How confluence of cloud, UC and data-driven insights newly empowers contact center agents

The next BriefingsDirect customer experience insights discussion explores how Contact center-as-a-service (CCaaS) capabilities are becoming more powerful as a result of leveraging cloud computing, multi-mode communications channels, and the ability to provide optimized and contextual user experiences.

More than ever, businesses have to make difficult and complex decisions about how to best source their customer-facing services. Which apps and services, what data and resources should be in the cloud or on-premises -- or in some combination -- are among the most consequential choices business leaders now face. As the confluence of cloud and unified communications (UC) -- along with data-driven analytics -- gain traction, the contact center function stands out.

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We’ll now hear why traditional contact center technology has become outdated, inflexible and cumbersome, and why CCaaS is becoming more popular in meeting the heightened user experience requirements of today.

Here to share more on the next chapter of contact center and customer service enhancements, is Vasili Triant, CEO of Serenova in Austin, Texas. The discussion is moderated by Dana Gardner, principal analyst at Interarbor Solutions.

Here are some excerpts:

Gardner: What are the new trends reshaping the contact center function?

Triant: What’s changed in the world of contact center and customer service is that we’re seeing a generational spread -- everything from baby boomers all the way now to Gen Z.

With the proliferation of smartphones through the early 2000s, and new technologies and new channels -- things like WeChat and Viber -- all these customers are now potential inbound discussions with brands. And they all have different mediums that they want to communicate on. It’s no longer just phone or e-mail: It’s phone, e-mail, web chat, SMS, WeChat, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and there are other channels coming around the corner that we don't even know about yet.

Triant

When you take all of these folks -- customers or brands -- and you take all of these technologies that consumers want to engage with across all of these different channels – it’s simple, they want to be heard. It's now the responsibility of brands to determine what is the best way to respond and it’s not always one-to-one.

So it’s not a phone call for a phone call, it’s maybe an SMS to a phone call, or a phone call to a web chat -- whatever those [multi-channels] may be. The complexity of how we communicate with customers has increased. The needs have changed dramatically. And the legacy types of technologies out there, they can't keep up -- that's what's really driven the shift, the paradigm shift, within the contact center space.

Gardner: It’s interesting that the new business channels for marketing and capturing business are growing more complex. They still have to then match on the back end how they support those users, interact with them, and carry them through any sort of process -- whether it's on-boarding and engaging, or it’s supporting and servicing them.

What we’re requiring then is a different architecture to support all of that. It seems very auspicious that we have architectural improvements right along with these new requirements.

Triant: We have two things that have collided at the same time – cloud technologies and the growth of truly global companies.  

Most of the new channels that have rolled out are in the cloud. I mean, think about it -- Facebook is a cloud technology, Twitter is a cloud technology. WeChat, Viber, all these things, they are all cloud technologies. It’s becoming a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based world. The easiest and best way to integrate with these other cloud technologies is via the cloud -- versus on-premises. So what began as the shift of on-premises technology to cloud contact center -- and that really began in 2011-2012 – has rapidly picked up speed with the adoption of multi-channels as a primary method of communication.

The only way to keep up with the pace of development of all these channels is through cloud technologies because you need to develop an agile world, you need to be able to get the upgrades out to customers in a quick fashion, in an easy fashion, and in an inexpensive fashion. That's the core difference between the on-premises world and the cloud world.

At the same time, we are no longer talking about a United States company, an Australia company, or a UK company -- we are talking about everything as global brands, or global businesses. Customer service is global now, and no one cares about borders or countries when it comes to communication with a brand.

Customer service is global now, and no one cares about borders or countries when it comes to communications with a brand.

Gardner: We have been speaking about this through the context of the end-user, the consumer. But this architecture and its ability to leverage cloud also benefits the agent, the person who is responsible for keeping that end-user happy and providing them with the utmost in intelligent services. So how does the new architecture also aid and abet the agent.

Triant: The agent is frankly one of the most important pieces to this entire puzzle. We talk a lot about channels and how to engage with the customer, but that's really what we call listening. But even in just simple day-to-day human interactions, one of the most important things is how you communicate back. There has been a series of time-and-motion studies done within contact centers, within brands -- and you can even look at your personal experiences. You don’t have to read reports to understand this.

The baseline for how an interaction will begin and end and whether that will be a happy or a poor interaction with the brand, is going to be dependent on the agents’ state of mind. If I call up and I speak to “Joe,” and he starts the conversation, he is in a great mood and he is having a great day, then my conversation will most likely end in a positive interaction because it started that way.

But if someone is frustrated, they had a rough day, they can’t find their information, their computers have been crashing or rebooting, then the interaction is guaranteed to end up poor. You hear this all the time, “Oh, can you wait a moment, my systems are loading. Oh, I can’t get you an answer, that screen is not coming up. I can't see your account information.” The agents are frustrated because they can’t do their job, and that frustration then blends into your conversation.

