RIM and the Blackberry Shut-Down Fiasco

The Blackberry outages that took place last week had the general public feeling dissatisfaction to say the least. Not only were Blackberry users angry with the inaccessibility but there was a general frustration with the fact that no information was provided surrounding why the outages happened in the first place. The only information I had heard was that the shortages started somewhere in Europe and then travelled worldwide. This is a real time example of a world issue that quickly spread to technology users across the globe.

Some of the Top Ten Social Media barriers (and arguably social media dependent devices such as a Blackberry) include lack of resources, lack of knowledge, lack of timeliness and lack of awareness. By providing concrete information to Blackberry users in this situation in a timely fashion, RIM is remaining proactive and speaking to the problem on an immediate basis.

This global situation has made RIM the main topic of recent conversations, making RIM an influencer. RIM now requires a web strategy that they can use to manage this situation and remain an influencer, while moving into a positive light. Blackberry began as a popular device, which then became an influencer (meaning that more and more people felt they needed to buy a Blackberry as it became a necessity) and now they must work to remain an influencer while up against their main competitor, Apple. This can be accomplished through the use of using both social media and traditional media (as many users may not have access to social media due to the outages) to send a message to Blackberry users. This information will consist of the nature of their technical problem and keep users updated with information as the problem is addressed.

RIM can take advantage of television, internet, newspapers, local broadcasts and podcasts and social media (used for the internet only) to convey messages to users about their technical issue. The longer RIM avoids the questions, the more clients they will lose in the meantime. Providing followers with information in a timely fashion is crucial to managing any business strategy. If accomplished efficiently, RIM will save themselves from losing to their main competition.

On that note, I also would like to mention that I can’t help but notice the coincidence that took place here as the timing was impeccably close to when the new iPhone was released. Could these two “coincidences” be an overall business strategy?