I have a paradoxical question that will tickle your brain: How on earth can organisations become both more digital and more human-centric at the same time? š¤ It’s like trying to juggle apples and oranges while tap-dancing on a unicycle! […]
Hello! Today I wanted to share a valuable lesson I learned when I was starting my career as a consultant at CapGemini ā The complexity of integration in digital transformation initiatives. When I embarked in one of my first projects […]
IĀ care about business users š¤. And I am a firm believer that in any digital transformation project, we must remember that they are the true VIPs of the show. But what does it mean to successfully address the usersā needs? […]
If your key account plans are integrated into your CRM to drive day to day sales, then you know youāre on the right direction. It is frequent that organizations do not have any systematic Key Account Planning process in place. […]
Digitalization is not a product or a service that you can plug and play. It’s a journey and a change in mindset first. š® Any organisation needs to adapt to compete in its business environment. It has always been the […]
Do leaders really make a difference in digital transformation? I got this question from students in Business Management here in Stockholm. It’s a very relevant one. Since most of the time, we talk about the importance of a strong executive […]
I attended the Salesforce World Tour in Stockholm on Tuesday. I have to say I came away from the event feeling energised and inspired. Here are 5 of my personal takeaways: 1. The community is more powerful than ever. After […]
And the first question to ask should be: What are we trying to achieve? Alternatively, what is the problem we are trying to solve? Here, taking a process approach will make life easier. Many operational inefficiencies and their root causes […]
I answered this yesterday. The COO of a former start-up, turned leader on its market, was asking me about the (apparent) mis-alignment and lack of coordination between his Marketing and Sales teams. He was worried by the fact that the […]
No one likes turbulent times in business. And with the downturn market, the fintech ecosystem has become uncertain. Iāve been asked to talk about the trends in Fintech. I know this industry well. Iāve been active in it for the […]
Some organisations think that the latest technologies will instantly solve a decadeās operational issues. But I do believe that trying to solve business or CRM implementation issues with additional CRM technology or customisation is fundamentally wrong. š¤ Sources of inefficiencies […]
CRM is a driver for innovation. I see a strong correlation between CRM and business performance. And I strongly champion the idea that greater CRM effectiveness influences positively every organisationās business performance. This is evidence to me. Especially when I […]
There is something very instructive in how organisations approach digital transformation matters. For some, taking a technology-only view is not a problem. At least, in theory. At least, at the very beginning. This is when you hear statements like “CRM […]
There are always enhancements to be made to a CRM system. Any organization that is happy with what it has, needs to question itself. Many business executives say they are not (or never) satisfied with their current CRM solution. They […]
Business leaders should start investigating what voice features might do for their company. Especially to their CRM systems. Let me explain why. Companies have a long history of implementing CRM solutions to support their marketing, sales, or customer service operations. […]
Do you find hard to explain what you do for a living? To your mum? to your dad? To Harry Potter’s fans? I do. How many of us have encountered this question. āWhat do you do in life?ā and feel […]
2023 is now off to a flying start. I want to say a very big thank you to each of you for your contribution, feedback and support to me in making this blog even more relevant. This blog still continues […]
Consider any organization – large and medium. One of the first things it does when it wants to increase its market share, its sale revenues or, more broadly speaking, invest in digital initiatives, is to choose a technology platform. Possibly […]
Digital transformation is not only about changing the way businesses operate by using new technologies. It is rather more about new processes, business models, and organizational practices. Iām listing here some of the 10 lessons learned and best practices I […]
Every time I am attending a conference, there is AI on the agenda. Somewhere. I have to admit this is not a new topic as such – Strictly not -, but it is interesting to see the growing interest from […]
These are the kind of excellent ways to wreck apart your CRM project. If we were really being honest about CRM initiatives performance, we may be wondering why some projects result in very strong benefits – growing profit or reduced […]
