deal architect

Burning Platform: Customer Service as Competitive Advantage

Last year, I launched a video series titled Acrobatics during the Crisis. I saw all kinds of heroics scaling up healthcare, ecommerce, last-mile delivery, millions of emergency PPP loans and many other services. This year, while the pandemic continues, I have seen a noticeable decline in service quality - supply chain disruptions and labor shortages explain much of that but I also see quite of bit of that is what I call COVID and BREXIT "copouts."

The stage is set for companies to step up with service heroics and gain sustainable advantage over their competitors. In the enterprise, industrial world, there is a clear acceleration in the trend of servitization - where product companies are selling them on "as a service" and outcome based models and service companies are moving from transactional, break-fix type services to more strategic relationships. Again, a huge opportunity to differentiate.

With this background, I invited Sarah Nicastro, Vice President of Customer Advocacy at IFS and creator of industry resource Future of Field Service to this 52nd episode of Burning Platform.  

Sarah is a keen observer of trends in customer service with her regular podcasts on the Future of Field Service which features leaders from global brands across industries such as AT&T, Peloton, Southwest Airlines, Tetra Pak and Unilever.

We cover wide ground especially around the people/work aspects of the service economy. We also discuss that IFS has become very service savvy. People still view it as an ERP player but as Sarah points out it is also a 6 time leader in the Gartner Field Service Management MQ. IFS has also gone through a major rebranding exercise with a focus on what it calls "Moments of Service" and we will be hearing a lot more about their service capabilities.

Burning Platform: Ecosystems Galore!

In the 50th episode of the series we have Tyler Prince, EVP Worldwide Alliances and Channels at Salesforce.

While most vendors have siloed groups to manage their SI partners, their platform ISVs and their developer communities, Tyler plays a role in all 3 in Salesforce world. That includes their SI ecosystem with a wide range of global, regional, and vertical specialists, that on their AppExchange platform and in the Trailblazer community.

That gives him a unique perspective on the cross-currents across these very different ecosystems and the vital role they will play to deliver to CEO Marc Benioff's ambition to get to revenues of $50 billion by fiscal 2026 (in FY 2021 they delivered $21 billion)

We also discuss the impact the pandemic had on the SI community and the move to virtual project delivery, how Salesforce has woven diversity and inclusion in its ecosystems and the growing role of Slack acquisition and the Success from Anywhere initiative as lockdowns continue around the world.

Refreshingly different perspective on ecosystems!

Burning Platform: Leading with authenticity

In the 49th episode of the series we have a repeat appearance by Sabrina Horn, CEO of Horn Strategy

We discuss her new book "Make it, don't fake it". The book shows how authentic leadership eliminates the need for the shortcuts that sabotage success. “Fake it till you make it” just doesn’t work—at least not long enough to build a sustainable business.

It is being released this coming Tuesday. She sent me an advance copy and it has great quotes and monikers  - Fake-o-meter, "Work-life balance? Here’s why I gave up on it" and " Leader and loser both begin with the letter L" but overall it is about values in  the tech industry which is overwhelmingly driven by unicorn valuations and Wall Street attention. 

It is part autobiography, part thank you to mentors like Dave Duffield and Geoffrey Moore,  her parents, her employees and kids, but chockfull of examples on how to behave ethically in a variety of situations.  She must identify "50 shades of lies"  - some of the 'white lies" variety, some of the other extreme, fraudulent kind. She has spent a lifetime in PR, so this must have taken plenty of introspection on whether she and her firm(s) advised clients on doing the right thing, not just hyping what they had in their bags. 

We also discuss activism around so many "causes" these days - racial/ gender matters, equality, climate change etc.

I particularly like the fact that she wrote the book during the pandemic. While so many of us were so distracted by the crisis and the politics of 2020 she managed to concentrate on her first book, and it is an excellent one.

Get a copy of the book, in the meantime, enjoy the sneak preview below.

Burning Platform: The end of ERP?

In the 47th episode of the series we have Patricia Harris of Workday

Workday has coined a new category, Enterprise Management Cloud and is distancing itself from the ERP moniker.  Makes a lot of sense to highlight their cloud and analytical strengths. Besides, the market started looking more during the crisis in 2020 for bite-sized applications, not intergalactic commitments. So, we have a fun few minutes on Magic Quadrants.

