Company: StarHub
Entry submitted by: Darren Choo (darren) AVP of Social CRM
Community: StarHub Community (http://community.starhub.com/)
Lithy category: The Organization Game Changer
StarHub Community, together with our social media agency Vocanic, has embarked upon cross-functional collaboration with 10 departments in our organization. Apart from Customer Service and Marketing, we have worked with our Network, Market Research, Marketing, Human Resources, Content and Mobile teams. Through collaboration within our organization, our initiatives have been recognized and we have won industry accolades in Singapore: Best use of Brand Advocacy (Gold) at the Loyalty & Engagement Awards 2013 and Excellence in Loyalty Marketing (Silver) at the Marketing Excellence Awards 2013. Read the details below.
As Singapore's fully integrated info communications company, StarHub offers a full range of information, communications and entertainment services for both consumer and corporate markets.
With the aim of providing every person, home and business in Singapore with world-class multimedia services and content, StarHub operates a mobile network that provides 4G, 3G and 2G services, manages an island-wide HFC (Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial) network that delivers multi-channel pay TV services, as well as ultra-high speed residential broadband services.
In a bid to further enhance our relationship with customers, it was decided that improving and reinforcing the way we handled customer service, was key. Simply put, the traditional customer service call-centre system needed to be revamped, to take advantage of the power of Social Media.
In so doing, StarHub was able to tap into the vast prowess of peer-to-peer support, eliminating the need for customers to call in. The strategy unearthed unlimited potential going beyond customer service to touch on topics relating to Human Resource, Content Marketing, Sponsorship Deals, Marketing Communications and Direct Marketing just to name a few. We have worked with various departments within our organization to run campaigns for their activations. As each department adds StarHub Community to their activity scorecard, we become a vibrant platform that integrates into the different layers of our organization.
The results across the board have been phenomenal, with the industry recognizing the value and effectiveness of our Lithium-supported Social Strategy as evident from the following accolades:
• Loyalty & Engagement Awards 2013 – Best Use of Brand Advocacy (Gold)
• Marketing Excellence Awards 2013 – Excellence in Loyalty Marketing (Silver)
What were the goals?
We wanted to position StarHub as a company that listens, understands, cares for our customers and the Singapore community. At the same time, we acknowledge that endorsements are often regarded to be more credible and objective when they come from third parties that do not have a stake in the business.
In creating a new platform, it was crucial that it be instrumental in cultivating brand advocates, where in times of need, users could step in to defend the brand on our behalf from the “bashing” conducted by others. It was to also be a sanctuary for frank opinions, transparency and a hotbed for equipment testing by our loyal customers.
Hence, the aim was to create a community managed by consumers, for the consumers and moderated by StarHub.
StarHub Community would present a centralized platform for existing customers to turn to should they have any StarHub product or service-related problems. There, they would be able to access to a wealth of user-generated trouble-shooting tips, solutions, general information and more.
In harnessing the community for support, the secondary goals were to reduce budget spent to hire and train call-centre personnel, and at the same time increase efficiency in addressing technical issues.
In addition, the community would serve as the go-to place for StarHub news updates regarding new handset releases, promotions, cable television show discussions and more. For the ladies, it served as a rallying point to take part in contests and promotions tied in with Lady First Singapore – franchised from Taiwan’s leading lifestyle magazine show.
StarHub Community as a whole would stand as a lifestyle hub for the masses.
How has your company incorporated Lithium against those business goals?
Cross-functional collaboration with StarHub Community with various departments in our organization:
1. Network dept.: The Network team has a Network feedback app where employees – on the private Employee Board – are asked to give feedback when they encounter data access problems so the Network team can take action to rectify issues. After a successful trial we intend to launch this to the public. This will greatly enhance customer feedback by pinpointing to us areas with network issues which we can then take action on.
Link to post (private) http://community.starhub.com/t5/Employee-Network/Help-Us-Improve-Our-
Mobile-Network/m-p/52905#U52905
Screenshot of Network post:
2. Market research dept.: Instead of conducting expensive focus groups, we now conduct them through Community and additionally develop long-term relationships with respondents. For confidential projects we use trusted, closed-group advocates for respondents.
Link to post: http://community.starhub.com/t5/HomeHub-Survey/CLOSED-HomeHub-Bundle-Survey/m-p/73247#M1
Screenshot of post:
3. Corporate Communications dept.: We work closely with the Corp Comms team to manage crises. StarHub Community is a more positive environment for constructive feedback compared to Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter where customers may slam us. Here, trusted advocates who potentially have StarHub’s interests in mind give us fair and constructive feedback and step in to moderate other users who may troll us.