There is something attractive about the new announcement by Salesforce and Sprout Social about Tableau. It is refreshing, to some extent, the whole discussion on Big Data. In short, Sprout Social is now providing integration capabilities to Tableau, Salesforceās analytics […]
There are a good number of posts today in this blog. It may be trickier to find the one your are looking for. Here are some tips: First, the latest posts are all listed in the feed by date of […]
B2B ecosystems as a new strategic approach to create and secure value. This is the topic of a very insightful analysis by McKinsey that came on my table today. The focus is on the manufacturing industry. I’m sharing it. Link: […]
Harvard Business Review publishes an excellent article on ecosystems by Prof. Gianvitto Lanzolla (Bayes Business School) and Prof. Constantinos Markides (London Business School). This is a fantastic topic! You may not realised it but roughly 50% of the top brands […]
Everyday I see more and more organisations working on some kind of harmonisation of their CRM processes across their international operations. They want a common set of processes to be deployed globally, and all enabled by a technology platform. Precisely […]
In the very near future, Voice User Interfaces will progressively integrate with front office and CRM systems. This is a fact. Voice User Interfaces have the potential to become the next killer application. This is my belief. In my previous […]
I like to compare the performance of banks in the digitisation space years after years. It is a good means to understand:1. Where banks were previously – individually,2. What has been done and the impacts on the actual positioning,3. What […]
There is no denying that digitalisation has been deeply transforming the education sector like many other industries. The way we used to learn 30 years ago is very much different from today, even though the actual objectives remain the same. […]
I recently posted Big data projects in Marketing are surprising. Constantly (Part 1) explaining that, from my experience, big data projects in Marketing were a do & learn approach. I was highlighting the importance of aligning stakeholders on a common […]
Working in a Big data project in Marketing is constantly surprising. Essentially. When I first got involved in a big data project, it was in marketing. I knew marketers had struggled for ages to really understand who their customers were […]
With the rise of digital business models, ecosystems, and the greater maturity in technologies such as AI, most organisations are forced to revisit their business models and the way they engage with customers. In this paper, I am exploring some […]
SAP and Siebel are head to head! Hey Didier? “Youāre kidding, arenāt you? It’s Monday. We’re supposed to be moody!” Haha! Those were the headlinesā¦ 20 years ago (13 February 2001). For the admirers of Salesforce & Co, I was […]
“Digital and Value Creation: Where Do European Banks Stand?” This is the new 2022 research conducted by the market agency D-Rating. I like to compare performance year after year. So I monitor the D-Rating report every year for the Nordics. In […]
Marketplace pressures and digitalisation are challenging organisations across all industries, urging them to innovate. We experience it every day when helping our customers with User Experience, design thinking, or simply being more agile. This morning came on my table this […]
A history of social commerce. We are moving from word towards video and image. Is everyone becoming a watcher? Really a case for livestream shopping here… A history of social commerce by Smart Insights
Just sharing a new report on Cloud that came on my table this morning and that I have found interesting: “The State of the Cloud 2021: The Hybrid, Multicloud Forms the Foundation to Digital Organizations” Quoting some of the interesting […]
Comments on Gartnerās three important ways Artificial intelligence (AI) can benefit Customer Service Operations. Gartner has recently published an engaging article on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Customer Service operations (Dated 19 January 2022). This article is available online on Gartnerās […]
Customer Understanding is a good concept. I am sharing a worth-reading article from Cmswire and SAS. Link to the article: A Deep Dive on a Customer Experience Priority: Customer Understanding
Just sharing a new report on the Customer Data Platform (CDP) market that shows the rapid growth of this technology over the recent years. Interestingly, it is worth noting that CDP is a relatively new concept actually. With this technology, […]
Comments – A new report on healthcare shows that, due to the growing demand for cloud consulting, the global healthcare consulting services market is projected to reach 41.2 billion US dollars by 2026 from 23.9 billion US dollars in 2021. […]
I am sharing an interesting paper from DestinationCRM. C-level business executives comment how they see CRM in 2022. Lots of views on AI-driven digital transformation, first-party data, marketing, and Customer Experience. We may not all see Y2022 in this way, […]
