The key priority was to design, build and launch a new, mobile responsive Community platform that would enable customers to give and get support whenever and wherever they needed it.   ---------------------------- Company: EE                                                            Entry submitted by: Claire Thatcher (Head of Digital Care) Community: The EE Community Lithy category:  Social Support Champion   EE, part of BT Group, is the largest and most advanced mobile communications company in the UK, delivering mobile and fixed communications services to consumers.   EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, having pioneered the UK's first superfast 4G mobile service in October 2012 and was the first European operator to surpass 14 million 4G customers in December 2015. EE has more than 550 shops across the UK. EE's 4G coverage reaches three quarters of the UK geography. EE plans to extend 4G geographic coverage to 95% by 2020.   Brilliant and Personal Service   At EE we are focussed on giving our customers brilliant and personal service. In addition to having 4G in more places than any other UK network, we believe that our service is what really differentiates us in the market.   The original EE Community launched in October 2012 on the same day the EE brand launched with just one staff member -  a single Community Manager, and for the first few years of its life was left to grow organically.   In 2016 we decided it was time to invest in our Community and Community team. Through research, appointment of a new, experienced Community Manager and attending events such as LiNC, we knew there was a big opportunity for EE to improve the service we give our customers through the EE Community.   EE Community Phase 1 EE Community Phase 1 kicked off at the beginning of 2016 with the focus of setting up the basics and enabling the newly established Community team with future-proofed tools to drive a helpful, personalised and engaging Community experience.  The key priority was to design, build and launch a new, mobile responsive Community platform that would enable customers to give and get support whenever and wherever they needed it. The original EE Community wasn’t mobile friendly and we knew being able to access and navigate the EE Community on a mobile device would be the biggest single improvement we could make for our customers.   The EE Community re-launched on 20 July 2016 with a mobile responsive design and overnight we saw changes in how customers were interacting in the EE Community:   1. Mobile registrations increased by 91% YoY   2. Solution views increased 142% YoY. Putting mobile users at the forefront of EE’s responsive redesign resulted in a dramatic increase in solution views. In the new mobile-first design solutions are far more visible on mobile than they were previously, and visitors to the community find it easier to identify and view confirmed solutions for the questions they need answers to.     3. PTC savings (customers calling us) delivered an ROI within six months.     Changing the conversation The second focus in our Community Service strategy was ‘changing the conversation’ to be more positive and helpful.  Initiatives included: Hired a EE Community Stars Manager to recruit, set standards and engage with our Stars. Launched a Surprise & Delight programme, which rewards positive participation and contribution in the Community. Set up quarterly Star events, with a mix of in-person social gatherings, business briefings and Q&As within the community. Created an annual content calendar to promote key EE themes such as our network and support  key campaigns and launches. Revamped ‘Kudos’ to ‘Helpful’, encouraging members to contribute more useful and educational content. Introduced a robust, transparent, ongoing archiving programme to ensure content is easily finable, and that Community sentiment isn’t adversely impacted by older or inaccurate conversations. As a young brand our community had collected a fair share of growing pains and like any community, archiving is needed to maintain a healthy, useful Community. Our archiving strategy balances the need to keep current, accurate content findable while still ensuring old conversations are available where needed. Involved the community in user testing to drive business improvements and positive participation. In the lead up to the My EE app v4 launch we set up a user feedback group in Community where customers had the opportunity to trial the app by completing specific tasks and give feedback directly to the My EE app product manager. Comments from participants after the user testing completed included: “Thanks again for the trial and the professional manner it has been conducted.“ “One of the best consumer trials I've been involved in!” “Hope EE does more stuff like this in future.” “It was great to see how the app developed over time. Looking forward to further updates in future.” 8. Most recently we have been engaging with Stars and customers to review EE’s latest products, such as the LG G6 Review Crew – where ten of our Stars are currently trialing the new LG G6 device and writing reviews on behalf of EE.    What our customers think of the changes In November 2016 EE conducted social research via an online survey. 800 customers participated, with a mix of Community and non-Community users.   The results were positive and showed: Customers exposed to EE social media are more likely to recommend EE, with the EE Community having the biggest impact on recommendation (NPS) Community content is rated more positively than borrowed/paid social channels 68% customers surveyed love/like our content, and find it helpful, friendly and knowledgeable People like that they can get digital support from real people and that they can get a quick response   ... View more