Social Media - Case Study Update for 80s Rewind Festival, Henley

Following on from the case studies looking at various music festivals this summer and how they have used social media, here’s an update for the 80’s Rewind Festival:

Wot no crowd-surfing?

But what further lessons can be learned relevant to events and other businesses?

In only its second year, the Rewind Festival on the riverbank by the start of the Henley Regatta course was a sell-out success. Aimed skilfully through Heart FM at the teenage girls from the 80s who are now in their 30s and 40s, they sported kiddies, hubbies and sometimes very little at all!

The event appeared professional from the outset. The site is used for the regatta, so the approaches and parking were well organised. But it went on from there, with a colourful entrance and a well-staffed site. There are a few things that could be improved (which I’m happy to talk to the organisers about if they’d like to contact me), but these were relatively minor distractions from a generally excellent event.

With the heavens opening right on cue as the Sunday headliners started, this failed to put a dampener on proceedings. A good time was had by all – not only watching the main acts, but also those fortunate to find the one bar selling beer, or finding The Furnace selling fabulous chilli chocolate cake and iced orange juice.

Thanks to the mad group in the moshpit who’d been a lot of fun, and the gal in the group asking me at the end for a high five telling me “You’re the man”. Whatever else, a festival like this makes you feel young again!

Then there was the excellent silent disco, and the acoustic duo (featuring Jayson Jaurigue aka Junior Guevarra) who had hundreds baying for more when they tried to stop at 11pm in the Riverside Diner on Sunday night.

Certainly putting together the best aspects of the five festivals in these two articles would produce a truly superb festival experience. This would probably be for little if any extra cost. In fact the extra revenues would probably produce a healthy net gain for the promoter.

But what about Rewind’s web presence and use of social networking?

Here I can be more critical.

The main website had a list of acts, but only for the main stage and without timings. There were no details of the acts on the second stage and other venues. The information (or lack of it) was mirrored in the programme. Like the West End, it was more of a glossy souvenir than a practical guide, and relatively expensive for a festival. There were also no details of acts or timings displayed anywhere on site that I saw.

The website did not carry the legally-required details of the company behind the event. Actually there appears to be two companies involved (in some form of joint venture?) which have common financial backing, but are otherwise pretty secretive.

Otherwise the website was a clear presentation of the main information needed, albeit with not as much as some other festivals.

Tucked at the bottom of each page are links to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube

The MySpace and YouTube sites were set up in late 2009, basically to include contents from the first festival last August. Neither were updated in 2010 for this year’s festival. A few days after the event, there are still no entries about it. However attendees have posted a fair few videos directly onto YouTube, of varying quality (especially my cameo appearance!)

The Twitter account was also set up in late 2009, and contained some useful announcements through spring 2010 about bookings. But tweets fizzled out in mid July, with the exception of one tweet just before the festivals. No attempt to sell the last few Sunday tickets. Nothing during the festival to inform people of what was going on.

Which leaves us with Facebook. This was the first site set up immediately after the 2009 festival, to announce the sale of “Early Bird” tickets just being made available. It was then used to make various announcements, mainly about line-ups and tickets sales. Only place I can find that gave the list of comedians (dated April), none of which I saw, as I didn’t know when they were on. Like Twitter, the postings petered out in mid-July, with the same last posting just before the festival. Again no postings during or after, such as official photos or comments about attendees’ feedback.

The Facebook site has proved very popular with attendees. Remember these are not the teens and younger adults usually associated with Facebook. Very few questions about the event, confirming website covered the basics. Lots of positive comments, on the wall and in “Discussions”, but a few criticisms of camping facilities and a couple of the acts. No apparent response from the organisers at the time of writing.

Interesting to see everyone’s photos. But one provides a stark reminder to set “Notifications” within your Facebook Settings to email you when someone has tagged your name against a photo! Here’s how to simply remove a tag you don’t want.

In conclusion, Rewind's main website and Facebook site are basically OK, though both could be improved. But other social media has been under-utilised.

This Coming Weekend

Oh, and what was I saying about crowd-surfing? With Reading Festival (and the sister festival at Leeds) this bank holiday weekend, their website and festival policies have been honed over many years. They have a long list of policies including one for crowd-surfing. It’s a long walk!

Or if you prefer classical music there's the new Serenata festival on the beautiful Dorset coast near Lulworth Cove. Headlining tonight (Friday) is Katherine Jenkins, with a line-up finishing Saturday that includes world-class singers, instrumentalists and classical groups. Looks like a real ClassicFM event with what will probably be classical pops (no obvious indication of setlists). From the Serenata and ClassicFM websites, it doesn't look as if the festival has a formal collaboration with the radio station to help pull an audience, though there may have been adverts or announcements on air. Directions are available if you wish to arrive by sea or helicopter.

