DC09-079 06 March 2009
‘Digital’ stalking turns off UK business
Business people communicate more than ever but are they sending out the wrong messages? BT Business teams up with a leading psychologist to investigate virtual identity.
Companies are in danger of driving away business and wasting time on unproductive communications because they are failing to understand customers’ different digital personality types when they are dealing through email or other communications channels.
In new research released by BT Business today, nearly a third (30%) of the workers surveyed* feel harassed by the sheer number of messages people send them while many also admit that they themselves are never sure of the best way to contact people implying that companies are missing out on the opportunity to unify their communications technology, and on the personal and business benefits that can bring.
At the same time, workers appear to be increasingly managing working relationships through social and business networks further adding to the volume of work related communications people send and receive. One in 10 people surveyed have customers and clients as friends on personal social networking sites such as Facebook. This trend is particularly true for younger people, with more than one in six (15 per cent) of the 18 to 24s surveyed saying they use or would use these tools to manage customer relationships, compared to just two per cent of 45s or over. Similarly, six times as many 18 to 24-year-olds use or would use microblogs such as Twitter to manage customer relationships compared to 45s or over.
These are some of the key findings of the BT Business research which sought to understand how people are using modern communications tools to build business relationships. The research involved input from one of the UK’s leading psychologists Gladeana McMahon.
Psychologist Gladeana McMahon explains: “It’s important that people recognise the difference between communicating virtually and face-to-face. We often read others’ body language to gauge what they are really saying, adapting our response to get a better result. In the virtual world we don’t have the same clues to help us modify our behaviour so we must try to identify ‘digital personality types’ in other ways to ensure business success. Similar to people thinking before they speak, people need to think before they click to avoid inappropriate communications.”
“It’s great to see businesses taking up new technology to build profitable relationships but many are missing out on the opportunity to get rid of the clutter and unify their communications,” said Bill Murphy, managing director BT Business.
“Unified communications can empower employees to intelligently tune their communications to the preferences and behaviour patterns of different personalities by creating a sense of presence in a virtual world. With three quarters of the UK’s small businesses now operating some form of flexible working, to maximise the benefits it’s important for businesses to look at how they can help staff to be more productive, while at the same time saving money by eliminating wasteful messaging.”
The research also revealed a real concern by nearly a third (29 per cent) of managers surveyed** that they would lose customers if they did not get better at using technology to communicate with them, however, 42 per cent said their organisation does not provide guidelines to help employees effectively use the communication tools listed in the survey, such as email. This is despite evidence that suggests some people are using tools such as Twitter and Facebook for work purposes which may be outside corporate policy.
Working with McMahon BT has identified a range of digital personality types1 to help employers develop their own policies on the use of modern communication tools and to encourage employees to understand their own behaviour and the communication habits of others better.
| Character trait | Behaviour |
| Open |
|
| Conscientious |
|
| Extravert |
|
| Agreeable |
|
| Neurotic |
|
What makes up a person’s digital personality - ‘Personality V’?
Personality V is a reflection of a person’s individual character traits and describes how their resulting behaviour translates itself in a digital world. McMahon has also defined a simple guide to help people read someone's 'Personality V' to ensure they maximise business relationships.
- Accessibility: How open is the person to embracing new communications?
- Speed: How quick is the person to respond to communications?
- Emotion: What is their emotional response to receiving communications - written and verbal?
- Agility: Do they present the capability to multi-task across different forms of communication?
- Tone and Style: Do they like detail or results orientated communications? What tone of voice do they prefer?
Notes:
* Those that work in UK organisations with fewer than 500 employees and employed for at least 3 months. Total sample size was 3473 workers.
** Managers (senior managers / directors below board level or above) who work in UK organisations with fewer than 500 employees and are employed for at least 3 months
1. There are many different ways of assessing personality types across the general population. In the business world, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used personality test. This view of digital personality types has been developed by Gladeana McMahon based on how MBTI could be translated into virtual character traits.
2. All figures are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 3473 workers in organisations with less than 500 employees and employed for at least 3 months. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd and 8th December 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have not been weighted.
