GiffGaff, a British mobile connection provider, have done something brilliant here. They’ve taken something that can be super complex and feels out of your control and made it a very simple online purchase that you, the community, run (or feel like you do anyway).
How did they do it?
1. They created a set number of simple and cost effective plans that will suit nearly any user – and continue to crowd source new ones. goody bags
2. They allow you to do everything online and it’s pretty much all done by users. my giffgaff
3. They incentivize customers by paying them to recruit new members and for generally being helpful to other users. payback
Profile:
- Wholly owned by O2 but separately run as a privately held company in UK (Guardian article)
- Runs on O2 network but charges less due to lower overhead
- Went live with full version July 2010
- 22 employees on LinkedIn at time of publishing
- In June 2011 they paid back £250,000 to members/consumers as part of their community engagement scheme paid out twice annually
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w66UHmd0AK4]
p.s. thanks Florian Champagne for telling me about their great work with social business
