The Art of the Pivot

“The more difficult projects are usually the ones that provide the most value to the organization. And if you truly are committed to creating value to the company, you need to accept the complexities and challenges that come with developing and deploying technologies.”On an average day, global logistics company UPS delivers around 25.5 million packages. In peak times, that rises to more than 37 million. Join Juan Perez, Chief Information and Engineering Officer for UPS as he takes you through what's needed to ensure flexibility and scalability when dealing with these sorts of numbers — even before managing the impact of the pandemic. You'll hear about why combining engineering and IT in one position is so vital (and unusual), how UPS has used technology to support recruitment efforts, and the impact of the company's global smart logistics network, including why up-to-the-minute parcel tracking might not be so far away. All these insights and more, delivered straight to you by the Art of the Pivot! 

“Our patients today are demanding that same type of experience that they're receiving from many other sectors… We have a goal to digitally disrupt healthcare by improving that member and provider experience and ultimately improve health outcomes.” Blue Shield of California is a nonprofit health insurer, providing health and wellbeing services to more than 4.5 million members across the state. But the way those services are delivered has changed — permanently. Join Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Lisa Davis for a fascinating conversation on business transformation in the healthcare sector, including an in-depth look at Blue Shield's new cloud-enabled, data-first health information platform, which uses AI and machine learning to help drive patient-centered personalized care, as well as reward physicians and hospitals for better outcomes. If you want to learn to think about data as a strategic asset, and drive transformation not just within organizations but across whole industries, don't miss this episode!

“There is a fundamental link between customer and employee experience…too often we focus on customers first and then can't go any further without enhancing the way employees get work done” Long before sweatpants on video calls and curious cats as meeting focal points, Citrix was helping employees deliver great work from anywhere in the world. The pandemic has naturally made their services even more vital and gives Executive Vice President, Business Strategy Tim Minahan a unique perspective on the last two years, plus what lies ahead. Listen in as Tim discusses COVID-19 as change catalyst, the compounding “human” supply chain crisis and why employee experience cannot be deprioritized in search of the perfect CX.

“Each of us is creating our own digital ecosystem—in your home, in your office, in your car— and we have to make sure we understand those perfectly.”As the lines between our virtual and physical worlds become increasingly blurry, the impacts of security breaches on our lives become even greater. Striving to protect us from would-be password thieves and phisherman is NortonLifeLock and their Chief Commercial Officer, Robert Clarkson. Robert joined us to discuss the current state of cybersecurity, including  some simple fraud protection tips, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the difference between solving for consumers and enterprises. 

“In order to have people love you, sometimes you have to have people hate you as well. And it's the lovers and the people who will be passionate about your business and your brand—those are the ones you want to keep day after day.”Break out your favorite pint and get ready for a little “Pivot and Chill,” because this episode is our coolest yet.  Dena Wimette, Ben & Jerry's Head of Product Innovation, joined us to discuss her enviable role in bringing new and exciting ice cream flavors to market. Believe it or not, the job isn't all chocolate swirls and marshmallows (though there is a fair share of that). Dena must balance upholding Ben & Jerry's strong progressive values, satisfying an intensely passionate fanbase, and being on top of the public's changing tastebuds. Satisfy your craving for exclusive insights and learn a bowlful about running a values-driven brand in this tasty interview.

“We always need to over-communicate, to our customers, to our associates, what we're doing and make sure that we really let everybody be a part of the journey.” Vericast has been helping businesses connect with their customers for over 140 years. The way the world works may have changed once or twice over that time, but the company continues to innovate and adapt to deliver modern marketing solutions. Join Chief Revenue Officer Susan Rothwell for an in-depth look at just the most recent restructure in Vericast's history, including consolidating four separate businesses into a single entity, and the vital importance of communicating openly and honestly. You'll also get the inside track on the privacy implications of influencing the purchasing decisions of over 120 million households, and Susan's tips for attracting the right customers for your brand, then building and sustaining lasting 1-to-1 relationships. If your business has customers, this week's episode of Art of the Pivot is for you! 