But most of the time is spent on her solution marketing focus and Workday's path as it paces toward a $10 billion revenue goal. We also discuss how her background at IHS Markit and their extensive research on various industries is going to help Workday's vertical moves. We spend some time about her time at Hitachi Vantara, how the world of IT infrastructure is changing and how to navigate the growing influence of hyperscalers.

Nice, broad ranging conversation. 

Burning Platform: More work anywhere

In the 46th episode of the series we have Monty Hamilton of Rural Sourcing.

While the COVID-19 pandemic and related WFH protocols have turned many of us into recluses, the big realization is you can WFA - as in Anywhere. We have seen an significant acceleration in relocations - for tax, weather, safety, many other reasons. We had Mark Brooks who has been working and living for ages across the world - Shanghai, Bali, Malta, now Dubai.  Next, we had Tammie Hilend, CIO at Maxar who discussed how she has done her demanding job on the road in her RV  Then we had Raju Vegesna of Zoho Software talk about secondary and tertiary city locations in India, Japan, Netherlands, Mexico, the US 

I had written about Rural Sourcing in my 2010 book, The New Polymath, and I periodically get an update from Monty. They keep growing in secondary US cities - he talks about his 7th and 8th locations, the "features list" they use to decide on locations, how his practice has evolved a lot more to cloud deployments, product engineering and analytics.

I have always loved his approach - go to where the talent is, don't force them to relocate, unless they want to. Of course, after last year, many of them do want to relocate.

Burning Platform: Data-Infused Apps

In the 45th episode of the series, we have Pete Schlampp, EVP Product Development at Workday.

Last week, I had the chance to present to some Chief Data Officers. I made the point that 2020 was an inflection point for data and analytics. We saw countless new data streams - related to COVID-19 data, the new census, shortened sports seasons stats, polls from the turbulent US elections, countless supply chain disruptions and many more. We also saw a new generation of players that leverage enterprise data go public and otherwise gain prominence - Snowflake, Palantir and C3.ai among them.

Workday is better known for its transaction capabilities in finance, hcm and procurement but it has gradually become an analytics powerhouse with acquisitions like Adaptive, Platfora, Gridcraft and others. During the pandemic they launched several bite sized apps which leveraged their analytics which I profiled in the Analyst Cam including VIBE for diversity management  and Vaccine Management. 

As Aneel Bhusri, the Co-CEO recently said "the future is about data, insights and predictions" 

So it was nice to spend time with Pete, who has been the key architect of Prism Analytics which is the cornerstone of many of the apps. We also discuss his expanded role which extends beyond analytics, his world view of "data-infused applications", machine learning and the role of Workday partners and their domain knowledge in the creation of many more bite-sized apps.

 

Burning Platform: Workday Nation

In the 44th episode of the series  we have Webb Armentrout, Group VP, Global Partners at Workday.

Workday has historically done a better job managing its SI ecosystem than many other vendors including some I have written books about. They certify at the individual consultant level and require re-certifications with every new semi-annual release. They have also kept their partner count relatively small to allow for better collaboration and management at the firm level.

We discuss how the pandemic, related WFH and need for virtual implementations severely tested the SIs, and how they have collaborated with Workday, its customers and often with each other during the trying period. Emily McEvilly, Chief Customer Officer had given me a preview in our conversation in November. (Toward the end, Webb brings up meeting at Concourse B at Atlanta Hartsfield airport. We had spent a few minutes before the formal conversation discussing our respective admiration for Delta Airlines which is based there)

We also discuss the likely changes as Workday partners leverage its Extend development platform, as Workday evolves to more solution selling, more verticals and countries as it marches toward a major milestone of annual revenues of $10 billion. The addition of Chano Fernandez as Co-CEO, the promotion of Emily McEvilly and other executive moves reflect the increased scope Workday is taking on.

Clearly the ecosystem will need to step up, and I will keep pushing for more automation in their delivery but the Workday track record to date has been reassuring and bodes well for a smoother evolution.  

