Changing Company Culture

In this blog, I will select a company and discuss its position on changing the company culture. For this exercise I will select Sprint as my company. My analysis will be given as responses to the following questions:

Question 1: How open does the company appear to be to the recommendations of a web analyst?

Based off of the information I obtained from their website, http://www.sprint.com/companyinfo/, I would say that the company would be open to the recommendations of a web analyst. The company’s mission statement on their Career page, “Are you ready? Come Shape the Now.,” indicates a desire for immediate change. Sprint also has an entire marketing organization that is dedicated managing the company’s creative campaigns for both consumer and business segments. This includes advertising, marketing, and brand communications.

Question 2: Are they a data-driven organization (from what you can tell)? Why?

I would say that Sprint is a data-driven organization. The company is always trying to form new business alliances in order to gain a larger market share. Potential partnerships with companies like Dish Network and Clearwire Corp., illustrate Sprint’s desire to improve their business numbers. Additionally, Sprint has a Consumer Marketing team established that focuses on the understanding of customer insights, improving products decisions, and the competitive landscape. The overall goal of this team is to improve loyalty, reduce costs, and maximize growth.

Question 3: What are 3 things that you might do to change their company culture to be data-driven (or more so)?

Even though it appears Sprint is a data-driven company, there is always room for improvement. Here are three things that they can do to stay on the right track:

1. They need to “Frame the Issues” – it is important to identify which issues need to be studied and which ones require more resources.
2. Data collection – once the issues are “frame” collecting the data becomes crucial. Being able to collect the right data can save the company time and money. 
3. Data analysis/interpretation – Even if Sprint did not have an organization dedicated to this sort of thing, basic statistical skills can be used to analyze data. Being able to determine the average, median, distributions, and standard deviation, can provide insightful information. To interpret the data, Sprint can use rival companies as benchmarks. Additionally, Sprint can compare their data longitudinally to see how the company performed over time.

Hiring Analysts

For this blog, my task was to search for potential candidates for a job posting I discussed in a previous blog, “Web Analysts Jobs.” The particular job posting was for an “Online Channels Web Analytics Specialist Job,” at Sprint. Here is my analysis:

The person I would select for this position, provided logistics and relocation are not an issue, would be Elena Millan. I found her profile using the website LinkedIn. She is currently employed as a Web Analyst and Digital Marketing Consultant. One reason why I would select this person is because of her extensive training and certification outside of a four-year degree. Another qualification that makes her an ideal hire is her background and experience in finance. A third thing that helps her standout is she comes from a different country. Being from Spain, Elena can bring a more international point of view to the position that can be useful in growing global markets. Her ability to speak three languages could be a valuable asset in this area as well.

This candidate has a variety of skills that fit this position. Some of the skills include: author and teacher on training programs for digital measurement; plenty of experience with a variety of measurement tools and implementing web analytic programs; and has experience being self-employed, which indicates she is self-motivated. Some of the specialties listed on her profile include: social media, search engine marketing an optimization, and business intelligence. Additionally, Elena’s background as an author and teacher would be an asset in communicating data, results, and plans to non-technical people.

In an interview, I would ask Elena to expand on her passion for numbers and statistics (from her profile) and why she opted to leave the world of finance for web analysis. I would also inquire about her opinion about Sprint’s brand image in Europe and what would be the first step toward improving it. Based on her experience, I would also ask her to select a KPI for and provide rough outline of a measurement program for it.

During the interview process, I would focus how effectively she answered the questions, as well as, how comfortable she was talking about web analytic material and tools. Being comfortable and confident in her knowledge about developing measurement programs could indicate a strong comprehension and the ability to effectively implement measurement plan.

Web Analytics Jobs

For this blog, my task was to search for web analytics jobs and select one that I found interesting. My analysis will be given as response to the following questions:

Question 1: Post one you find interesting.

The position I selected was for an “Online Channels Web Analytics Specialist Job,” at Sprint. Here is the link: http://www.sprint.jobs/job/Overland-Park-Online-Channels-Web-Analytics-Specialist-Job-KS-66062/2277105/.

Question 2: Why did you choose this job?

I chose this job mainly because Sprint is one of “Big Three” in mobile communications. In the rapid changing world of technology, you have to stay ahead of the competition. I felt that a company, such as Sprint would benefit and appreciate what web analytics could do for them.

Question 3: What Skills are required?

Some of the required skills include: strong ability to interpret data and apply it; excellent verbal and electronic skills; and strong interpersonal skills. Other skills include: attention to detail; ability to analyze website behavior; self-starter; effectively communicate technical data to non-technical people; and the ability to work under pressure in a changing environment.

Question 4: What would you do to make yourself more attractive? Share 3 specific activities.

First, I would elaborate on 17 years of working in technical fields, including computers, robots, and fire trucks to name a few. I would also expand on the extensive training I received in collecting and analyzing data while pursuing a Industrial/Organizational Psychology degree from Lawrence Technological University.

Aside from my personal qualifications, I would provide an example of my talents at work (obviously it would require some prep work prior to the interview). I would conduct a content analysis for Sprint and compare the results to data for their two top competitors AT&T, and Verizon. I would then present my findings and point areas where Sprint is getting beat.

To follow up my content analysis, I would present a dashboard reflecting a concise plan for improving one of the key objectives identified. I feel that anybody can say they have the abilities or skills, but being able to demonstrate them leaves a bigger impression.

Reference: http://www.sprint.jobs/job/Overland-Park-Online-Channels-Web-Analytics-Specialist-Job-KS-66062/2277105/. 

Measurement Plan for Higher Learning

For this blog, I will select a college or university and setup a measurement plan. The university I will use for this exercise is Michigan State University (MSU). I will follow the 5 steps as suggested by author Katie Delahaye Paine (KDP).

Step 1: Identify and Prioritize

For an effective measurement plan, MSU must establish which relationships are important to success of the university. MSU may choose to focus on the relationships it has with freshmen, alumni organizations, boosters, and parents of student. After determining which relationships are important, MSU can prioritize the list by which ones need improving and which ones deserve the most attention.

Step 2: Define Objectives

After determining which relationships to focus on, MSU can define what the objective is for each relationship. Take for example, the university’s relationship with incoming freshmen. This could affect the future growth of the university. MSU’s objective may be to maintain a positive relationship with freshmen in order to gain free “word-of-mouth” advertising and a lower transfer rate.

Step 3: Benchmark

Establishing a benchmark would be the next step. MSU will want to compare the statistics for each objective and compare them to schools in the surrounding area. Schools like the University of Michigan, The University of Indiana, and Pennsylvania State University would be suitable choice to use as benchmarks. These universities are in close proximity, similar in size, are all division 1 schools.

Step 4: Choose Measurement Tools and Collect

The best way for MSU to measure and collect data would be via surveys. Surveys would the university to reach student, parents, and alumni in order to gain an understanding of the university’s public image. MSU could also use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to remain connected with past and current students and parents. The more avenues that are available for people to share their thoughts, the better-equipped MSU will be in maintaining relationships.

Step 5: Analyze, Recommend, Make Changes, and Measure Again

After collecting data, MSU can compare it to data from previous years and evaluate the trends over time. The university should focus on the relationships that are struggling and take the appropriate measure to strengthen them. If the MSU’s relationship with freshmen is a problem, the university could evaluate its programs like freshmen orientation and counseling initiatives make changes accordingly.