“We understand our role. We are there to support and help our customers to grow. And with them, we are growing as well.”  Phil Friedman built Computer Generated Systems, or CGS, from the ground up — just a few years after the word “start-up” was even invented. Over his decades of experience providing business applications, enterprise learning and outsourced services to companies around the world, Phil has learned a few valuable lessons. In this episode, you'll hear about Phil's personal journey from the former Soviet Union to the fashion industry, how any business can benefit by becoming a “one stop shop,” and why taking responsibility is crucial to building customer confidence. Plus, you'll hear about how AI is revolutionizing the way organizations deliver training, in the fashion world and elsewhere.

“We like to think about authentic intelligence, adaptive intelligence, agile intelligence. All the ways that you can leverage that immensely powerful data to shape what's next.” Q: Which Art of the Pivot episode features discussions on the role of AI in Marketing, distrust in polling and a forthcoming parody business musical? A: This one! Leela Srinivasan, the first-ever CMO at Momentive (formerly SurveyMonkey), joined us for a wide-ranging and fascinating interview at this pivotal moment in the organization's history. As Leela and the Momentive team chart a new course towards “agile experience management,” discover how they are leveraging insights gained from 7 billion+ survey respondents to reimagine a trusted brand.

“Whenever we get the chance, we're living and breathing the experience as a service that we want to espouse to our customers.”What does exceptional customer service look like in a world where consumers are more knowledgable and empowered than ever? How can you bring reps from merely being “nice” to having true empathy, the type that doesn't just help people resolve issues, but builds lasting brand attachment? According to Joyce Kim, EVP and CMO at Genesys, one of the world's largest Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) platforms, it's all about data. Hear Joyce's thoughts on the right way to approach customer experience, the recent changes to the role of Chief Marketing Officer, plus what call center and IndyCar teams have in common.

 “Go and fail and start again, and go until you get it right!”William Niles, CEO of Brinks Home, is an executive who understands that transformation is no waiting game. Since becoming CEO in March 2020, he has already launched a complete organizational overhaul built around the three pillars of people, technology and brand strategy. While some may argue that such comprehensive change would be impossible during the midst of a global pandemic, Niles saw it as mission critical. Discover how he employed a “disciplined” approach to transformation to bring Brinks Home into a new era of connected data and superior customer experience.

“What was the mindset of leadership? Were they ready to trust their employees working remotely? Or was it a brand new thing, where they had to overcome the myths that existed around remote work for many years?”As CEO of LogMeIn, one of the world leaders in remote work solutions, Bill Wagner has a front row seat to the monumental changes brought on by COVID-19. What lessons did he learn while steering an organization experiencing a 400% surge in its software's usage? What factors made some organizations so successful while others floundered? And what does the future of work look like in a post-pandemic world? Hear Bill's unique perspective on this week's episode of the Art of the Pivot.

“We spend an insane amount of time on developing an exceptional culture… People over profit. Impact over EBITDA… We talk about that in the boardroom much before the dollars and cents.”Dana Berg is the Chief Operating Officer at SADA, a cloud services provider with an outstanding track record of 25+ million migrated users. But Dana doesn't just oversee the business transformations of SADA's customer base. SADA made a “bold existential flex” of its own in 2019, shifting gears to focus purely on its Google Cloud business. The risk paid off, resulting in SADA being named Google Cloud's Global Reseller of the Year. Hear from Dana how keeping the customer at the center of the business enables SADA to deliver top-notch results for all stakeholders, inside and out.

