ICT and CSR Marketing Allies

There is no doubt that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Conciliation are fashionable? How are the Information Society and the actions and initiatives that try to reduce the famous “Digital Divide” still fashionable? CSR is based on the voluntary start-up by companies of shares that have their origin and justification as a consequence of its activity and whose effects fall on the so-called stakeholders, that is, the employees themselves, the customers, the suppliers, the shareholders, and without forgetting the environment, and in general, society in its and welfare and human development.

Admitting that ICT are already considered important contributions (such as technological tools for managing information) to business management, and that CSR and Conciliation have also been constituted as such, the objective of these lines is to demonstrate the compatibility and complementarity of all of them. An obvious example is, without a doubt, the important contribution that teleworking implies for the Conciliation and CSR. Besides an advantage for the employees, it supposes an action of RSC from the company, when facilitating a greater quality of life for its staff. But it is also a profitable source of productivity, by reducing costs and times.

And it demands that the company trains (RSC) its employees, with ICT training, and provides them with the tools: computer, broadband, etc. which are usually financed by leasing or renting. Following other types of “stakeholders”, for example clients, ICT facilitates the relationship with them, especially in Marketing and Customer Service actions. Loyalty processes, promotions, Direct Marketing, would not be easy without the help of ICT.

And let’s not forget the informative and relational role ?? that supposes the presence in Internet, by means of webs, blogs, electronic Bulletins, etc. In addition to optimizing customer service with solutions such as CRM, companies demonstrate their transparency and responsibility by providing the most information through this medium. Properly prepared information is also offered to shareholders, suppliers, media and other members of the company. society, (stakeholders all) using, increasingly, the Internet environment. Respect to the Environment, recycling equipment and peripherals is another demand? of the RSC, that many companies solve by donating the equipment that they change to entities that use them for social goods such as the Bip Bip Foundation. But what do you paint? Marketing in all this? Those of us who work in this area confirm that the consumer suffers a series of changes in their attitudes that influence the results of the companies.

Indeed, although the value of the Brand and its fidelity to them is key in the purchasing processes, more and more the consumer incorporates other more emotive components into its decision processes. as are some of the following: Indeed, although the value of the Brand and its fidelity to them is key in the purchasing processes, more and more the consumer incorporates other more emotive components into its decision processes. as are some of the following: Indeed, although the value of the Brand and its fidelity to them is key in the purchasing processes, more and more the consumer incorporates other more emotive components into its decision processes. as are some of the following:

  • The CSR understood as what the Brand ?? does ??, in general terms, by and for society. From your interest in taking care of the Environment, not to contaminate and recycle, to the Conciliation policies, which facilitate the personal life of your workforce.
  • The commitment to help in projects of social interest, and in causes such as fair trade, collaboration with NGOs, etc.
  • Job offers to disadvantaged groups
  • The commitment to gender equality.
  • Reconciling work and personal life
  • Interest of the company in the human development of its employees
  • Other contributions to social objectives such as safety, health, training, etc.
  • Professional ethics and respect for the laws of its directors

That is, the consumer can decide (and check that he already does) between similar brands, taking into account the perception he has of the company. A very recent example has been with a brand that was accused of child exploitation in its third world production plants. Finally, it is important to highlight another facet of complementarity between ICT, CSR, Conciliation and Marketing: To help The company to implement its CSR and Conciliation applications, and its subsequent exploitation in the Operational Marketing Plan, it is essential to apply a methodology that, necessarily, needs the support of the ICT, both for the collection of information and to optimize its processing . For informative purposes, a very schematic and generic methodological process is indicated:

  • Analysis / audit of: the company in general, its sector, the ?? vocation ?? and availability of Senior Management to initiate and develop processes in one or both areas, etc.
  • Detection of activities / Departments susceptible to applying CSR and / or Conciliation. Brakes and perceived difficulties.
  • Real ability to get results: real interest? of Management and employees
  • Assignment of budgets and feasibility of the same
  • Analysis of return of investment to three or five years
  • Initial analysis of notoriety and Brand Image: objectives and expectations for improvement
  • Staff willingness to collaborate and participate
  • Benchmarking platform, to compare the relative position of the company in its sector and the improvement achieved in each phase of the development of the processes.
  • ??Scorecard?? and database on productivity, absenteeism, sick leave, hours dedicated to non-labor issues, etc., to measure the evolution and improvement. Application of ICT tools to the process.
  • Others according to clients and sectors

Additionally, the methodology must take into account that the exploitation of the results is transmitted through communication processes (external and internal), and highlighting the benefit that it entails for each stakeholder (person or group affected by the actions), segmenting the activity in As is logical, the use of ICT tools not only provides shorter deadlines for these works, but also contributes to achieving greater profitability in the short, medium and long term.