The Customer, Not Technology, Is the Biggest Disruptor

CHANNEL PARTNERS EVOLUTION — The customer experience outshines the next shiny piece of technology and successful partners get that; in fact, they help the clients that they service deliver a better customer experience. And you should too.

Why? Because the biggest disruptor today isn’t technology; it’s the customer — so says Salesforce global customer growth and innovation evangelist Tiffani Bova in her Tuesday afternoon keynote at Channel Partners Evolution in Austin, Texas.

“So, what exactly are the things that customers are looking for from us and how does the technology become seamlessly a part of their lives in the business world similar to the way it is in their personal lives? This is where you have a real opportunity to make change,” Bova told the audience.

While a lot of partners have the talent, the expertise, the services and products, it’s time to go forward and care about the client and their customer’s experience, i.e. when the retailer is helping a customer check out, when the airline is trying to check a customer in, when the hotel is trying to change a reservation, etc.

So, what’s a partner to do?

Partners have to pivot. They have to figure out how they’re going to work collaboratively with vendors and providers to deliver to their clients a seamless experience for their customers — who, by the way, get the experience, intentionally or unintentionally, that you designed for them, Bova stated.

To move forward, partners don’t have to throw out everything they know, but they do have to hit the reset button and do a bit of self-reflection.

“Who do you want to sell? What problems do you want to solve in the business world? Who do I need to work with? Ultimately, you’ve got to start with the customer, not, “I think this is a cool technology and I’ll find customers for it,” said Bova.

Then, partners must start working with data, analytics and intelligence, and they’ll have to reimagine partnerships they’ll have going forward to help solve their clients’ customer experience issues.

And, finally, don’t hoard the data — share it because by combining the data it could lead you to the right solutions.

“Your customers expect you to be where they’re going and welcome them when they arrive,” said Bova.

We remember the experience more than we remember the price and will spend more money for the experience – or the “mental model,” as Bova calls it.