Value Levers in the Professional Service Sector

Norton Rose Fulbright is a leading global legal practice offering a full business law service to many of the world's pre-eminent corporations and financial institutions. Norton Rose has offices based in over 50 cities across Europe, Canada, the United States, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

In this blog, I will be taking a look into how this organisation enhances their business through the use of blogs and twitter as well as making connections to the Social Technology value levers in Marketing and Sales.

Twitter

Norton Rose Fulbright has dedicated Twitter Accounts. Not just two or even five…but seventeen. These dedicated accounts are:

•        The global North Rose Fulbright Account
•        Key Industry sectors (6 of these)
•        Jurisdications (5)
•        Services (4)
•        Graduates (1 – UK Graduate Program)

Below is a screenshot of their current dedicated twitter accounts.

To me, this seems a bit too over-the-top. Is the amount of Twitter accounts hindering the business or enhancing it? Through research of whether having multiple dedicated accounts is actually beneficial or not, I found that basically the main concern is that the customer service model will get too complicated – customers will have difficulty knowing where to direct queries, which account would be most valuable to them etc. Richard Guerrero, the creator of the Dell Outlet Twitter Program, was also facing the same question - beneficial or detrimental? In a Brandwatch blog post, he says "if there are multiple and varied (i.e. unrelated) audiences that desire different information or engagement, lumping them [accounts] together may lead to confusion and lack of satisfaction of those disparate desires".

In North Rose’s case, I can clearly see that because each account has a very, very specific focus area, that this use of social technology is definitely enhancing their business, and is making it much easier for customers to find the information they need. Not only this, but it also makes it easier for the business to direct specific marketing and sales content towards their desired audience.

Take their Global Twitter Account for example. They have recently written a Bulletin on Social Media Laws. As this applies to the core of their business, this article has been shared on their global account.

Blogs

Norton Rose Fulbright also delivers numerous blogs to their audience. These blogs are specifically focused on, you guessed it, Law. Not only do these blogs give a useful insight into what the business clearly values and is about, but it also demonstrates their knowledge and passion for the field. The blogs are professional and insightful. Though it isn't as 'hands on' and interactive as their Twitter accounts are, this social platform still enhances the business' image.

Marketing and Sales Value Levers

This enterprise uses Twitter for their Marketing and Sales, focusing on the value levers of:

• Customer insights
• Communication and interaction

Twitter is used to promote their blog, making it easier for customers to find the content they really want.

Customer insights

By directing specific content through those specific Twitter feeds, to people who are actually interested in that specific content, Norton Rose Fulbright can gather insights about their services, opinions of them and their competitors and perceptions on what the followers want out of their services/products. These insights can then be used to tailor service requirements and service information. From there, they can then repeat the process, giving customers what they want each time and enhancing their business. The McKinsey report (2012) indicated that "analyzing the interactions on social platforms can provide unprompted feedback on campaigns and help assess general brand health" (pg. 38). 

Communication and interaction

"Social technologies offer a way to achieve efficient distribution of messages. i.e. communicating directly with customers at very low costs and with highly targeted messages and content..." (McKinsey Report, 2012, pg.38).

As mentioned previously, specific blogs and content are directed to and promoted through the relevant Twitter account. This distribution of messages through a highly interactive portal allows customers to freely interact and communicate on these posts. This communication and interaction between enterprise and customer means that the customers are feeling more involved, their thoughts and opinions are being heard and the business is communicating directly with customers at a low cost and enhancing their business through customer satisfaction. These customers are more likely to use Norton Rose Fulbright's services when they are needed, as they feel they already have a connection with the enterprise.

Overall, Norton Rose Fulbright successfully uses the values levers to enhance their business in the Professional Service Sector. Through the use of numerous social technology platforms, their customers can find the appropriate information and the business can successfully market their positive image and their outstanding services.