 

Burning Platform: Industry Clouds

In the 43th episode of the series  we have Jujhar Singh, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Salesforce Industry Clouds.

Salesforce has had significant vertical momentum, especially in the last year. See my interview with Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh last May, my Analyst Cam posts from their Summit last June where they showcased 12 "industry cloud" tracks - Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3 and my October note about Salesforce's "acrobatics"

Jujhar Singh does an amazingly rapid-fire update across many of those industries in the video below.

Bob Evans of Cloud Wars recently placed Salesforce as # 1 in his listing of Industry Clouds. He used revenues, vision and other rating factors.

I was already convinced of Salesforce vertical momentum last year, and Jujhar reinforced it this week, so I agree with Bob for 3 additional reasons

1. Salesforce's industry functionality is in a multi-tenant cloud. Most of the other vendor industry functionality and customer bases are still largely on-prem or in private clouds and other single tenant settings
2. Salesforce functionality reflects a more modern state of industries. Most other vendor industry functionality was developed over a decade ago or even further back and has been updated only mildly - spray painted as I like to call it. Their industry apps looked dated before 2020. With the pandemic forcing so many changes (see the many episodes of industry specific interviews I did in this series last year) many of their industry offerings look outright ancient now. 
3. Salesforce has leveraged vertical application partners on its platform better than the others (and frankly, I would like them to do even better with these focused partners) - with players like Veeva, nCino, Vlocity and many others

Jujhar invited my audience to this year's Industry Summit coming up in  June. I would highly encourage it - you can register here 

Burning Platform: Work Anywhere - Tertiary Towns and Rural Revival

In the 42nd episode of the series we have Raju Vegesna of Zoho Software.

While the COVID-19 pandemic and related WFH protocols have turned many of us into recluses, the big realization is you can WFA - as in Anywhere. We have seen an significant acceleration in relocations - for tax, weather, safety, many other reasons. We had Mark Brooks who has been working and living for ages across the world - Shanghai, Bali, Malta, now Dubai. Next, we had Tammie Hilend, CIO at the space tech company, Maxar who discussed how she has done her demanding job on the road in her RV 

Zoho has long had a very different approach to talent - they build it versus buying it from other companies or prestigious universities. They have long located themselves in secondary cities in Japan, Netherlands, Mexico, the US. The CEO, Sridhar Vembu has long had a passion for Rural Revival - see my interview with him last year after he relocated from Silicon Valley to rural India. 

Raju describes their move from Pleasanton, CA to Austin, TX. Quality of life and cost of living for employees are far more important to him than universities and airports are to other companies. Now, with Austin attracting so many other companies, he describes how they are shifting focus to even smaller towns in Texas and even more so in India.

In keeping with the rural revival theme, even the Austin location has become more of an organic, employee-nurtured farm.

He compares this distributed talent model to the move we have seen in computing - from a centralized, mainframe to a network model.

It is a fascinating conversation. He readily admits they don't have all the answers or that it will work for others, but post-pandemic, if we all don't explore such models and changes in lifestyle shame on us.

Coding + Farming just may be a winning combination!

Burning Platform: More work from Anywhere

In the 41st episode of the series we have Tammie Hilend, CIO of Maxar Technologies

While the COVID-19 pandemic and related WFH protocols have turned many of us into recluses, the big realization is you can WFA - as in Anywhere. We have seen an significant acceleration in relocations - for tax, weather, safety, many other reasons. Couple of weeks ago, we had Mark Brooks who has been working and living for ages across the world - Shanghai, Bali, Malta, now Dubai.

This time is Tammie Hilend who has been working from her RV as she travels around the US. Her company, Maxar is in space technology. Her COO, Jeff Robertson had presented at the start of the pandemic last year about the complex protocols they had to consider during the lockdowns especially when it comes to some of their sensitive, classified work.

Tammie describes her personal experience managing her demanding job from the road. With Starlink and many of Maxar's telecom customers generating excitement about satellite internet, it is timely to hear about her bandwidth around the road. As she says, managing around extreme weather has been more of challenge.

She also describes how in her other role managing facilities they are reimagining their "future of work" including work locations and hybrid formats.

It is a fascinating conversation. Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. We can ALL be digital nomads.