Link to post: http://community.starhub.com/t5/Mobile-Plans-and-Rates/RIPOFF-Starhub-will-startcharging-EXTRA-for-4G-from-1-June-2014/td-p/74241/page/5
Screenshot of post:
4. Human Resources dept.: StarHub believes in keeping employees happy and healthy and to show that the company cares, the HR team embarked on a program to deliver to our employees a package of fresh fruit every Friday. We leveraged on this to run a fun employee photo contest called the Juicy Smile contest. We asked employees to "flash your juiciest smile with the fruit of the day,” take a photo and upload it on the Contest page on the private Employee board on StarHub Community. The top 3 best smiles were rewarded with a $50 shopping voucher each.
We previously tried other platforms to engage employees but these had little participation because employees could not access these platforms at home. Community however, is on the cloud and has an easy user interface, encouraging employee participation.
Link to post (private board): http://community.starhub.com/t5/Employee-Hot-Topics/Juicy-Smile-Contest/m-p/70947#U70947
Some of our employees' entries:
5. Segment marketing dept.: Segment marketing used to be once-off tactical events but with the Community we can build long term engagement and sustainable interest groups for various segments
Here are some of our successful segment marketing campaigns:
Food segment – Auspicious dishes
Background: StarHub’s Hubalicious - a gastronomic extravaganza that celebrates all things food – is a testament for the brand’s love for food. And since food holds a special place in the hearts of Singaporeans, the opportunity presented itself, to reach out to consumers via gastronomy.
StarHub leveraged on the Chinese New Year festivities to invite fans to share their celebrations with food. It was a call for foodies to unite, to showcase home-made treats and dishes. The top-voted entry walked away with a Samsung GALAXY S4 (LTE), while consolation prizes were made up of 8 $50 Resorts World Sentosa vouchers.
Results:
- 252 unique visitors
- 20 entries
View the entries here :
http://community.starhub.com/t5/ideas/v2/ideaexchangepage/blog-id/CNY-AuspiciousDishes-Contest/tab/most-kudoed
Screenshot of entry:
Female segment – Lady First
Background: At the beginning, it was found that StarHub Community was rife with male-skewed content, e.g. mobile phones, routers, gadgets discussions and more. This campaign was launched to drive females to the site.
We sent out emails that led customers to perform a simple survey in order to ascertain interests. We targeted females whose interests included beauty, makeup, fashion, hairstyling and write their own blogs. The survey acted as a filtering process to find legitimate female bloggers. 20 bloggers were then invited to attend a briefing where they received topics and social tasks to share with their followers that in turn led to activities, conversations and buzz on the Community.
Results:
- 7,143 unique visitors to StarHub Community’s Lady First board
- 470 Topics written
- 1,274 replies to topics
- Out of 20 original bloggers, 5 remain active to this day, close to 1 year after the activation. 2 of them are members of our Sparklers super user group.
The success of the drive to include the female target audience in the conversation prompted the brand to plan for and launch a sequel activation set to take place mid-2014.
Link to Winners Announcement post: http://community.starhub.com/t5/StarHub-Community-Announcements/Lady-First-Bloggers-Challenge-Winners-Announcement/m-p/36223#M10
Screenshot of winning bloggers:
Travel Segment - Crowdsourcing of itineraries
In conjunction with the year-end holidays, travel plans follow with fervor. StarHub recognized this and tapped into the myriad of vacationers planning their getaways. Through Community, StarHub encouraged members to share their upcoming travel itineraries and get their friends to vote for them. However, no touristy itineraries were allowed. Anyone can head to the Eiffel Tower. Plans shared had to unveil lesser known foreign destinations like jungle trekking in Cambodia and local coffee shops in Vietnam, and more.
3 winners snagged a total of $2,000 Chan Brother Travel Gift Vouchers. (3rd prize: $400, 2nd prize: $600, and 1st prize: $1,000.)
Results:
- 1,404 unique visitors
- 29 entries
After the contest ended, we created an Interest Group on StarHub Community with the crowdsourced travel itineraries so visitors can continue to discuss and share their ideas.
http://community.starhub.com/t5/General-Travel-Discussion/bd-p/travel
Creatives for Travel Segment Engagement campaign:
Elderly segment – Active Ageing Hackathon Phase 1
The StarHub Golden Gurus initiative saw campaigns rolled-out on the Community targeted at including senior citizens in the online conversation. The brand appreciated that seniors often felt left behind and clueless when it came to IT, new media, the internet and the likes. Golden Gurus sought out seniors who were well versed in the intricacies of technology to coerce and train their peers.
The Active Ageing Hackathon paired StarHub Community members with UP Singapore members to bring together experts, researchers, marketers, designers and developers over one weekend from 16 - 18 Aug 2013 to develop prototypes of solutions to improve the lives of our Seniors in Singapore. 2 best ideas clinched a Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 7.0 Tab each.
Results:
- 988 unique visitors
- 97 entries
- 2,305 votes
View the entries here: http://community.starhub.com/t5/Closed-Active-Ageing-Hackathon/idb-p/activeageinghackathon
6. Content Marketing Dept: The StarHub Community platform allows us to hold creative contests e.g. crowdsourcing Instagram photos and your favourite TV shows which is more fun than other platforms. This contributes positively to our SEO as content is crowd-sourced, easily searchable and more engaging.