Serenata have focused their social media attentions on Facebook and Twitter, which they are using well, plus an RSS feed from their blog. As they say on Facebook, it will be a classic. Just don't forget your wellies!

Social Media Lessons Learnt

Let’s first recap on the conclusions in the previous article, which focused on Facebook. The conclusions have been reinforced by the new observations above:

“In using Facebook there are several key lessons that all forms of B2C and B2B businesses can learn from:

1. Facebook should only be an extention of the main website, not a substitute for it. Key information needs to be clearly on the main web site. (unless you can reasonably use Facebook as your main site)
2. Facebook is an excellent way to build a dialogue with customers, and for them to interact with each other. But that only works if you are monitoring postings, and answering questions and other feedback. Otherwise it just becomes frustrating for those customers who have bothered to comment.
3. It's clearer to have an official company persona to add posts and comments, even if individual staff also comment
4. You can switch off the ability for customers to submit posts, whilst still allowing them to comment about yours
5. You can remove posts that are critical or otherwise unwelcome. But worth discussing genuine complaints directly, and make posts to show you have noted and are addressing common complaints. In my experience a customer who has their complaint dealt with swiftly to their satisfaction becomes a far more loyal customer than a customer who has never had a complaint. Conversely a complaint ignored is likely to become a lost customer.
6. Likewise you can encourage, acknowledge and answer feedback made through another direct non-public mechanism.”

It’s now worth adding a couple more points:

• Facebook is being actively used by a wide range of age groups. It is now a valid marketing and business tool across the age spectrum
• Worth using an RSS feed to let people receive updates as you make them available?
  
• Watch out for legal compliance, in its widest forms, on both the website and social media sites
• If you’re going to set up a social media site, then do use it!

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Escaping Excel Hell – Processes Desperately Seeking Automation (Update)

Are your systems trying to pull your business apart, or are they pushing in the same direction?

A month ago I wrote an article entitled "Escaping Excel Hell – Processes Desperately Seeking Automation". This talked about business analysts not having the time to analyse and add value to the business, as they tend to have to spend too much as "Excel jockeys".

There is also the matter of inefficient and error-prone processes run in Excel that cannot grow with the business and ought to be replaced. Here's a couple of examples from our case studies that illustrate typical problems, and the gains that can be made:

(1) Implementation of Back-to-Back Order Processing System

Client:
FD of £10m corporate subsidiary

Issue:
Order processing system had been commissioned to replace spreadsheets, but needed to be implemented

Solution:
Project-managed the implementation of the system to go live on the required date, despite considerable unexpected issues.

Benefits:
System was able to support growth to over £100m over the 5-year period Camwells was involved, including:

• Business merger
• Setting up a new division
• Business process review
• A report that produced supplier rebates of £600,000 p.a., straight to the bottom line to improve cash flow and double profits
  

(2) "Spec and select" for new order processing system

Client:
Group FD of £30m quoted IT company

Issue:
Spreadsheet-based order processing system was close to collapse, and staff were threatening to resign.

Solution:
Compiled a "User Requirements Specification" to capture current and expected needs. Assessed packaged software and the feasibility of custom-written options.

Benefits:
Company commissioned a system that ran so well that, when the business was acquired, the system was used for the combined business. The FD and his staff retained their jobs when others lost theirs.


(3) Replacing Budgeting, Forecasting and Reporting System

Client:
Group FD of £250m quoted company

Issue:

The business was changing from products to add more services and projects. The budgeting and monthly reporting spreadsheet system had become unwieldy, unreliable and was not providing the drill-down analysis required.

Solution:
Compiled a "User Requirements Specification" to capture current and future needs. Advised on alternative approaches to accounting and reporting on services and projects, and potential systems.

Benefits:
New forecasting and reporting tool selected to provide what the business now required.


If you'd like to discuss these examples (subject to client confidentiality) or discuss your own situation without charge or obligation, do contact me on +44(0)1628 632914 or by email to challisc @ camwells.co.uk (please remove blanks first)

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Performance Management – Multi-dimensional BI tools

For those of you familiar with “cubes”, the idea of being able to report on data in any combination of a multitude of dimensions (time, geography, team, etc) is very familiar.

Such analysis is usually carried out by some form of multi-dimensional business intelligence (BI) software tool, usually termed OLAP (OnLine Analytical Processing).

Handling a lot of data in multiple dimensions can take a computer a lot of time. For those of you who need answers quickly, the way the data is handled is of crucial importance. As disk and database access is typically relatively slow in a computer, in-memory tools typically outperform those that are disk-based.

