SuiteSocial, the instant enterprise collaboration SuiteApp, I introduced in my last blog provides instant benefits as a convenient cloud platform for messaging between your employees. But, a little planning and preparation will help unlock even more of its power.
SuiteSocial delivers the most value when you think of it not as a separate function of NetSuite, but as an integrated social element of everything you do in NetSuite. The easiest way to do that is to add the SuiteSocial status newsfeed to your NetSuite dashboard. The status newsfeed shows the latest activity of every SuiteSocial user you have chosen to follow, meaning that from a single screen you can see what the people who matter most to your work have been doing.
People only adopt social media if the system delivers content that is relevant to them without becoming overwhelming. That's what makes the SuiteSocial concept of channels so powerful. Channels can be created for entire departments, special purpose teams such as the cross-functional personnel working on a major client deal, or business topics such as product suggestions. Users can post to channels to advance the conversation, and updates can also be automatically posted by the system itself in response to certain actions. For example, an update to the opportunity status attached to a high-value customer's record could trigger a message on that customer's channel, alerting the client services team.
Making it easier for users to connect with the channels and updates they need to be successful will also help speed adoption. Automated subscriptions can quickly pair professionals and the records they care about most. Users who prefer reading status updates offline, or simply want a more permanent record than a standard newsfeed ticker, can request email digests in addition to their SuiteSocial feed. Digests can be requested on a customizable schedule and can even be configured for weekend-only delivery.
The easiest thing of all to do with SuiteSocial is to get started. A six-step wizard takes your administrator through all of the crucial steps to configure and launch SuiteSocial in your NetSuite environment—most companies can be up and running in less than an hour.
- Malin Huffman, Principal Product Manager at NetSuite