Success Story
 
 
Stanford Student Enterprises – Faster Feedback Cycles
Formally organized in 1996, Stanford Student Enterprises (SSE) is
tasked with maintaining the financial viability of the Associated
Students of Stanford University and ensuring that student groups
and leaders have adequate funding and resources. Made up of
approximately 100 talented and energetic student employees in six
business divisions, the organization operates in multiple locations
across campus and on multiple time schedules. Seeking to provide
a collaborative environment for SSE’s employees, SSE COO Nick
Weaver introduced Yammer to the organization and saw rapid adoption and engagement.

“What I love about Yammer is that no

explanation was necessary. The value of
the tool was obvious to our employees, Organization SSE
and we’re a closer company with faster Industry Education
Employees 100
feedback cycles because of it.” Founded 1996
 
- Nick Weaver, Stanford Student Enterprises, Chief Operating Officer

Solution
The SSE Yammer network has served as a virtual office of sorts for the company,
coordinating employees across projects, schedules and divisions. Yammer was an attractive
solution for SSE because it is platform-agnostic, allowing for integrations with a multitude
of other services and products. SSE employees use Yammer to quickly gather feedback
and opinions, to make announcements, and to coordinate company-wide meetings.
Yammer has streamlined the communication process for SSE, allowing for faster feedback
cycles and constant mobile connectivity, resulting in a company that feels closer and more
engaged. Weaver notes, “Because we’re better connected, we have more of a sense of
community and can operate at a higher level of efficiency.”

Results and Benefits

 Faster Communication: Employees can post a question or idea and quickly receive
answers and feedback from the entire company – all public so knowledge isn’t siloed.
 Closer Knit Community: Because employees can put a face to the names of the
people they work with, the dispersed company feels like a unified whole.
 No Training Necessary: Employees were able to quickly engage with the tool, which
is modeled after mainstream consumer social media products.