Food for thought. A 2022 High Growth study by Hinge Research Institute shows that 4 key factors explain how some B2B services firms grew 4x faster and were twice more likely to be highly profitable than their slower growing peers: 1. greater […]
A special thanks to each of you for making 2021 such a great year ā still a surrealistic year like the previous one, however. This blog continues to reach people beyond my expectations. Google Analytics shows that you have been […]
It should be no surprise to anyone if I add Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the top list of trends impacting the CRM world. AI systems have become a reality and are maturing quickly. For most of us, as consumers, Artificial […]
Integration across systems and organisations has been the trajectory for more than 5 decades now. In the recent past, I was fortunate to be involved in some Open Banking initiatives where I could learn more about APIs on the field. […]
People often ask me what trends I see today in the CRM and digital transformation fields. It is a kind of legitimate to try to understand what is happening today and foresee how the future will be. In this series […]
FYI i will attend the TechArenan summit on Novermber 12, 2021. Link to register if you like: TechArenan summit 2021
Sharing: Interesting report fromĀ IMD Business SchoolĀ discussing why organisations are struggling with their digital strategy, highlighting that the problem is within the structure of organisations itself. Read more on IMD’s website: https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/reports/digital-vortex-report-2021/
The best articles from the web that came on my table this weekĀ 15. Highlighted: Embedded finance by Nordea, the future of bancassurance by McKinsey, the interesting story of Dixa, a convervational engagement firm, and foreseeing the future with the “Gen […]
The best articles from the web that came on my table this week 13: Transitioning from matrix to agile, KPIs, banking and mortgages, customer service, and the impacts of digital transformation. Ā The Fundamentals of Transforming from Matrix to Agile […]
I have been involved in many projects or discussion around Open Banking, ecosystems, and platform thinking in recent years. I have often seen some confusion in the terminology when talking to participants. Here is a contribution by Insead Business School […]
The best articles from the web that came on my table this week 12:Ā A great review on Jeff Bezos and Amazon, Natwest’s strategy for retail banking, some good tips for designing for sales, and the future of CX according to […]
It is clear that becoming digital “by default” requires most organisations to rethink the way they work. Best-in-Class bring together business and IT to work together to both develop strategy and deliver technology. It seems obvious from this survey by […]
On my table this morning, a very interesting article from the World Economic Forum on data practices: The relationship between us and our individual data. There are interviews of experts on the matter. Worth to read. I’m just sharing it: […]
My best picks from the web this week 11: The subscription model, digital marketing, continuous experimentation, innovation, life insurance and gamification, trends in CRM and retail. Todayās Business Environment Requires Continuous ExperimentationFirst words: “The world has changed, and marketers must […]
My best picks from the web this week: e-Commerce, banking and mortgages, conversational AI, and the companion model… The Trillion Dollar Opportunity in B2B2C paymentsFirst words: “Payments is an attractive and fast-growing business. Since 2016, payment companies have attracted superior […]
Today, I am ājoining the Movementā and I am speaking with Pino Roscigno, who is the Commercial & Brand Director at Stadium, the leading sporting goods retailer in the Nordics. I would like to understand how market and technological dynamics […]
My best picks from the web this week 6: Artificial Intelligence and automation, agility and frontline, digital interactions and customer data generation, and customer service and excellence. Einstein Automate is just the beginning: Salesforce shares vision for future of AI […]
My best picks from the web this week 5. This week:Ā Facebook and CRM, Voice UI with Speechly, banking, and Marketing Automation. I wish you a pleasant reading! What Do 2020ās Acquisition Trends Mean For CRM?First words: “Looking back at the […]
2020 has been a surrealistic year. With Covid-19, thousands of people and companies quickly adjusted to a new way of working that we all called WFH. Some moved quicker than others. For some, it was business as usual, for others, […]
I’m sharing a brand new analysis of the digital banking market done by D-Rating. A really interesting finding is that it shows that out of the 58 major retail banks in Europe, only 14 of them actually compete with the top […]