Here’s an interesting summary of the position in August 2010, and the history getting here

On a more practical note BIOLAP, the UK distributor of one of the earliest OLAP systems mentioned in this article, has quickly jumped on the need for local authorities to disclose all their expenditure over £500, by providing a free “Expenses Dashboard”. Some 22 local councils have already signed up. For those in business, such analysis can also be valuable. BIOLAP can be contacted here.

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Cloud Computing - Selection Process for SaaS - How Different from On-Premise?

Much has been written about the pros and cons of cloud SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) compared to traditional “on-premise” computing. SaaS covers the likes of accounting, customer relationship management (CRM), Facebook and a multitude of other business and consumer applications.

Here’s our own summary of the benefits and risks of SaaS.

But relatively little has been written about how the process for selection of business software has changed with the availability of SAAS. How much has the process changed?

I’ve been involved in selection projects for many years from three perspectives:

• Leading projects in industry
• In a sales role in a reseller of accounting and business software (so I know the tricks of the trade!)
• In consultancy with PWC and Camwells advising clients

Many of these selections have been of mid-range systems, but also corporate systems and simple systems for small businesses. Some selections are now just for SaaS, some just for on-premise (where cloud provision is not adequate in one way or another), and some with an open mind as to the final solution. So ideally a methodology is needed that caters for selecting a SaaS and/or an on-premise solution.

Camwells has a selection process that does indeed cater for both.

Nonetheless every now and again it’s worth taking a look at what others are doing to see if the process can be improved, and now is the time to do so!

Firstly it’s worth looking at the software industry’s view on the process. BASDA (the Business Application Software Developers’ Association) is the clearest representative body in the UK. It updated its recommended procurement process in a booklet in 2007. Even though this is only 3 years old, there is no mention of either “cloud”, “SaaS” or equivalent concepts (I’ve been using SaaS ten years since early 2000).

Nonetheless the booklet sets out a basic process which includes two key aspects:

1. The replacement of the bulky "Invitation to Tender" with a shortened “Request for Information” (RFI). I prefer to call it a “Request for Proposal” (RFP), to emphasise that a commercial proposal is expected in response to the requirements.
2. Bringing forward the detailed product testing to the evaluation phase prior to purchase rather than after the system has been installed.

The second point actually makes their process adaptable to the selection of cloud SaaS systems. Another body representing UK software developers, Intellect, makes some key points in the implementation process section of their white paper “The business case for Software as a Service”:

1. Many SaaS products have a free-of-charge evaluation period, or a few users can be set up at minimal cost before any major commitment is made
2. Conversely not all on-premise software vendors will allow a free or low cost on-site evaluation, as software (and possibly hardware) needs to be installed on client’s premises to even do a small (“boardroom”) pilot. On-site installation is not needed with SaaS (assuming you have internet-enabled PCs), which also means saving time to start the evaluation
3. If the risk of failure is low, especially with smaller systems, a SaaS service can be used straight away
4. If the SaaS trial is unsatisfactory, it is quicker and cheaper to stop any further work with that supplier and consider other options
5. But Intellect also mentions that tasks such as evaluation of larger systems, data loading, user training etc are similar to on-premise

Other SaaS publications I’ve collected tend to focus on the pros and cons of SaaS, not on the selection process. Google searches across the globe didn’t identify much new and useful either.

So here is a quick summary of the Camwells selection process, and how it can flex for SaaS. The focus is on mid-range solutions, but the same basic process is equally valid for small and corporate systems.

This process is broadly consistent with BASDA’s process, but with a number of practical differences. For example, we’ve found that client management prefer to discuss and collectively sign off an internally-focused “User Requirements Specification” (URS). This is in a suitable format to be tweaked into the “Request for Proposal” (RFP) sent to suppliers, or can form the basis for evaluation of SaaS offerings.

The key steps are as follows:

.	STEP	FLEXING FOR SaaS
1	Project Initiation (Steering Committee etc)	No difference for SaaS
2	User Requirements Specification (Background, Objectives & Benefits, Scope & Interaction, Key/Special Requirements)	No difference for SaaS
3	Supplier Long List	No difference for SaaS
4	Request For Proposal (RFP)	Free/Lo-cost trials instead? Dependent on complexity, may still require supplier assistance
5	Assess Supplier Proposals	If send out RFP
6	Supplier Short List Demos	Useful in all but simplest cases to have supplier involved to bring system to life and help configure pilot
7	Supplier Finalist(s) Demo(s) if required
8	Preferred Supplier Assessment	Different issues
9	Enter into Contract	Different content of contract, probably non-negotiable

I’ll look at the key differences in the implementation process next week.

