The value of good research cannot be understated. At its best, research can offer empirical evidence for brands to move in one direction or another. It can offer metrics, standards, and cross-industry benchmarks to drive customer loyalty. For this reason, marketers have good reason to pay attention when new research by relevant, respected organizations is published.
On this note, Information Services Group, a technology research and advisory firm, has launched a new study examining the social business and collaboration market. Results will be published in a comprehensive ISG Provider Lens report on social business and collaboration, scheduled to be released in June. ISG enterprise clients will be able to use information from the report to evaluate their current vendor relationships and potential new engagements.
“Social business and collaboration services are becoming more important to enterprise clients as they strive to meet the demands of an increasingly younger set of customers and employees,” says Esteban Herrera, Partner and Global Leader of ISG Research. “This report will identify many lesser-known as well as more familiar providers able to provide these services.”
ISG has sent surveys to nearly 80 companies offering products or services related to social business and collaboration. The four social business quadrants covered include:
- Enterprise Social Collaboration Software, including enterprise social networks, next-generation intranet solutions, instant messaging, and audio- and video-based collaboration
- Enterprise Social Collaboration Services, aimed at services that offer users productivity enhancements through new and improved ways of communicating
- Social Media Management Software Solutions, making it easier for businesses to monitor, listen, interact, and collaborate with their target audiences
- Social Media Management, which helps organizations roll out social media management products.
The report will cover the global market, as well as examine products and services available in the United States and Germany. ISG analyst Mrinal Rai will serve as the lead author for the report.
The ISG Provider Lens research series combines empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG’s global advisory team. It is designed to offer enterprises detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG’s enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers serving the United States, Germany, Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom, with additional markets to be added in the future.
To those in the customer loyalty space, news of the upcoming report is especially germane. Loyalty360 has extensively covered collaboration efforts in the past, most notably
a partnership between Best Western and Disney and
a partnership between Wyndham and NASCAR. These kinds of partnerships have measurable benefits, and technology providers that can facilitate them should come in quite handy.