One challenge of an Open Innovation (OI) system is attracting and engaging targeted solvers with great ideas. Social sign-on and auto-profiling are excellent tools that fosters engagement and encourages submissions.
Many idea management software platforms collect the bare essentials of their registered users, including:
Usability research shows people are resistant to filling out forms, especially longer ones, and many times the information may not be accurate. However, to succeed long term, you need to understand as much as possible about your solvers. By gleaning as much information from them as possible, you can invite them to other innovation challenges or engage them for feedback on ideas the community posts that match their skill sets. But you can’t do this unless you understand their capabilities.
Our software takes a four-fold approach to increase registration and improve user data by gaining the most information possible.
Ezassi’s social sign-on process allows submitters to create profiles in the system utilizing pre-existing social networking profiles from:
This social media integration allows for many fields to be auto-filled, which saves the user time and improves accuracy. The submitter does not have to create a username or password or go through the email verification process which reduces frustration and increases engagement.
The use of social sign-on also makes it easy for submitters to return to and utilize the site since they don’t need to remember or reset a password.
Using LinkedIn, registrants can autofill all of their data including degrees, credentials, skills, positions, and organizations.
If a registrant is proficient with “microencapsulation” or “polymers” for example or has a degree in “chemical engineering,” this information will be auto-filled into their profile.
Additionally, registrants can upload published articles, patents, their CSV and other documents within their profile.
The ability to autofill this information saves the user time and results in more accurate and complete data capture so “solvers” can be quickly identified for a particular idea challenge.
Since Ezassi’s user profile captures so much information, it’s possible to build a network of solvers and search for very specific expertise within your network.
Using Ezassi’s “deep search” functionality, you can search every upload, PDF, report or idea submission for a mention of certain keywords. For example, if you run an idea challenge around “microencapsulation” you can search and reach out to those particular registrants with expertise related to that keyword.
If a compelling idea is submitted and you need an expert opinion, you can “deep search” through every user profile and find any instance of “microencapsulation” and invite the user to provide their expertise, whether it’s to comment on an idea or make submission. All the data is in there, indexed and searchable, and you can find it in any profile, idea submission, or document at any time.
For large organizations that already have a single sign-on for their employees, Ezassi’s innovation portal software securely syncs with your company login information for immediate access.
According to a 2012 study by Blue Research, 86% of people are bothered by the need to create new accounts, and 54% consider leaving the site that requires this. Of those that have been forced to create new accounts to access a site, 88% say they have given inaccurate information.
Social sign-in, deep profiling, and single sign-on eliminate these barriers. Submitters can feel confident and comfortable when accessing your site through their own social media portals. Additionally, the data you capture is more accurate and complete with the integrated autofill option because submitters will fill in more of the fields with autofill than they will manually.
While social sign-on and single sign-on are options for submitters, they are not requirements. This flexibility creates the broadest engagement opportunity possible and increases users and submissions – the ultimate goal of an open innovation program.
As markets become increasingly globalized, and therefore more competitive, Open Innovation will be a driving force.
Do not let resistant to change even in the face of evolving markets prevent you from using employees, customers and outside experts
to transform your products/services by generating real solutions that can be implemented.
