Build and Grow Online Business Communities
What is a Streamline Business Community?
A Streamline community is a virtual place that exists securely online where Employees, Partners, & or Customers are able to interact, share, and work towards a common interest or goal, are able to connect with each other and with relevant content.
Communities are all about reducing the effort required to connect with other members in order to efficiently achieve a common goal or outcome.
Streamline Communities have been emerging since the first introduction of Chatter (a Salesforce Social Networking tool) in 2010. Since then we have been able to build on that offering by combining social networking tools with secure access to business information and processes.
Salesforce Communities is the only community platform that combines the power of social with mobile participation, trusted security, and direct connection to business processes.
Why have a Community?
A Streamline Business community is all about creating a friendly ‘work room’ where people can engage and exchange in a positive and efficient way that has mutually beneficial results for all members.
A Streamline Business Community provides access to:
- Essential database details according to predetermined permissions
- Only member relevant information and page layouts
- Information all in the one place rather than sifting through endless emails or having to log in to multiple applications
- Resources, Solutions, Analytics, Real time data
- Other members in common and the ability to share or exchange information and ideas.
Benefits of a Streamline Community
A Streamline Community enables members to transition seamlessly between:
- Different types of communities (Partner, Customer, Employee)
- Different locations (home or office),
- Different Devices (desktop & mobile)
- It enables users to have access to everything they need in the one place, in real time, at anytime.
- It is a place where you can teach and learn from one another
- It enhances communication and encourages effective collaboration between parties.
Who would benefit from a Community?
Employees, Partners and Customers can all benefit from participating in a community where there is a strong common interest or purpose.
Other factors might include:
- Remoteness of members such as employees located interstate or overseas
- The need to scale a business quickly where access to FAQ’s is vital to its success
- The merging or partnering companies with a need for integration/sharing of ideas and cultures.
- Connection of remote businesses via a common knowledge portal
- Business Associates (partners) providing specific professional customer services
- Provision and management of Volunteer services
- Management of travel Groups to common destinations
A Business’s operations and ability to engage with Customers and Partners alike can be revolutionised through effective integration of company employees timely information / resources / solutions with community members feedback and input.
Some examples of Streamline Communities include:
- A Career Consulting Community
- Travel Group Management
- Volunteer Coordination & Service Management
How can I create an Online Community for my Business?
Online access can be provided for Community members (be they employees, customers or Partners) in a fully branded, public or private way.
First you need to determine what type of community your Business would benefit from the most.
- What would be the common goal / interest / or purpose for interacting within your community?
- Who would you include in your community?
- What level of access or permission do you wish to give them? That is, do you want them to see all data in the database or just specific data or pages?
- Do you have someone who can manage or oversee the community?
These are just a few questions to get you started. To help you explore this further complete our survey where you answer a few questions and then receive 2 hours of obligation-free advice for free!