As its customer base has grown to more than 78 million globally, Research In Motion (RIM) identified a need to increase the amount of online, user-friendly support content to ensure its customers were equipped with accurate information about BlackBerry products and services. Research demonstrated the value of effective customer service for a competitive brand: Accenture found that 2 of 3 customers switch brands due to poor customer service.
The RIM blog team realized that the launch of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 – which introduced significant new features to the PlayBook operating system – would create an opportunity to educate customers with easy-to-find information showcasing PlayBook OS 2.0 features and their usefulness in day-to-day use. With this opportunity in mind, RIM developed a plan to provide customers with accurate information around the new tablet operating system.
The best venue for this post-purchase product information would be the BlackBerry Help Blog. Since July 2010, RIM's Help Blog team has posted an average of 10 posts every month, introducing existing customers to new products and features, guiding new customers through the setup process, and delivering tips and tricks to experienced customers who want to make the most of their devices. Customers regularly engage on the Help Blog, with more than 3,100 comments posted in 2012 alone.
This past January, in preparation for the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 launch, the Help Blog team developed a content strategy intended to:
To respond to the opportunity of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, the team developed a strategic content calendar that would effectively showcase PlayBook OS 2.0 features and benefits based on customers' needs and interests. The team not only created a centralized repository with answers to PlayBook OS 2.0 questions, but they also leveraged 3rd party website and social media to spread this knowledge across the web, making it easier for all BlackBerry customers far and wide to better understand the features and functionality of the new operating system.
In order to ensure their content plan consisted of information that would be relevant for the BlackBerry customer base, the Help Blog team identified common themes from questions left on the Help Blog and BlackBerry Support Community since the initial PlayBook launch in April 2011. This allowed the team to anticipate what topics would be top-of-mind for customers. Forecasting topics in this way enabled the team to create content that perfectly matched customer needs, improving the availability of relevant and accurate information online.
Lastly, to disseminate accurate information about PlayBook OS 2.0 features, the team published a comprehensive set of 'seed content' immediately following the PlayBook OS 2.0 launch announcement. By getting ahead of the media cycle, the team ensured that blog authors of fan sites would have technically accurate and essential information to develop content for their properties, and to republish, embed and link to.
The Help Blog team's detailed plan and execution ensured that the project's outcome aligned with the overall objectives that had been set:
Increase awareness of PlayBook OS 2.0: During the launch and post-launch period, eleven PlayBook OS 2.0 Help Blog posts were posted, which was 45% more than the average number of posts published in a week. As a result, on launch day alone, page views to the Help Blog home page were 194% higher than the average for 2012 – the highest number of views ever recorded. PlayBook OS 2.0 promotional content linking to the Help Blog from @BlackBerry, @BlackBerryHelp and the BlackBerry Global Facebook Page garnered more than 60 million potential impressions.
Ensure distribution of accurate information: By publishing content immediately following the official PlayBook OS 2.0 launch announcement, the team effectively helped to position the BlackBerry Help Blog as the leading authority for PlayBook OS 2.0. This was supported by the fact that 20% of Help Blog page views for the month of February occurred in the first three days following the launch, reinforcing the importance of timing relevant blog posts to drive user engagement.
During PlayBook OS 2.0 launch week, 19.2% of traffic to the blog was driven by referrals from third party sites, as compared to 11.0% during the previous week. This increase in referral traffic demonstrates that the Help Blog was being used as a primary resource for information during the launch period.
The team also contributed to the Help Blog's central position in PlayBook OS 2.0 conversations by driving traffic to the blog from other RIM-owned social properties including @BlackBerry, @BlackBerryHelp, the BlackBerryHelp YouTube Channel and the BlackBerry Global Facebook page. These efforts resulted in more than 3,000 additional page views for PlayBook OS 2.0 Help Blog content.
Quickly answer user questions through search engines and social media websites: More than 61% of customers who visited the Help Blog during the week following the PlayBook OS 2.0 launch found the blog through search engines like Google. Team members were also on hand, responding to blog comments quickly and accurately. There was an average of 48 comments left on the Help Blog each day in the week following the PlayBook OS 2.0 launch, as compared to an average of 24 comments per day since the end of February.
RIM is committed to providing its 78 million global customers with a first class online support experience. Today, a majority of consumers have used social media for customer service issues, and RIM is leading the field among companies who are using social media for customer support. RIM has an understanding of what their customers need, and through the PlayBook OS 2.0 content plan demonstrated an ability to spread content that makes it easier for customers to get the most from their BlackBerry products and services.