A business driver is a force, person or any other factor that has a direct impact on the set goals and objectives of the business. What can be termed as a key business driver should be a factor that has influence, whether direct or indirect, on the performance and progress of the business in question. It should also be a measurer able factor that can be easily compared to a standard and be acted upon. This paper seeks to focus on the web 2.0 technologies as key into boosting the business’s performance. There are so many business drivers and forces behind the Brisbane Translink. Key among these include the need for more services to be offered, a move towards acquiring more infrastructure, more advanced customer relationship management and customer satisfaction (Heerkens, 2002).
Competition, knowledge, skills and demand always highly prompts for the formulation of a suitable marketing strategy as regards campaigns and marketing as a whole. Web 2.0 technologies adoption and implementation serves as a good strategy towards achieving better markets and reliable ones.
The above drivers affect the choice and formulation of marketing strategy in the sense that, if the competitor’s products are sold at a lower price, more customers will shift to them. Also if the quality of goods or services offered by the competitors is high, an entrepreneur is likely to lose more customers as they go for the quality products. Thus the pricing and quality of products in a business determines the performance of the business in the midst of the competition offering the same products. Use of web 2.0 technologies in marketing brings in the issues of real-time access and delivery that counter the above threats from competitors, at least given that the business world is going global.
Skills and knowledge has an effect on the quality of the products. These can be gained by carrying out statistics and interviews on the social networks. We ensure that the workers are competent and ready to care for the customers. Our marketing strategy policies include promotion policy such as displays, advertisements, after sale service. These methods make the customers aware of what our business is offering to the market, at what time and in what conditions. Advertisements can be made through the social networks, reaching out to masses economically.
In today’s economic world, customer relationship management is an important factor in the efficient running of any business organization. Increasingly, companies are investing a lot in building a stable customer relationship, to achieve organizational value and benefits related to established relationships. This explains why most companies have adopted technologies that track, monitor and enhance the existing customer relationships, allowing for scalability and expansion of the scope. Social networks are considered so effective in ensuring this is achieved, as they form a good channel for feedback delivery (Cunningham, 2002).
A customer relationship management framework is, therefore, a basic requirement in a company that seeks to expand its market scope and achieve greater productivity. A well established customer relationship management framework assures quality of products and services as customer feedback is used to make necessary adjustments, enhance the decision making processes, gives more attention to the customers as opposed to the enterprise’s interests, realization of high profits, more appropriate planning and high rates of company growth and development (Heerkens, 2002).
Customer relationship management improves the company’s competitiveness and ability to protect its customers from shifting to its competitors, creating a good atmosphere for development of strategies to monitor customer behavior and helps in effective management of the rapid speeds at which the company grows. These work together for the company, to make it competitive in the market economy. Though a customer based strategy, customer relationship management incorporates employees, and it’s a market communication strategy. Emerging technological trends have been a major contributor to the establishment of the customer relationship management. The web, for instance, provides a good platform for vendors to communicate with their clients. Companies put up their own websites that meet the specific requirements of the company and those of its customers. Commonly, these are established as business to business sites targeting specific market segments (Cunningham, 2002).
Translink recognizes its human resource as key in the company’s success. This is evident from the kind of treatment they are subjected to, the policies set in place to protect them from any kind of dangers and mistreatment and the sufficient and deserving payments they are given. The company’ employees are protected against environmental issues, health, safety and international labor compliance rights. However, to make more informed human resource decisions, Translink requires some information which it gets through the social networks. Statistics from employees’ comments on the social sites can be used to measure their satisfaction and motivation can be done by commenting on their updates positively (Heerkens, 2002).
Translink, both as an independent and international company requires information on the standard payments for employees, legal policies protecting the interests and lives of employees and the basics in recruitment for them to make informed decisions concerning the human resources. This is basically important in complying with the international standards and in ensuring quality services from the human resources. Social networks are deemed as key to getting this information and hence making fast and accurate decisions.
Primary and secondary benefits that are expected to occur from the project if it achieves its objectives
The primary benefits are achieved from achieving our primary objectives which are our ultimate long- term goal of the business. In connection to this we expect to enjoy the following primary benefits if we achieve the objectives of our project.
There are various benefits that Brisbane Transink. One benefit that will be achieved is that of improving customer experience. Survival of the business in the market almost entirely depends on how widely the web 2.0 technologies will be appreciated and put into use. Achieving the objectives will help the business to be more competitive in the market hence it will be able to stay longer in the market because it will enable it to build Translink values to become a best in class. People in the organization will help build its innovative business systems that support the business needs that arise now and then due to technological developments .It will also be able to continually measure and improve cross business processes.
Profit maximization as a benefit of the social networks has to do with economical marketing and delivery. The business will be able to maximize its profits since it will have created more services that it desires to have and provide to its customers in the future. This includes providing high frequency priority buses that will be welcomed by more passengers and continuing with our got ready education program to assist customers with becoming more familiar with using go card.
Better customer service; customer will enjoy better services from Translink Company from the improvements to the way the passenger information is delivered onboard on-station and online. Continuing our got ready customer education program using the social networks to assist customers with becoming more familiar with using go card is also a major strategy. Improvements will be made to the way we deliver passenger information – onboard, on-station and online (Cunningham, 2002).