Oscars – Predict the Winners
Background: The Academy Awards is a big annual event, televised live globally and watched by many in Singapore. In order to ramp the viewership up on the programme further, we decided to tap into the crowd in the Community for their Oscar predictions.
The mechanic was simple. Fans needed to submit their predictions for the winners of 4 categories – Best Actor, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Picture and Best Animated Feature. Get them right, and they would stand a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.
In just 5 days we received:
• 259 Entries (from original target of 5) by 151 participants
• 448 votes
• 1,700 Likes, 141 Comments and 57 Shares on our Facebook post about the campaign
Check out the entries here: http://community.starhub.com/t5/Closed-2014-Oscars/idb-p/2014-Oscars
Screenshot of contest:
HITS TV – crowd source for which shows to air next
Best way to make fans happy? Give them what they want. That’s exactly what HITS TV set out to do, by crowdsourcing all-time favourite TV shows that may have ended their runs but which people love and miss.
We asked people to submit and vote for the TV shows they’d like HITS to air in the coming months. The idea should fit HITS’s DNA: epic characters, riveting stories, cult following, multiple seasons.
Top Prizes: A Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 7.0, vouchers to Resorts World Sentosa, Sephora vouchers
In addition to posts on StarHub’s social media platforms, the HITS channel on StarHub TV even ran a TVC promoting the contest: http://youtu.be/09GdqFRdP_Q
Results:
Post on Community:
http://community.starhub.com/t5/StarHub-Community-Announcements/CONTEST-ENDED-HITSPick-
a-TV-show-and-stand-to-win-a-Samsung/m-p/65113
7. Product Marketing Dept: Through our sponsorship of celebrities like Korean TV actor Kim Soo Hyun, we have run a StarHub Community pull-down campaign.
In a typical sponsorship deal where a celebrity is involved, fans rarely get the chance to revel in the thick of the action. StarHub Community however, gives them a unique digital platform where their shared content is logged, consolidated and seen by all – giving them the airtime to unabashedly show off their love for the star.
Popular Korean celebrity Kim Soo Hyun commands legions of fans in Singapore. We set out to give his fans an avenue to shout about their adoration by showcasing their “die-hardness”. All they had to do was to get creative with photos, videos and more and the best entries would win a pair of passes to an exclusive fan-meet.
Total entries: 60 within just 4 days
http://community.starhub.com/t5/StarHub-Community-Announcements/CONTEST-Get-Your-Wish-Granted-by-Kim-Soo-Hyun/m-p/74663#U74663
For those who had passes in hand, we leveraged the selfie trend to get fans to take creative photos of themselves with ticket stubs for a chance to have Kim Soo Hyun call them on their phone during the event to join him on stage and grant their one wish with him.
Total entries: 181 within just 9 days
http://community.starhub.com/t5/Get-Your-Wish-Granted-by-Kim-Soo/I-m-a-Ticket-Holder/idi-p/74679#U74679
Promo Banner:
8. Mobile dept.: Reviews of latest Mobile phones on the market. We harness reviews from the crowd, bloggers and employees on a common platform that was previously not possible.
Blog link: http://community.starhub.com/t5/Mobile-Handset-Reviews/bg-p/MobileHandsetReviews
Blog screenshot:
9. Cross-bundling & Recontracting dept.: HomeHub & Recontract bits. Previously, ATL and BTLs were one-way communications which did not allow us to control the flow of information to customers searching for details on recontract promotions. With Community, we have put into place a process to help existing customers make that informed choice during their zero-moment of truth (ZMOT) i.e. the step they take right before they make a purchase. Customers can read the discussions and questions by others, ask questions and obtain answers from the Community as well as the Community Managers.
Posts on Community:
http://community.starhub.com/t5/Broadband-Recontract-Offers/StarHub-Broadband-Recontractoffer-HomeHub-and-more/m-p/21994#U21994
http://community.starhub.com/t5/Hubbing/100-Mbps-Cable-and-200-Mbps-Fibre-HomeHub-plansnow-available/td-p/39663
http://community.starhub.com/t5/TV-Recontract-Offer/StarHub-TV-Recontract-Offer/m-p/35619#U35619
10. Customer Service dept.: We work with the CS team to create articles for The Knowledge Base (TKB) on StarHub Community. We also feature How-To videos available on StarHub's YouTube channel. The CS team then direct people with queries to these resources for answers and discussions on solutions. This reduces reliance on call-centre personnel.
TKB: 100,000 views over 55 articles
How-To Videos: 29,360 views
One of our articles on TKB:
Categories on our Knowledge Base:
Screenshot & Link of one of our How-To videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhlUa3zn034
