runs on fuel efficient IBM pSeries servers, delivering a Java application integrated with the current 1x2x features and functionalities (1x2x is IBM’s award winning corporate portal). In the trunk, the storage space is massive (DB2 v8.1 and its binary large object ‘BLOB’ support for large file attachments storage) and here you can easily fit much more than the standard 5 suitcases and a baby trolley! DB2 handles the need for scalability and Multilanguage support quite well (remember, IBM does business in 170 countries worldwide) and data is saved in UTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format).
In the driver’s seat, IBM has teamed up with Endeca, delivering a powerful and integrated GPS and Navigation System (Endeca’s Information Access Platform [IAP]). Road Assist (Ask&Answer) is provided by Bazaarvoice who are also delivering a great Traffic Reporting System so other drivers can learn swiftly from the wisdom of others (Ratings and Reviews). And to make the passenger ride even smoother, Web Services providing APIs for enhanced user experience (i.e. Blinds; a form of personalized filtering) are available.
All in all, from a test driver’s seat, the Blue Business Platform looks very promising. It will be interesting to see how it performs on public roads later this summer, and I’ll try to get one of the lucky early owners their perspective. Until then, here are some screenshots of the application I managed to get:
Let us know what you think!
Christian C Carlsson
ibm.com site architecture
Categories
: [ architecture | blue_business_platform | christian_carlsson | enterprise_2.0 | infrastructure | rosa_bolger | web_2.0 ]
Jun 24 2008, 01:14:22 PM EDT
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Social web and the enterprise
Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Google FriendConnect, LinkedIn, Ning -- the list is long and continues to grow. All of this social activity on the web had advertisers and marketers excited, but as Eric Sylver says in his article, "Social networks continue to grow. But like a teenage crush, the excitement over the marketing possibilities in them has eased. And, as the social networking landscape diversifies, some of these companies are looking around for other ways to "monetize" their often sizable audiences." Does this mean that the social web is going to fade away? Should an enterprise like IBM bother with the social web?
I do not believe the social web is going away, but I do think the original "gated community" concept of trying to get as many people as possible onto your proprietary platform will not survive. (At least I hope we have learned a lesson from the way mobile phone networks evolved in the United States.) In recent weeks, Facebook, MySpace and Google have all made moves toward a more open social networking environment. I think this trend will make online social networking easier and more valuable for the enterprise.
One of the most valuable aspects of social networking coming to the web is that "word of mouth" opinions about your brand and products are now there for the asking/ searching. The more open and accessible this social networking data is, the easier it is for enterprises to mine and use. Additionally, this openness will make it easier for enterprises to join the conversation. Today, the prospect of going from Facebook, to My Space, to any number of Ning communities to the next "hottest" social network to engage your customers is daunting. With an open platform, enterprises can more easily find the conversations and participate. A company could even look at importing those conversations right onto their site -- you could show the posts from the Pacific Northwest IBM FileNet UserNet on Ning or the IBM Twitter feed or the IBM DB2 Group on Facebook or ... you get the picture. We have already seen the positive impact of exposing user input through online ratings and reviews.
I believe incorporating additional social capabilities into an enterprise site will further boost user engagement and the overall usefulness of a site. Rather than trying to constantly guess at the content people want on your site, why not open up some of your site and let users contribute the content they want.
There is, however, a word of caution here. As the gates to these communities open, even more people will be exposed to the activity within -- whether you choose to expose it on your site or not. If they are not already, every company needs to have a plan in place to monitor these conversations and respond accordingly in an honest and open manner. Acknowledge problems, take actions to correct and let people know that you are doing so. If it is simply misinformation, correct the record and thank people for taking the time to make their opinions known. The concepts aren't new, but the risks and rewards are now even greater. Now is the time for enterprises to know where their clients are and go engage them in an honest dialogue.