“Across your corporate existence, you will always face either externally introduced or internally necessary pivotal moments in which you need to decide, ‘Am I playing defense or am I playing offense?' I think history has proven, in our industry at least, if you go into the offense you can actually translate a crisis into an opportunity.”The small town of Walldorf in Germany isn't just known for some of the world's best white asparagus — it's also home to SAP, the 30-billion dollar business process management behemoth. Luka Mucic is a member of SAP's Executive Board, and the company's Chief Financial Officer. Join Luka for an in-depth discussion of what separates an intelligent enterprise from one which just has lots of data, exactly why SAP was willing to take a short-term profitability hit in order to focus on cloud infrastructure, and what we can expect from the next generation of business process intelligence tools. Plus, you'll get a sneak peek at what's coming up at SAP's global virtual user and customer conference, SAPPHIRE NOW.

“I think there's a different kind of relationship potential that a lot of people are longing for, that is quite frankly being neglected in a world where digital's become everything.”Wellington Holbrook is the Chief Operating Officer for Canada's Connect First Credit Union — and he wants you to know he's not like other bankers. Formed by a merger of four large credit unions in Alberta, Connect First is working hard to answer the question, “What does a credit union look like for the 2020s?” Join Wellington to discover what this transformation looks like from the inside, including how empathy and community have to match with scalability and technology, building a culture that gives workers “permission to try,” and why Wellington has given his direct email address to every single Connect First customer.

“Storytelling is maybe one of the most critical things you can do both in a business and outside of a business … I think civilization is probably built off the back of storytelling so it's no different from a business to the earliest cave drawings.”Kiran Akkineni is the Chief Marketing Officer at Zulily, one of the most successful of the ‘flash sales' businesses founded in the early 2010s, with a mandate to provide a customer experience that is entertaining as well as convenient. Join Kiran to hear how the pendulum is swinging from performance marketing to brand building, the crucial role of customer analytics, and why it's vital to demonstrate value very quickly — though not always in a financial sense. Plus, you'll discover the one thing about shopping that won't change, no matter what's going on in the world. 

“A lot of companies say, ‘Hey, one of the core initiatives for this year is being customer focused.' Then what happens next year? What happens the year after that?”Yamini Rangan is HubSpot's Chief Customer Officer, bringing together marketing, sales, customer success and the operations behind them to deliver delightful experiences for customers.  Join Yamini to discover how values can be a competitive differentiator, why seeking to understand is better than seeking to be understood, the benefits of a “customer-in” vs. a “function-out” approach to strategy, and why she is a fan of roundtables.

“Think about social media relative to where e-commerce was 20 years ago ... My best advice is if you're not thinking about this, think about it more.”Social media management platform Hootsuite has over 18 million customers, but that's not enough for Chief Technology Officer Ryan Donovan. He's looking to help businesses scale up their social media, to help hundreds if not thousands (or tens of thousands) of employees keep collaborating on social selling and brand advocacy without tripping over themselves. Join Ryan to discover how the philosophy of “waking up smarter” applies to business transformation, his take on the recent degeneration of social media, and why social media content marketing is a huge missed opportunity for many businesses.  

“Anyone building a building now has to be thinking ahead on how that building can respond to a variety of situations instantaneously so they don't get caught flat-footed.”We're all familiar with smartphones — but what about smart buildings? Think of a dynamic space that reacts to what its occupants need, from air filtration to automatic elevators to recognizing people when they walk through the front door. Phil Clement, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Johnson Controls International (JCI), explains how JCI uses ‘digital Lego blocks' and digital twinning to create sustainable buildings that help enhance health and wellbeing, why a digital-first mindset is especially important to companies with long histories, and how repetition can help organizations scale up their offerings to customers. 

“The impact that leaders can have in this period of time is extraordinarily important [to] building that positive energy with the employee, so that he or she builds energy from their employment.”CEO is a tough job as it is. But try stepping up right in the middle of a global pandemic. That's the challenge that confronted Aaron Cooper, who's still serving as interim CEO of Groupon. Discover Aaron's single priority when he took over, as well as how organizations can prioritize future development even in difficult circumstances, how to create and balance value propositions for customer groups with very different needs, and why constant modernization should be your mantra. Plus, you'll discover the beauty treatment US Groupon customers spent over 15 million dollars on in just one quarter of 2020. 