Cloud SaaS providers tend to market their systems as being more intuitive, easier to use and quicker to implement than on-premise systems. As explained above, there is truth in respect of timescales. But “ease of use” is worth taking with a pinch of salt - it really depends how well the system is written, and whether functionality has been limited. As with on-premise software, the key to the selection process is to see through the gloss and to ask the important questions to ensure the offering and supplier fits your needs, before you have committed your business and your reputation.

In conclusion

Selecting SaaS and on-premise software should follow the same basic process, though SaaS systems can be quicker in certain respects. The service nature of SaaS means different issues to consider, and a final contract that’s significantly different. Whether SaaS or on-premise, the key is to start with a professional "User Requirements Specification" that clearly sets out objectives, used both for selection and then for implementation.

If you would like to know what is involved in each stage, such as how to prepare for demos and evaluation, do contact me on +44(0)1628 632914, or by email at challisc @ camwells.co.uk (please remove gaps first). I look forward to talking to you.

Or do feel free to leave a comment ...

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Weekly Review - Facebook, Privacy, mCommerce and Freemium Apps

This week we’ll look at four topical items:

1. Changes to Facebook
2. Privacy Peering Forward
3. Mobile Commerce (mCommerce)
4. Freemium Apps

(1) Changes to Facebook

Last Friday we highlighted the changes being made to Facebook today relevant to developers and Facebook users, and the launch of Facebook “Places” last week.

“Places” has created a wave of new interest in the existing location-based services such as Foursquare and Gowalla. Here’s an interesting comparison with comments from users as to which service they’d use for such services. Certainly arriving at a big event on Sunday, as a last-minute decision, it would have been good to find out quickly which of my friends were also there.

(2) Privacy Peering Forward

So much of our daily lives is being recorded publicly on the likes of Facebook, and recorded privately (we hope) every time we use a credit card or loyalty card. No wonder Google’s CEO Eric Schmitt this week talked about youngsters needing to change their name to escape their on-line past.

He also spoke prophetically about a whole manner of possibilities as we increasingly use apps on smartphones and other mobile devices to carry out our daily lives. For example, Google will be able to start reminding us of things we probably need to do, especially when passing shops and other premises. Spooky?

(3) Mobile Commerce (mCommerce)

Which takes me back to 2006.

Some of you know that my serious interest in the internet started as 1999 turned into 2000, and the availability of broadband speeds provided a rapidly expanding array of internet-based applications – a period usually described as the “dot com bubble”.

I ran 30 events between 2000 and 2006 called the “Thames Valley Internet Business Forum” (TViBiz), later known as the “BizTech Forum”. These events took a business-person's view of the internet. So I invited a lawyer to cover the latest legal aspects, and at least two guest speakers at each event on business topics such as eProcurement . During this time the dot com bubble burst and the internet became embedded in so many systems it was no longer a separate topic. As interest evaporated, the one area that looked anything special was mobile. But there wasn’t enough then. It has taken a couple of years, with the likes of the iPhone and iPad now hitting the headlines with an astonishing variety of “apps”. Whilst many are purely for fun, an increasing number have a sound commercial basis. For example apps are required to use Facebook Places and FourSquare on your smartphone.

The CMO of Pizza Hut US, Brian Niccol , is quoted as saying this week that mobile orders have actually surpassed orders via the Web from home, and mobile will account for more than 50% of orders. No surprise when you think about it, but it provides a strong reminder that if your business isn’t taking appropriate advantage of the power of mobile devices, your competitors certainly will!

(4) Which brings us to the power of “Freemium”

Everyone likes getting something valuable for free. “Free” is one of the most powerful words in marketing. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch, is there?

Well there is in the world of “freemium”. Not a new concept, but one which is becoming the norm for PC software and especially now mobile apps.

The concept is that users are allowed to use a Lite version for free, which does a reasonable job, and may carry advertising. Users are then encouraged to upgrade to one or more paid-for Premium versions, eithe to lose the advertising and.or to gain funcationality. Getting the functionality balance and pricing right between the Lite and Premium versions is an art, to ensure the Lite is good enough, but a goodly proportion of users upgrade .

This isn’t the only method using a free element. Often users are given a full version on a free trial, and the author then hopes they will so want to keep it they pay the licence fee (the good ol' "puppy-dog close"). A good example of this in the PC arena is the dashboard gauges add-in for Excel.

For mobile apps, it’s only recently that Apple has cottoned on and is reported as providing apps on a free trial basis through the AppStore. However although many apps are free, as I write those apps on a free trial are not yet obvious.

So whether you are user or developer, the future’s bright, the future’s freemium.

I hope you have enjoyed this free Lite article. Do contact me for the customised Premium version, on +44(0)1628 632914 or by email to challisc @ camwells.co.uk (please remove blanks first)

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