Nucleus - Marketing and Design Newsletter
Finding a Solution With Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing (Crowd+Ousourcing) is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional committees.[1] This problem-solving method has been picking up lots of attention lately, most notably in Iceland's usage of crowdsourcing to write a new constitution. But what is it and how can it be used to help your business?
Here's a brief run-down:
Connect with customers. Request their suggestions on improving your offerings. My Starbucks Idea is the most famous application of this concept- it’s essentially a public, web-based suggestion box where consumers suggest ideas and vote on others’ proposals.
Market-test as you go. Asking customers for feedback on items in an unfinalized state allows you to gauge reaction to possible variations on a product and direct you toward the most profitable decision.
Encourage collaboration among workers. Services like Salesforce’s Chatter exist to solve communication problems among workers in an organization. Sharing ideas and finding resolution to common roadblocks is easier when your whole team can tackle a challenge.
Help employees take ownership of the business. Individuals take pride in communities and practices in which they have a hand in creating. Creating a platform in which their ideas and opinions are acknowledged and acted upon can create a marked increase in loyalty and productivity.
Gain a wider perspective on the problem. Presenting a business problem to other stakeholders in the organization (clients, employees) can provide a more comprehensive picture of the situation, allowing for better decision-making.
Execs who use crowdsourcing find it valuable in a number of ways:
- It surfaces new ideas & opinions – 36%
- Builds relationships & engagement with key audiences – 25%
- Invites clients & customers from nontraditional sources to contribute to ideas & opinions – 22%
- Brings new energy to the process of generating ideas - 16%