Learn from a Network to work like a network
Make your Yammer user journey stress free — by @emma_stephen & @slegaytor
Did you know that the London Underground (affectionately known as the Tube) handles around 3.5 million passenger journeys per day? They don’t go on the Tube for the hell of it, they use the network to get to a destination. We think about Yammer in the same way: a LOT of people use it to get work done. Stay with us as we walk through this analogy! In the same way that the Londoner’s commute experience is made up of a combination of fellow passengers and the Tube network itself, your Yammer users’ experience is affected by the community of users and the experience of the network. What other lessons can we learn from the Underground?
Find the station — Signpost your network and inspire others!
Imagine you’ve spent your whole working life getting the bus to work. It’s slow, it takes you on a round-about route to the destination and you are at the mercy of traffic. People keep telling you to take the Tube as it’s faster but you have no idea how to really begin. The station isn’t part of your routine and isn’t well signposted so you continue to take the bus.
If you’re expecting people to make a shift from their usual routine, such as working more openly on an Enterprise Social Network, you have to help them understand why and then make it as easy as possible them to get there. Communications are key — both online and offline, as to why a company is shifting more to working like a network, the relevancy to the business and then what’s available to enable this. Once that’s clear, make it low barrier. Signpost how they find their network through other channels, and use Single Sign On to make it as easy to get in as possible. Make sure your network looks welcoming too — take time to think about the impression given to a first time user. Does the banner look official? Do the popular groups have icons and descriptions? Are the All Company posts interesting to the average new user?
Pass the Ticket barrier — Usage policies
Now that you’ve found the station, you need to get in and understand where to go. Individuals see the usage policy as their first interaction with your company’s network. Keep the usage policy short, welcoming and use it to drive key messages about the network — why is your company using it, where to go to find resources (which should link to your Yammer Getting Started group), and referrals to existing policies which govern the use of the community.
For those that want to know a bit more before they pass the ticket barrier and enter the network, ensure there are maps to destination before — signpost your network on the intranet and in offline communications.
Where to go for which line? — the Yammer Getting Started group or equivalent
You don’t get on the Tube for the fun of it, you do it to get somewhere. So make that journey from A to value easier for your users. If individuals pass through the ticket barrier and there’s no sign of which direction to take, then a human traffic jam forms. Nothing can be more frustrating for a seasoned commuter than being blocked by lost tourists on the way to their platform. This is the effect seen in All Company where there’s no clear guidance and enthusiastic individuals finding their voice create noise for others in the network, impeding them getting work done or contributing to irrelevancy.
Help the tourists, aka new users, find where they want to go early by having them search for key groups and where to get help (the staff/New Yammer group with champions)
Link to key materials that support users in getting started and use it as a place to share back wins later on. Use your masthead to help “direct traffic” at launch or during engagement events and make sure nobody falls through the gap.
Helpful guides — your Community managers and guides
When you’re in a new station/network sometimes you feel a little lost. That’s where your network’s community managers and champions come in, directing those who need a little support and helping them understand what they are trying to achieve and how they can go about doing that. The most mature networks are made up of members who realise that if they help the newbies it will be better for everyone in the long term. So recruit your champions and instil a sense of “help others” into the network. It may be a bit of a cultural shift for some but ultimately communities become generous. When someone looks lost with a map in the Tube there will generally be a commuter who stops and points them in the right direction. And with that interaction the experience gets better for everyone.
Getting to your destination and sharing your route — achieving and inspiring success
Congratulations! Your commuters have found the right train/group/conversation and they’re finally where they want to be. But most people don’t work on their own, they need others to turn up on time too. Enable your Yammer users to invite others, share what they’re working on and getting others in the right place too with self-serve resources.
Provide a place (on Yammer or off it) where they can share what great work they’re doing so that others are inspired to join too. Use the Topic #YamWin to collect these examples so anyone can showcase the value you are creating.
The journey’s never over.
The Tube is constantly evolving to suit the changing needs of its customers. Similarly (and yes we may be stretching the analogy here) people and organisations never remain the same. Something is always changing, conversations move on and evolve and projects change. So as a community manager, don’t be afraid of adapting and helping your community to adapt as the needs of the business changes.