So using the technology to make it easy for the agent to do their job is essential. If they have to go from one screen to another screen to conduct one interaction with the customer -- they are going to be frustrated, and that will lead to a poor experience with the customer.

The cloud technologies like Serenova, which is web-based, are able to bring all those technologies into one screen. The agent can have all the information brought to them easily, all in one click, and then be able to answer all the customer needs. The agent is happy and that adds to the customer satisfaction. The conclusion of the call is a happy customer, which is what we all want. That’s a great scenario and you need cloud technology to do that because the on-premises world does not deliver a great agent experience.

One-stop service

Gardner: Another thing that the older technologies don't provide is the ability to have a flexible spectrum to move across these channels. Many times when I engage with an organization I might start with an SMS or a text chat, but then if that can’t satisfy my needs, I want to get a deeper level of satisfaction. So it might end up going to a phone call or an interaction on the web, or even a shared desktop, if I’m in IT support, for example.

The newer cloud technology allows you to intercept via different types of channels, but you can also escalate and vary between and among them seamlessly. Why is that flexibility both of benefit to the end-user as well as the agent?

Triant: I always tell companies and customers of ours that you don't have to over-think this; all you have to do is look to your personal life. Most common things that we as users deal with -- such as cell phone companies, cable companies, airlines, -- you can get onto any of these websites and begin chatting, but you can find that your interaction isn’t going well. Before I started at Serenova, I had these experiences where I was dealing with the cable company and -- chat, chat, chat, -- trying to solve my problem. But we couldn't get there, and so then we needed to get on the phone. But they said, “Here is our 800 number, call in.” I’d call in, but I’d have to start a whole new interaction.

Basically, I’d have to re-explain my entire situation. Then, I am talking with one person, and they have to turn around and send me an email, but I am not going to get that email for 30 to 45 minutes because they have to get off the phone, and get into another system and send it off. In the meantime, I am frustrated, I am ticked off -- and guess what I have done now? I have left that brand. This happens across the board. I can even have two totally different types of interactions with the company.

You can use a major airline brand as an example. One of our employees called on the phone trying to resolve an issue that was caused by the airline. They basically said, “No, no, no.” It made her very frustrated. She decided she’s going to fly with a different airline now. She then sent a social post [to that effect], and the airline’s VP of Customer Service answered it, and within minutes they had resolved her issue. But they already spent three hours on the phone trying to push her off through yet another channel because it was a totally different group, a totally different experience.

By leveraging technologies where you can pivot from one channel to another, everyone will get answers quicker. I can be chatting with you, Dana, and realize that we need to escalate to a voice conversation, for example, and I as the agent; I can then turn that conversation into a voice call. You don't have to re-explain yourself and you are like, “Wow, that's cool! Now I’m on the phone with a facility,” and we are able to handle our business.

As agent, I can also pivot simultaneously to an email channel to send you something as simple as a user guide or a series of knowledge-based articles that I may have at my fingertips as an agent. But you and I are still on the phone call. Even better yet, after-the-fact, as a business, I have all the analytics and the business intelligence to say that I had one interaction with Dana that started out as a web chat, pivoted to a phone call, and I simultaneously then sent a knowledge-based article of “X” around this issue and I can report on it all at once. Not three separate interactions, not three separate events -- and I have made you a happy customer.

Gardner: We are clearly talking about enabling the agent to be a super-agent, and they can, of course, be anywhere. I think this is really important now because the function of an agent -- we are already seeing the beginnings of this -- but it's going to certainly include and increase having more artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and associated data analytics benefits. The agent then might be a combination of human and AI functions and services.

So we need to be able to integrate at a core communications basis. Without going too far down this futuristic route, isn't it important for that agent to be an assimilation of more assets and more services over time?

Artificial Intelligence plus human support

Triant: I‘m glad you brought up AI and these other technologies. The reality is that we've been through a number of cycles around what this technology is going to do and how it is going to interact with an agent. In my view, and I have been in this world for a while, the agent is the most important piece of customer service and brand engagement. But you have to be able to bring information to them, and you have to be able to give information to your customers so that if there is something simple, get it to them as quick as possible -- but also bring all the relevant information to the agent.

AI has had multiple forms; it has existed for a long time. Sometimes people get confused because of marketing schemes and sales tactics [and view AI] as a way for cost avoidance, to reduce agents and eliminate staff by implementing these technologies. Really the focus is how to create a better customer experience, how to create a better agent experience.

We have had AI in our product for last three years, and we are re-releasing some components that will bring business intelligence to the forefront around the end of the year. What it essentially does is alIow you to see what you're doing as a user out on the Internet and within these technologies. I can see that you have been looking for knowledge-based articles around, for example, “why my refrigerator keeps freezing up and how can I defrost it.” You can see such things on Twitter and you can see these things on Facebook. The amount of information that exists out there is phenomenal and in real-time. I can now gather that information … and I can proactively, as a business, make decisions about what I want to do with you as a potential consumer.