My best picks from the web this week 47. This week:Ā The new elements of digital transformation, data partnerships, integrating marketing and IT, and customer service is having a moment. The New Elements of Digital TransformationFirst words: “Since 2014, when our […]
My best picks from the web this week 44. This week: Salesforce, customer experience, social listening, and marketing. The committed innovator: An interview with Salesforceās Simon MulcahyFirst words: “The cloud software providerās executive vice president and chief innovation officer discusses […]
My best picks from the web this week 43. Today: multicloud, Salesforce and Microsoft, Retail, insurance, and a very interesting article on Apple and 5G by Pr. Howard Yu from IMD Business School. Don’t miss it! Not Excited About The […]
I just attended Fluido’s webinar on e-Commerce. The topic was about the things to consider when selecting a platform. Great topic! I likeĀ Antti KatajamƤki’s final takeaways: 1. Customers’ and Businesses’ digital requirements have dramatically changed in 2020. 2. What if […]
Customer Experience and business agility is the topic I am exploring today. In a recent post, I was discussing some of the options organisations have today to address the changing customer engagement paradigm across their value chain. I was arguing […]
Launching a new interview series on Customer Experience. On Tuesday 20th, October, I am meeting with Anne-Christine Lane, Vice-President and Head of Analytics & Automation at PostNord, the Nordic Postal Services company. Our conversation? Customer Experience and Business Agility. How […]
My best picks from the web this week 42. Lots of announcements this week. Also we discuss banking and fintech partnerships, and then Big data analytics in healthcare. 5 Bank And Fintech Partnership Ideas To Generate RevenueFirst words: “Todayās realities […]
Pega introduces its new 8.5 release. Here are the links to Pega’s site detailing the new enhancements: What’s New in Pega Platform What’s New in Customer Engagement & CRM Pega Sales Automation Pega Sales Automation 8.5 Release Notes Pega Customer Service Pega […]
My best picks from the web this week 41. Here are my 5 favourite articles worth reading on CRM, CX and digital transformation. On the agenda: Ford and Volvo, success and failures, and a view on the Chief Digital Officer’s […]
Best picks from the web this week 40. Here are my 5 favourite articles published on CRM, CX and digital transformation. On the agenda: Agility within organisation, the CRM market for 2020-2030, customer retention, and some new releases by Microsoft […]
Salesforce’s Winter 21 releases are now online. Check out the new features: Multi-factor authentication, Einstein Search Personalization, Salesforce Anywhere (Beta)Work.comService: Service Cloud Voice Streamlined Setup, Omni-Channel Supervisor for Calls, Einstein Bots Templates, and MoreSales: Sales Cadence Improvements for High Velocity […]
Best picks from the web this week 39. Here are my 5 favourite articles published on CRM, CX and digital transformation. On the agenda: Salesforce, banking, automotive, and APIs to support the customer experience. Salesforce announces Meetings, Einstein Video Call […]
Best picks from the web. Here are my 5 favourite articles published on CRM, CX and digital transformation I would recommend you to read this week. On the agenda: Stockholm’s Fintech scene, data and analytics, content strategy, and customer onboarding. Data […]
Who is joining the CX transformation Nordics this year? It is an online event covering topics as customer centricity, how to lead successful CX initiatives, or customer service. I will especially attend the session “Transformational customer centricity: How CX is […]
My 5 favourite articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation to read this week. On the agenda: B2B Fintech, Amazon, Salesforce, retail and AI. What Amazon is Doing in Financial Services like Fintech“From payments to lending to insurance to checking accounts, […]
Hi everyone! Lots of good articles on CRM and DX this week. Here is my selection of the ones I like best. All with a great smile because it is still summer! On the agenda: AI, Conversational analytics, retail, and […]
Every business has unique needs, and your eCommerce platform should also reflect that. Choosing a new eCommerce platform to support your online business can be a challenging task. E-commerce is often a long term commitment involving a significant investment of […]
I am sharing the 5 articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation I liked best this week. On the agenda: Retail, Financial Services, mobile, and customer sentiment… Why Some Retailers Are Thriving Amid Disruption“Retailers that successfully adapt to the pandemicās social-distancing […]
Lots of good articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation this week! Here are the ones I liked best. On the agenda: Banking, Salesforce, Employee Experience, and digital transformation more generally. With human nature ā not against it: How Jan […]