Application of social networks will also ensure diversification and growth since the company will diversify its services whereby it will allow people with the go cards to use them easily in a new system where there will be go card gates at key train stations hence anew revenue point for the company. This will enable the company to meet the needs of different users, including corporate customers, tertiary institutions and tourists. Translink will continue to deliver its simple vision of making travel easy by embracing new technologies and leveraging our successful go card product to deliver new customer benefits. This will in turn expand and improve the efficiency, frequency and reliability of Translink services and deliver vital new infrastructure for the customers (DiPlacido, 1976).
The secondary benefits as a result of achieving the day to day objectives of the business include the following.
With social networking using the web 2.0 technologies, an increase in sales has been experienced in Translink Company and it is focused that the company will be able to increase its sales of tickets due to customer information at hand. This is true of the application of social networks which will have increased the sale of tickets increase its net asset base. The profits gained by the sales increase together with equity injections from the government will boost the infrastructure improvements that it wants to make in the long run.
Social networking also increases employee’s efficiency. Translink is planning to develop the skills and knowledge of its employees hence builds their internal capabilities which will enable to deliver effective services to their customers. This will make the customers feel the value paid for their services is utilized. It will also enable meet the company’s mission and vision built on Performance, Alignment, Capability and Engagement to make travel easy, manage well the cash resources indeed the community’s needs (Zeithaml, Parasuraman, & Berry, 1990).
Social responsibility will be made possible on the various social sites. The company will be able to build a positive public image by being socially responsible to the community around them. Translink will take the responsibility of ensuring that they improve the infrastructure which is not only used by Translink Company but also by the community around .They will also ensure that their means of transport does not pollute the air or cause noise pollution. Feedback on how far such efforts will have been made will be delivered on the sites aiding the decision making process (DiPlacido, 1976).
Enhance economic development is also a key benefit of this project. Public transport is highly integrated, efficient and recognised as a key driver of economic growth around the world. If Translink achieves its strategic objectives it will contribute to the economic development of the country in the transport business other business and also in agriculture which happens day to day.
Arguing on Translink company’s Quality Customer Experience customers are the strong advocates based on a quality, consistent and seamless experience at all touch points will take the companies praises everywhere hence a good channel of advertising the company’s services to the whole world hence the circle of growth will continue promoting perpetuity. Reaching out to the customers across the globe will be made easier and real time if the social networks will be fully integrated into the system.
As regards good governance Translink good governance will be achieved from the timely audits of their work and reports concerning their roles responsibilities and their individual achievements. This ensures that the company achieves integrity transparency accountability and stewardship.
It’s also evident from the documentation and observation results of Translink Company that its focus is directed towards a major goal of ensuring that there is sufficiency and effectiveness in the public transport matters and those that concern customer services and satisfaction. A major fact, though constantly ignored, that works well for companies in ensuring customer satisfaction is employee motivation. Employee motivation is a business concept that has had a controversy for quite some time on whether or not it should be adopted. One could define employee motivation as a set of systems implemented to boost the commitment and will of the employees to work at their best.
There are many strategies used to ensure employees are motivated, where the environment and the job serve to determine the best strategy to be adopted. Salary increment, allowances, a friendly environment and persuasive communication in the organization are some of the forms used to motivate employees. Why then should employees be motivated? Increase in productivity is the core reason behind employee motivation. Motivated employees work at their best and within the set deadlines. This enhances improvement in productions for the company. Creativity and innovation can be made possible by motivating employees. It is said that when a person is sober and has peace of mind, it is a superior platform for generation of new ideas and new approaches towards problem solving (DiPlacido, 1976).
One of the major strategies that are reason behind this project for Translink Company is the corporate level strategy of companies that constitute of mechanisms; to achieve a greater market scope, a conducive and friendly environment, quality service delivery and a competitive economy. It is divided into two principal areas, grand strategies that focus on enhancing the company’s growth, ensuring stability in terms of service delivery and economic standing of the company. It also deals with economic mechanisms that seek to attain a cost-effective operational status. Grand strategy also covers the amalgamation of the different resources toward achieving a common goal.
On the other hand, corporate level strategy puts in place growth mechanisms as a major point of focus. This deals with economic and market awareness, forms of integration adopted in the company, and appreciation of diversity for healthy competition (Translink 2010-2011 annual report, 2010).
The second greatest strategy is the Business level strategy that has two major parts. One mainly focuses on adaptive strategies that project on how to discover and venture into new markets, maintaining the quality of services provided and attracting more customers and an efficient analysis on how to enhance each of these factors.
Another part of the business level strategy is the competitive strategy. This emphasizes on diversity of the company from its competitors, seeking ways to compete favourably despite holding different approaches. This strategy also discusses cost management and control and centres its attention on a potential market rather than wandering across markets.
References
Cunningham, M. J. (2002). Customer relationship management. Oxford, England: Capstone Pub..
DiPlacido, P. (1976). Employee motivation. Columbus: Ohio Distributive Education Materials Lab.
Heerkens, G. (2002). Project management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Translink 2010-2011 annual report. (2010). Newyork: Translink.
Zeithaml, V. A., Parasuraman, A., & Berry, L. L. (1990). Delivering quality service: balancing customer perceptions and expectations. New York: Free Press ;.
