Platform Power

Every day, people ask me what Springday does.

They’re interested when I tell them we’re in the wellbeing business because, hey, who isn’t interested in wellbeing?

But when I say ‘Springday is a wellbeing platform’, I can see their eyes glaze over.

To some, I might as well be speaking in tongues.

So today I’d like to explain platforms, what they are, why they’re important and how Springday’s own platform works.

Platforms, simply, are connection engines.

They bring together groups of users or customers and groups of providers and in this way, they’re nothing new.

A marketplace is a platform and so is a shopping mall because both collect a group of retailers together in one place and make it easier for customers to do business.

But technology, which moves connection out of the physical world and into the cloud, takes platforms to a whole new level.

Uber, for example, is a platform, a technology-based engine which connects drivers and passengers.

Airbnb is a platform.

So is iTunes… you get the picture. All these firms connect users to a multitude of third party services.

And with these names, you start to see the sort of power that platforms are generating.

In fact, ‘three of the five most highly valued companies in the world – Apple, Google and Microsoft – make much of their profits from connecting different groups, like developers and users in the case of Apple’. *

Platforms are also portals, allowing users to access information from a single space.

Take Spotify; instead of making you trawl the net for songs you like – or worse, downloading several apps from several record labels – Spotify puts a collection of songs in one spot.

This becomes important when you think of how vast the web is, how infinite its content.

A platform used this way brings you the best providers in a certain area and helps you personalise your choice without fighting your way through a maze to get there.

On the provider side, Springday collates events, products, programs and expert advice on all areas of wellbeing.

We might develop these ourselves, or our clients might, or we might source them from third parties and vet them.

And because we’re about wellbeing, we work particularly closely with wearable brands such as Garmin.

Our users don’t see our platform, of course.

What they see is a beautiful and flexible interface with a group of services and initiatives (e.g. resilience modules, activity challenges, ability to book flu vacs and health checks).

They access the services they want from any device, anywhere, any time, which reduces the need for users to download 10 apps to do 10 things.

They just need the single Springday app because it enables them to do all 10 things.

For example, one of those 10 things might be Spring Fitness’ 30-day wellbeing program.

We first applied our platform as a virtual wellbeing arm for corporate wellbeing, and it’s still our biggest area but we’re expanding, with projects in both the fitness and health industries.

In fact, any group of people of about 200 or so who come together can use our platform.

We call these groups our tribes.

Springday adds various kinds of value to the platform, by offering communication, admin, development and maintenance.

But an absolutely crucial benefit of our platform is that it collects and crunches the data entered, making it available to both individual users and key players, such as HR and other managers in organisations, personal trainers in the fitness industry and doctors in the health industry.

In that way, the platform becomes an agent of change, helping people reach their wellbeing goals.

I hope you see why I’m so excited about platforms.

With their ability to take on critical mass, to make sense of the internet and to shape-shift with change, they’re the future of how we do business, how we access the internet and how we live our lives. Watch this space!

*Evans, David S and Schmalensee, Richard, What Platforms Do Differently than Traditional Businesses, Harvard Business Review (May 11, 2016) 

What’s new

This September, Spring Fitness will be available via Springday.

What does this mean?

Your employees will be able to access the whole Spring Fitness program that offers daily 30-minute fitness plans, healthy recipes for every meal and mini-meditation podcasts via our app.

The aim is to teach them how significantly their lifestyle choices affect the way that they feel.

They can track their mood each day and watch it soar.

There’s even a screening tool for depression and anxiety on days 1 and 30.

Employees are allocated points for the activities they do and when they compete against others within their organisation.

The good news is that HR managers also receive a comprehensive report on the health and happiness of their organisation.

To celebrate the launch of Spring Fitness on Springday this September, any Springday clients who join Spring Fitness will receive 3 hours of onsite massage, for free.

That’ll make your people feel even better!

For more information contact Gretchen via email or call her +61 415 408 772.

What’s going on

Check out some interesting articles we came across in May and June:

Nearly half of all Americans use wearable devices. Research shows that tracking your lifestyle, fitness levels and health behaviours is becoming increasingly popular.

Did you know that it might become illegal to send work emails after-hours or on weekends? France might pass this new law.

You may not need painkillers any more: Research finds that VR technology reduces pain.

Prenuptial Agreements. Is it our new reality to have employer-employee relationships that equal marriage contracts?

What defines your character? Your personality may be more adaptable than you think.

To finish off on a very funny note, check out what we’ve found to help you manage your mobile communication life.