My 5 favourite articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation to read this week. On the agenda: Banking, Salesforce, Omnichannel marketing, and Temenos. Now Is The Time For A Conversational Approach To Customer Experience“In a recent session at Pegaworld iNspire, Paul Greenberg, best-selling […]
I’m at the MuleSoft CONNECT Digital today. All online of course! On my agenda: keynotes and breakout sessions to discuss APis and integration. There are very good whitepapers, webinars and materials: API strategy essentialsConnectivity benchmark reportHow to articulate the value […]
Hi everyone! I’m sharing the 5 best articles I have read this week. On my table: cross border data, data policies, Open Banking, marketing, and manufacturing. Importance of cross-border data flow“Passing digital information between countries, even though code requires no […]
I am sharing the 5 articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation I liked best this week. On the agenda: AI, Insurance, networking tools, and marketing. AI Devours Data!“Those who have worked on Machine Learning (ML) projects know that ML requires […]
My 5 favourite articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation to read this week. On the agenda: B2B selling, video, CX, and retail… 5 data-driven principles for the Chief Data Officer to reshape CX strategy“Customer data platforms (CDPs), data-driven projects, big […]
My 5 favourite articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation to read this week. On the agenda: Steve Jobs, CX, and digital strategies. Steve Jobs VS Reid Hoffman: Which Philosophy is the right one?“Founder of LinkedIn and former PayPal executive vice […]
Quick poll – I would like to ask you about your views on the major drivers for a firm to develop an ecosystem of partners. Could you please jump into this poll and share? That would be great!
My 5 favourite articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation to read this week. On the agenda: Salesforce, AI, Supply chain, and B2B sales Salesforce Summer ā20 Release Notes (By Salesforce)“The Summer ā20 release delivers innovations across the entire Customer 360 Platform to […]
I have been asked several times for the link to my magazine dedicated to Open Banking on Flipboard. I’m quickly sharing the link: https://flipboard.com/@ddessens/openbanking-by-didier-semut4k4z?from=share I’m also sharing the figures to date: Over 1100 readers and 132 subscribers. Number of articles: […]
5 new great articles on CRM, CX and digital transformation to read this week. On the agenda: Salesforce vs Pega, supplemented with Gartner’s and ISG’s analyses. We are also speaking about 3D. Magic Quadrant for CRM and Customer Experience Implementation […]
Hi everyone! Iāve just released my selection of Top 5 Reads for this week 17! It includes interesting insights from Thomas Siebel on AI in the Oil & Gas industry (remember Siebel CRM?). Also featuring Retail, Salesforce and Microsoft. How […]
According to a recentĀ PEGA study, employees facing customers are often frustrated with the level of service they can provide to customers.Ā They denounce inadequate technology and processes that limit their effectiveness. The survey shows that 81% of respondents mentioned fast resolution […]
Commentary – We were around 350 people and prof. Mark Greeven shared some great insights and practical examples on why and how organisations should leverage partners to build sustainable businesses. On ecosystems ā Have you listened to IMD’s webinar on […]
Commentary – Gartner has just released a 2020 quadrant for Digital Experience platforms (DXP), basically revamping the classical Web Content Management MQ with a new terminology and enlarged scope. It is true all WCM solutions now include enough features to […]
Hi everyone! Lots of good articles on CRM and DX this week. Here is my selection of the ones I like best. All with a new layout because it is spring, and we are all moving towards a sunnier and […]
Opinion – I have received a good number of reactions and messages after my post last week on the impacts of the current crisis on projects in Sweden. A project manager confessed the decision had been made to postpone some […]
Commentary – Any new Gartner Magic Quadrant release is a kind of milestone in my life as a CRM consultant. I have just reviewed the recent (2020) MQ for Analytics and Business Intelligence platforms. Sounds fun? Well, this year, Microsoft […]
Agenda – There is a webinar on “leveraging partners in disruptive times” at IMD Business School on April 14 (11-12 CET) by Mark Greeven, professor of Innovation and strategy. Working with ecosystems of partners requires thinking and I’m eager to […]
Opinion – The Covid-19 crisis is revealing flaws in business continuity plans and weaknesses in value chains, exposing business and people alike. Most business continuity plans were based on a few number of key employees performing critical functions. They were […]
