I work in a business that invents cutting edge technology. It’s powerful stuff and it makes a tremendous difference to a company’s efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Does all this happen by software alone? No… none of this is possible without the involvement of people. To deliver an outstanding product you need outstanding people.

I firmly believe in the power of people. Whether it’s through good people management or community, people make the difference. Finding the right people, developing their strengths, managing their weaknesses, guiding them and leading by example, fosters loyalty and bonding = good management practice. Inside and outside of the business, building communities also promotes development and collaboration. Without them things become harder and can become too intense. Problems magnify if there’s no-one to share them with or if people don’t listen. Ideas might seem great but unless they are shared at the early stage how will you know if anyone else cares about them? By investing in good people management and encouraging collaboration and sharing of ideas through communities, your people become your strongest asset and great ideas are born.

Centuries ago communities were a matter of course. People couldn’t communicate across vast distances and because it was difficult to travel they relied on their community for support. That was lost for many of us sometime in the late 20th Century as communications broke down distance and travel became easier. Some of us became selfish and self-reliant and our sense of community broke down. That was our loss.

Now I rejoice that communities are seeing a resurgence – online. Through them it’s easier to connect with colleagues, customers, like minded people, experts etc. to share ideas or solve problems. Without fail these networks (Twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, Quora, YouTube etc) generously share their thoughts, expertise, time etc. to help without self gain – knowing that the compliment will be returned. That’s what communities do. Nowadays we call this ‘social networking‘ but they’re really just the same as those centuries old communities.

So should you go all out and follow everyone online in the hope of gaining some brilliant insight or the next best thing? It’s not about volume and ‘what’s in it for me’ when using social media/communities – it’s about connecting with people. People who may share similar ideas to you; people who you respect and admire; products or brands that you desire or are inspired by.

At KANA, our Service Experience Management software enables customers to connect directly with the organisation, to share ideas and requirements: to collaborate.  The business is agile enough to quickly adapt to what customers are asking for, enabling agents to follow the right process every time without worrying about making mistakes. Agents can share their first hand experiences directly with the business to drive change. One to one to many, all working together with a sense of community to be the best they can be. That’s what we have at KANA. Good Experiences. On Brand. On Budget