Nokia hones its social skills

ESPOO, Finland – Nokia has started to share social news and data on big screens in the company’s social spaces at HQs all over the world.

It’s an effort to open up relevant online conversations for Nokia employees to see and engage, and a key step in making Nokia a “listening” company.

Visitors to these offices will notice Agora on flat-screen displays in communal spaces in the form of a six-screen social media showcase. As Social Media Week starts next week, Agora is evidence that Nokia taking its sponsorship of the event seriously by rolling its sleeves up and pitching in with a highly relevant product.

You can see creative content, both internal and user generated, real-time social conversations, and real-time social metrics.

It’s just one brainchild of the Social Marketing team of the Global Consumer Engagement team at Nokia aimed at encouraging information flow, openness and accessibility to news and data.

Agora brings to life links that can remain buried in inboxes and helps colleagues to stay up to date with the thoughts and feelings of valuable customers.

And because it is visual, set in communal spaces, it encourages people to talk about what they are seeing and discuss how to incorporate it into the workflow, rather than just assume someone else is doing it.

Agora is already installed at HQs in Espoo, Finland, Sunnyvale, California and London, UK with the UAE and India due for delivery in the coming weeks.

If employees want to access the data later they can get the QR code from the screen or access it via the web in HTML5 on tablets and smartphones.

Agora emphasises how engaging with online conversations is a core part of understanding customers and helps drive how Nokia’s core businesses should be directed.

Another innovative way of flagging up the online buzz about Nokia is Socializer, but it is more proactive and could prove even more productive.

It generates actionable “signals” from conversations in markets and then encourages relevant employees who have subscribed to specific keywords, to take ownership, collaborate with other colleagues and respond.

The tool uses a clever combination of social analytics and game mechanics to maximise attention and action.

There are badges to be unlocked and a leader board to showcase the most active and influential users of the tool.

The system is primarily web-based but a mobile version is also in development.

Socializer represents another way that Nokia is trying to go beyond passive listening and move towards real-time actions based on customer insights.

Agora will be showcased for the first time outside of our offices at Social media week, New York in the Big Fuel offices for the whole week where people can see it themselves.

And stay tuned to Nokia Conversations for more coverage of Social Media week events and highlights from Monday.

Also, check out the Social Media Week website.