Social media and new service development: an exploratory study within a consulting firm

This chapter focuses on the impact of the use of social media (SM) on the process of new service development by consultants. SM used by consultants in this case is LinkedIn, one of the largest professional networking sites available today. We carry out content analysis based on concrete practices and benefits described by actors. Results show significant differences in practices. Some consultants have basic practices (i.e. login once a week to read messages and answer contact requests for example). Other consultants have much more advanced practices and can spend several hours a week using this tool. They look for interesting professional contacts, send messages to explain their contact request, consult profiles of new contacts of their network's members. They also classify their contacts by categories (customers, prospects, positions, etc.), look who publishes what, who reacts on what subject, etc. The level of time investment for the use of SM determines the level of benefits received by consultants. Regarding the utility for new services development, results highlight two main points. In a global way, possibilities are poorly perceived and exploited for generating ideas. There are only a few isolated practices aiming at diversifying the network of professional relations for ideas generation (heterogeneity in terms of expertise and geographical location). Most consultants make more spontaneous use of SM to validate ideas for developing new services. They test the interest for their proposals (article, post, event, etc.) to their target market via SM. The utility is therefore mainly to be able to detect concerns of target market and guide new consulting services development depending on the reactions. At the end of the chapter, we discuss the fact that these changes in behaviors can have a positive impact on new service development but do not come without risks and challenges.