1. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Segmenting the GÉANT2 User Base Dale Robertson, PR Manager, DANTE TNC 2005, Poznan, 8 June 2005

2. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate The European Research Networking Landscape – Some Characteristics Hierarchical organisation – different from USA Variety of national structures – regional networks/universal provision/unique NREN Non-uniform development – digital divide Linguistic diversity We are a long way from the ultimate end users – communication in this environment is challenging

3. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Why Communicate? What We (Used?) To Say “The network already exists” “Who needs to know about it – they just need it to work” “Users’ needs don’t matter – they don’t know what they’re talking about” “The service is available – use it if you like” GÉANT was a victim of its own success: it worked well, so nobody knew they were using it

4. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Why Communicate? What We (Ought To) Say Now Maturing sector – emphasis moving from technology to service “To provide a good service, we need to understand what the user wants… … the services are provided for users, after all” “We need to know what users think, need and want” “Users” are becoming “customers”

5. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate What We Already Know About GÉANT2 Users (GÉANT) user survey completed May 2003 concluded: –High levels of satisfaction with the network –Low levels of awareness –Increased awareness could increase usage Desirable to increase awareness, and hence usage… …but how to communicate with up to, possibly, 30m people?

6. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate The Scale of the Challenge PR activity: 30,000 items distributed in GÉANT lifetime –Web –Events –Brochures –Presentations –Video etc. GÉANT2 user support: –Supporting demanding pan-European users But what about everyone else?

7. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Communicating to Users Inform - raise awareness of the network(s) and services Explain – raise understanding Support – increase network use Justify public funding Ensure users’ requirements are understood and met But it’s a two-way street… USERS PROVIDERS outreach feedback

8. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Learning from Users We want to provide a good service to members of the European research and education community To do this we need to: –Know who they are –Make sure they know about GÉANT2: what it is, what it can do –Understand what they need –Ensure we meet those needs

9. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Tackling Diversity Who are the users (and potential users) of GÉANT2? –International communication –World wide –All ages: schools to professors –Academic disciplines: religion to particle physics –Technophobes to techies –E-mail & browsing to grids & high throughput –Governments, hospitals, libraries…

10. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Adding Value Is a librarian’s definition of good service the same as that of a high energy physicist at CERN? Is the service required by an art historian the same as that sought by a supercomputing expert? They could all benefit equally from GÉANT2, but from different aspects of the network Normally, organisations aim to sell more of their product or service We are unusual: most of our (potential) customers already have (access to) our product. We want them to –Be aware of it –Benefit from it –Value it Users will value our competencies differently

11. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Segmentation What is segmentation? –Chopping up GÉANT2 user base (beyond NRENs) into smaller, more homogeneous chunks, called segments More manageable way of communicating with users –treat members of each segment in a uniform fashion – appropriate, tailored, correct pitch and detail Aim is to communicate more closely with users

12. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate How Might the User Base be Segmented? Try to group users who would have similar information needs Does this mean: –Usage level? –Support requirements? –Technical requirements (PIP, PERT/monitoring, roaming, testbed, etc)? –Institution type? –Geography? –Awareness of GÉANT2?

13. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Example Variables & Values Type of institution/activity: –Research –Education –Other (culture, libraries, health etc) Geographical scope of activity: - National - International Level of awareness of GÉANT2: - Low - High Type of application: - Grid - Demanding non-grid - Standard (e-mail, web browsing etc)

14. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Segmenting Connect. Communicate. Collaborate

15. Potential Segmentation – 11 Segments Connect. Communicate. Collaborate

16. Segmentation Issues Need to be clear what segmentation is for: –It’s a basis for organising communication with end users Segmentation needs to be compatible with NRENs Need for manageable number of segments Need to be able to identify which segment people belong to

17. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Segmentation in GÉANT2 Initial proposed segmentation Discussed with NRENs March 2005 Revision and further discussion following TNC and GÉANT2 launch Implement (tested and revised) segmentation Develop marketing materials for each segment Dissemination

18. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate The Importance of NRENs NRENs as –GÉANT2 primary customers –GÉANT2 project partners –Product providers – dovetailed/compatible approaches –Distribution channel for dissemination? –Interface to GÉANT2 users

19. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Adding Value Marketing is about understanding, creating, delivering and communicating value to our target customers Users are becoming increasingly demanding and critical of the research networking services provided to them Other networks are now potentially capable of satisfying the requirements of many of our less demanding users We need to understand users’ needs – and exceed them

20. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate Further Down the Road Segmentation: crude at the moment, as just beginning Feedback loop will help us learn more and develop our offering – customer value Segment in more detail: increase sophistication of analysis Segmentation is just one step on the way to developing a full marketing strategy for GÉANT2

21. Connect. Communicate. Collaborate QUESTIONS?