Community Management:Efficiencies and Economies of Scale

Obligatory IntroductionRichard Weil

Vice President of Client Services

…..and a disclaimer….

The Story Thus Far….

Community RelationsRoles and Responsibilities

Mix and Match:• Forum Management• Social Media roles• Contests / Events• “Live” Interaction• Environmental reporting• Fansite Management

Community RelationsOrganizational Structure

Models:• Marketing• Public Relations• Operations• Production / Development

Customer Support / ModerationRoles and Responsibilities

In-bound / Single Point contacts:• Email• UGC• Phone• Chat support

Customer Support / ModerationOrganizational Structure

• CS – duh

• Moderation – a little more complicated

VP of Marketing

CommunityDirector

CommunityManager

ForumModerator

ForumModerator

Social Media Manager

Social MediaSpecialist

Social MediaSpecialist

VP of Operations

Director of CustomerSupport

Technical Support Manager

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

CustomerSupportManager

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

Conflicting Situations

• Engagement/Live Events

·CS Issues on Social Media

·Bugs/QA/Tech Issues on Forums

·Customer Feedback Reporting

Traditional Organizational Structure

CEO

coo

VP Ops

Director of Customer Support

Customer Support Manager

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

Technical Support Manager

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

CSR Lead

CSR

CSR

EVP Publishing

Executive Producer

Development Team

Producer

Community Manager

Moderator

Moderator

Executive Producer

Development Team

Producer

Community Manager

Moderator

Moderator

Executive Producer

Development Team

Producer

Community Manager

Moderator

Moderator

Studio/Publisher Model

Traditional Organizational Structure

VP of Marketing

CommunityDirector

CommunityManager

ForumModerator

ForumModerator

Social Media Manager

Social Media

Specialist

Social Media

Specialist

VP of Operations

Director of CustomerSupport

CustomerSupportManager

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

Technical Support Manager

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

Customer InteractionPlatforms:• Forums• CRM Systems• Live Chat / Phone• Social Media

Current Usage Advantages

• Delineated responsibilities• Silo structure• Familiarity – tools and processes

Current Usage Disadvantages• Responsibility gaps• Repetition• Familiarity = Monotony• Silo structure• Wasted knowledge• Intra-company communication lag

Is there another way?

Making a New Structure• Everyone on the same team• Pool approach to front-line duties• Specialize at mid-management levels• Create a tighter communication web

Traditional Organizational Structure

VP of Marketing

CommunityDirector

CommunityManager

ForumModerator

ForumModerator

Social Media Manager

Social MediaModerator

Social MediaModerator

VP of Operations

Director of CustomerSupport

CustomerSupportManager

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

Technical Support Manager

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

CSR Lead

CSR CSR

Streamlined Organizational Structure

VPDirector of Customer Relations

Customer CommunitySupport Manager

Manager

Pr oject Man ager(Admin ist rative)

CSR / Moderator CSR / Moderator CSR / Moderator CSR / Moderator CSR / Moderator CSR / Moderator CSR / Moderator

Using the New Structure

• Integrate all facets of customer relations– Forums / CRM / Moderation

• Tiered responsibilities/ priorities• Go where the customers are

– Use Social Media as another resolution platform

Implementation Keys• Organizational discipline• Intelligent staffing• Ongoing training / development• Communication tools / processes

Why Does This Help?• Cost savings• Flexible employee pool• Professional Development• Cross-functional customer reach

Conclusions

Why?• Tighter times need greater efficiency• Organizational efficiency reduces staff fluctuations• Kill inter-departmental drama• Cross-trained teams provide flexibility• Better Customer Relations is a business differentiator

Questions

Thanks!