Enterprise social systems to supersede franchise intranets
The Cheesecake Shop is among the latest batch of firms to deploy an enterprise social system - think of a Facebook for business. Founded 21 years ago, the Sydney-based chain has 180 stores and 2000 staff in Australia, 16 outlets in New Zealand and 14 in the UK and Poland.
Based on the World Manager software platform, TCS' system will be progressively unveiled to franchisees over the next eight months by an in-house project team.
It is expected to supersede an intranet that to date has been the company's repository for recipes, operations manuals and other corporate documents.
The term "enterprise social" is used to refer to a social networking layer, on top of traditional collaborative tools in a business environment. Features typically include: document sharing, updated posts, blogging and the ability to create shared spaces and Facebook-style online communities.
Gartner anticipates global spending on enterprise social software will reach $1.08 billion in 2014 while IDC predicts the market will be worth $4.5 billion by 2016.
Vendors, including Microsoft-owned Yammer, Salesforce-owned Chatter, Jive, Telligent and IBM, compete in the space. Start-ups abound and the sector is yet to produce a clear market leader.
TCS national marketing manager Peter Dable said the system would enable the company to deliver consistent induction and training programs online to new staff.
Previously, training was the responsibility of franchisees and some did it better than others, according to Mr Dable: "There's a feeling this hasn't been executed well through all stores."
Full story: theage.com.au/it-pro
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Enterprise social software is a social networking layer for business that sits on top of traditional collaboration tools. Unlike a basic franchise intranet that acts mainly as a document repository for recipes and operations manuals, enterprise social systems add real‑time collaboration features such as document sharing, updated posts, blogging, shared workspaces and Facebook‑style online communities.
Franchise businesses are adopting enterprise social systems because the spread of smartphones and tablets makes up‑to‑the‑minute collaboration practical across many outlets. These systems help improve communication, centralise information and deliver consistent induction and training programs online — addressing inconsistencies when training was left solely to individual franchisees.
TCS is deploying an enterprise social system based on the World Manager software platform. An in‑house project team will progressively unveil the system to franchisees over the next eight months, with the aim of superseding the company’s existing intranet for recipes, manuals and corporate documents.
TCS expects the new platform to enable consistent online induction and training for new staff. Previously training responsibility sat with franchisees and execution varied across stores; the enterprise social system should standardise training content and delivery across the network.
According to the article, The Cheesecake Shop was founded 21 years ago and operates 180 stores with about 2,000 staff in Australia, plus 16 outlets in New Zealand and 14 outlets in the UK and Poland.
Industry analysts forecast strong growth for enterprise social software: Gartner expected global spending to reach about US$1.08 billion in 2014, and IDC predicted the market could be worth around US$4.5 billion by 2016, indicating rapid expansion in the sector.
The enterprise social market features established vendors and start‑ups. Named providers include Microsoft‑owned Yammer, Salesforce‑owned Chatter, Jive, Telligent and IBM. The sector has many entrants and has not yet produced a single clear market leader.
Investors should look for platforms that offer practical, franchise‑focused features: reliable document sharing, real‑time updates and posts, blogging and knowledge‑sharing spaces, the ability to create shared online communities, and tools for consistent online induction and training across multiple outlets.
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