Connecting Customers and Businesses Through Digital Transformation
Microsoft Envision has come and gone, but the stories of digital transformation being told are only just beginning to be told. With 6,000 people in the room and 100,000 more online, Satya Nadella kicked the event off with the story of how Microsoft is partnering with Toyota to create services for connected cars.
Digital transformation is also a great driver (pun intended) of change, but not all of that change will come in the form of new products. Existing products and business models are being reborn in the digital arena too. To get some insight into the benefits of digitization, we sat down with Microsoft CMO Chris Capossela. Here’s some of what he had to say, using Microsoft’s own products as an example.
"We used to sell a packaged product, and we really had no idea how somebody used it unless we asked them or went and did a survey. These days, because of all the telemetry we have, because that product is connected to the cloud we now have such a deeper understanding of how our customers use our products… it transforms how we engage with them. It transforms how we can help them get more value out of what they've already purchased… then it transforms how we iterate and improve the product."
Another benefit of these connected products is the discussion they engender between customers and manufacturers. When customers and their data are part of the development process, they feel more heard. By nurturing their relationships with customers, businesses can increase retention rates and create brand advocates.
The most important thing in creating these relationships is knowing how to progress the conversation both before and after a customer buys your product. For more of our conversation with Chris Capossela, check out the full video interview.