Garrett Hall
ibm.com Innovation and Strategy
Categories
: [ Garrett_Hall | community | ibm.com | social_web | web_innnovation ]
Jun 06 2008, 04:53:38 PM EDT
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Enterprise 2.0
I am – as many others – a keen communicator of the value web 2.0 has for the Enterprise. Some call this Enterprise 2.0 which, in short…
“… refers to the application of Web 2.0 applications and approaches inside organizations. In a broader sense, it describes the next phase of how organizations are creating value from the participation of their employees, customers, and suppliers.” (futureexploration.net, 2007)
And in today’s B2B world where Relationship Marketing and Sales is of greatest importance it becomes even more important to enable and integrate the discussion between us, our customers, our partners, and our suppliers. I still argue that the B2B environment is lagging behind the B2C environment in this regard (which there are reasons for) and I suppose many will agree. Nancy Davis Kho (eContent Magazine, 2008) recently wrote:
“The irony is that social media tools, properly designed and deployed, may actually bring a greater payoff to B2B users than in the B2C environment. The reason? Tools that enable faster and more personalized interactions between customer and vendor can enhance corporate credibility and deepen relationships. Those are all- important factors in B2B sales decisions, which tend to have a higher dollar value and longer-term impact than consumer sales.”
Her article is interesting reading and features some good examples on how to leverage the web for deeper customer engagement and uncovering new information. I recommend reading it if you also find this subject of interest.
We are, of course, working hard at IBM to be at the forefront of these changes in the B2B environment. Recently you might have seen communication of our new Blue Business Platform (for instance here and here) which is truly built up around an Enterprise 2.0 web philosophy, with online collaboration between customers, IBM partners and solution providers, and IBM. Frank Gens from IDC describes it this way:
“IBM is developing what may be characterized as an iTunes-like model for data centers that will enable a business to download the complete application stack, run it and even turn over server management to the vendor, which would run it remotely.”
It will be interesting to follow the development and launch of the Blue Business Platform. As soon as I get some screenshots or perhaps a working demo in our ibm.com/sandbox, I will share this with you, here. Until then – please share your thoughts or examples of Enterprise 2.0.
Christian C Carlsson
ibm.com Site Architecture team
Categories
: [ B2B | BBP | blue_business_platform | christian_carlsson | enterprise_2.0 | social_software ]
May 16 2008, 05:44:07 AM EDT
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Kristen Johansen’s, Creating Career Paths for UX Professionals
Get some useful ideas and tools for career planning
At the recent IA Summit 2008 I attended Kristen Johansen’s seminar, Creating Career Paths for UX Professionals. Although her presentation was geared toward managers, I attended in hopes of getting a sneak peak into what managers are looking for in an employee. If you are seeking advancement, this presentation could help you with career planning on many levels.
Kristen emphasized the importance of creating an exhaustive job description when looking for a new hire. Here she provides a Job description matrix (blank job description matrix) as a tool for managers for setting expectations. In turn, I think that this can be used as a personal tool for career planning. In her experience, competencies and scope of influence are most important in determining an employee’s position. Also, remember to translate generalities and traits into specifics and behaviors. In one case study the employee “annotated [the] job description for the next level up – “checking off” met requirements.” This could be a fabulous way to prove to your manager that you are ready for that promotion.
Be proactive by setting and tracking your own goals. Kristen said, “Tracking your goals will allow for introspection.” Have regular goal setting/check-ins with your manager and get it in writing if possible. Ensure that you and your manager agree on a clear path for advancement, including the requirements for each level of your role. Keep in mind that your manager is there to provide support and set objectives, not goals. I liked this analogy, “Objectives are the map.” She continued with the idea that managers are not there to give you the exact directions or back-seat-drive. You can find many more examples of ways that you can be proactive in her presentation.
Kristen included the questions below as a great starting point, which may be referred to on an ongoing basis.
Create SMART Goals:
- Specific (Do my manager and I both clearly understand what the goal is?)
- Measurable (How will my manager and I know if I was successful?)
- Actionable (How will I do it?)
- Realistic (Will I realistically be able to do it?)
- Time-bound (When will I do it?)
Ask yourself these six important questions:
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
Source: First, Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman, 1999
(Note, there is a more extensive list in First, Break All the Rules)
Books that Kristen recommends:
- First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently - Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
- 12: The Elements of Great Managing – Rodd Wagner and James Harter
I highly recommend taking a look at Creating Career Paths for UX Professionals!
Kimberly S. Knight
Art Director, User Experience Design, ibm.com
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Technical and strategic insight on the present and future of the ibm.com website