“If you know that your customers have the power of choice every year, that drives change in how you sell to your customer. The most important part of SaaS is service.” Over the last year, Stephanie Nashawaty, Chief Customer Innovation Officer, North America at SAP,  has seen dozens of businesses accelerate innovation, to the point where business model changes that used to take years, now take weeks (and in one case, literally overnight). Now, a lot of these changes are here to stay, and the next step is to build on the lessons learned to create truly intelligent enterprises. Join Stephanie to examine why data is vital to transformation, how to unlock the three phases of value creation (discovery, realization and optimization) for any business, and why ‘customer-centric' is a synonym for ‘trusted'. Learn more about Signavio here: http://bit.ly/3cdXpPW

“Complexity is not going to go away. But if you can harness complexity and use it as a competitive advantage, think about what you could accomplish.”Tony Hemmelgarn, President & CEO of Siemens Digital Industries Software, will guide you through the linkage of the virtual world to the physical through ‘digital twinning'. Discover the importance of digital simulations and feedback loops, why challenging your customers might sometimes be the best way to secure their loyalty, and why exactly industrial companies will be the ones to watch over the next ten years. Plus, you'll learn a little bit about computational fluid dynamics relating to airflow through protective masks and airplane cabins. (Trust us, it will all make sense.)Learn more about Signavio here: http://bit.ly/2KZg6M5

“An acquisition is basically taking a thousand wires from one company, finding the right wire in the other one, and making sure they're all connecting, so when you flip that switch, nothing breaks.”Dominic Canuso, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at WSFS Bank (it's pronounced ‘wiss fiss') safeguards the legacy of one of the ten oldest banks in the United States. Of course, an institution doesn't last that long without adapting when needed… Join Dominic to discover why price is rarely the most important factor in mergers & acquisitions, the surprising resilience of cash transactions, and how the role of the CFO has become more strategic over time— including why it can be fun to wear different (metaphorical) hats.

“Augmented intelligence is not only a feel-good kind of a term, but it is also the reality. We are far away from the perfect artificial intelligence.” Let Vinay Mummigatti, Chief Automation Officer at LexisNexis, cut through the noise around automation with a set of basic principles, relevant no matter your industry. These fundamental points include establishing your motivation to change (hint, it's your customers), how to make sure you are automating a good process and not a bad process, and the importance of becoming a “prolific communicator.” You'll also discover why many employees consider process-oriented thinking a revelation, and why managing global change is like navigating a large container ship through rough waters.  Learn more about Signavio here: https://bit.ly/3pGMLp2

“All these cliches about hey, change is difficult, change is hard. But I am yet to meet a person to whom I can give a million dollar check and that person is going to tell me, “Oh, that's too much change for me, I'm not going to take that million dollars.”In her role as CIO of Regions Bank, Amala Duggirala is very familiar with the need to respond to changing customer expectations, and her insights on leading technological and organizational transformation are not to be missed. Discover why transformative leadership is more art than science, what impact ‘social proof' can have on your initiatives, and the three pillars of effective leadership: the humility to listen, the courage to face reality, and the vulnerability to admit when you screwed up. Learn more about Signavio here: https://bit.ly/32Ub21e

“Think about science fiction; they say that any sufficiently-advanced technology should be indistinguishable from magic.”It might not quite be magic, but the new partnership between Signavio and FortressIQ is offering something no-one else can: process discovery without any blind spots. Join Dr. Gero Decker and Pankaj Chowdhry (founders and CEOs of Signavio and FortressIQ respectively) in conversation about the challenges of collecting accurate data on how work is actually done, why customer behavior has changed forever thanks to the pandemic, and what we need to do to prevent Skynet from taking over. Learn more about Signavio here: https://bit.ly/35IJf5J