I can even identify you as a consumer within my business, know how many products you have acquired from me, and whether you're a “platinum” customer or even a basic customer, and then make a decision.

For example, I have TVs, refrigerators, washer-dryers and other appliances all from the same manufacturer. So I am a large consumer to that one manufacturer because all of my components are there. But I may be searching a knowledge-based article on why the refrigerator continues to freeze up.

Now I may call in about just the refrigerator, but wouldn't it be great for that agent to know that I own 22 other products from that same company? I'm not just calling about the refrigerator; I am technically calling about the entire brand. My experience around the refrigerator freaking out may change my entire brand decision going forward. That information may prompt me to decide that I want to route that customer to a different pool of agents, based on what their total lifetime value is as a brand-level consumer.

Through AI, by leveraging all this information, I can be a better steward to my customer and to the agent, because I will tell you, an agent will act differently if they understand the importance of that customer or to know that I, Vasili, have spent the last two hours searching online for information, which I posted on Facebook and I posted on Twitter.

Through AI, by leveraging all this information, I can be a better steward to the customer and to the agent.

At that point, the level of my frustration already has reached a certain height on a scale. As an agent, if you knew that, you might treat me differently because you already know that I am frustrated. The agent may be able to realize that you have been looking for some information on this, realize you have been on Facebook and Twitter. They can then say: “I am really sorry, I'm not able to get you answers. Let me see how I can help you, it seems that you are looking online about how to keep the refrigerator from freezing up.”

If I start the conversation that way, I've now diffused a lot of the frustration of the customer. The agent has already started that interaction better. Bringing that information to that person, that’s powerful, that’s business intelligence -- and that’s creating action from all that information.

Keep your cool

Gardner: It’s fascinating that that level of sentiment analysis brings together the best of what AI and machine learning can do, which is to analyze all of these threads of data and information and determine a temperature, if you will, of a person's mood and pass that on to a human agent who can then have the emotional capacity to be ready to help that person get to a lower temperature, be more able to help them overall.

It’s becoming clear to me, Vasili, that this contact center function and CCaaS architectural benefits are far more strategic to an organization than we may have thought, that it is about more than just customer service. This really is the best interface between a company -- and all the resources and assets it has across customer service, marketing, and sales interactions. Do you agree that this has become far more strategic because of these new capabilities?

Triant: Absolutely, and as brands begin to realize the power of what the technology can do for their overall business, it will continue to evolve, and gain pace around global adoption.

As brands begin to realize the power of what the technology can do for their overall businesses, it will continue to evolve and gain global adoption.

We have only scratched the surface on adoption of these cloud technologies within organizations. A majority of brands out there look at these interactions as a cost of doing business. They still seek to reduce that cost versus the lifetime value of both the consumer, as well as the agent experience. This will shift, it is shifting, and there are companies that are thriving by recognizing that entire equation and how to leverage the technologies.

Technology is nothing without action and result. There have been some really cool things that have existed for a while, but they don’t ever produce any result that’s meaningful to the customer so they never get adopted and deployed and ultimately reach some type of a mass proliferation of results.

Gardner: You mentioned cost. Let’s dig into that. For organizations that are attracted to the capabilities and the strategic implications of CCaaS, how do we evaluate it in terms of cost? The old CapEx approach often had a high upfront cost, and then high operating costs, if you have an inefficient call center. Other costs involve losing your customers, losing brand affinity, losing your perception in the market. So when you talk to a prospect or customer, how do you help them tease out the understanding of a pay-as-you-go service as highly efficient? Does the highly empowered agent approach save money, or even make money, and CCaaS becomes not a cost center but a revenue generator?

Cost consciousness

Triant: Interesting point, Dana. When I started at Serenova about five years ago, customers all the time would say, “What’s the cost of owning the technology?” And, “Oh, my, on-premises stuff has already depreciated and I already own it, so it’s cheaper for me to keep it.” That was the conversation pretty much every day. Beginning in 2013, it rapidly started shifting. This shift was mainly driven by the fact that organizations started realizing that consumers want to engage on different channels, and the on-premises guys couldn’t keep up with this demand.

The cost of ownership no longer matters. What matters is that the on-premises guys just literally could not deliver the functionality. And so, whether that's Cisco, Avaya, or Shoretel, they quickly started falling away in consideration for technology companies that were looking to deploy applications for their business to meet these needs.

The cost of ownership quickly disappeared as the main discussion point. Instead it came around to, “What is the solution that you're going to deliver?” Customers that are looking for contact center technologies are beginning to take a cloud-first approach. And once they see the power of CCaaS through demonstration and through some trials of what an agent can do – and it’s all browser-based, there is no client install, there is no equipment on-premises - then it takes on a life of its own. It’s about, “What is the experience going to be? Are these channels all integrated? Can I get it all from one manufacturer?”

Following that, organizations focus on other intricacies around - Can it scale? Can it be redundant? Is it global? But those become architectural concerns for the brands themselves. There is a chunk of the industry that is not looking at these technologies, and they are stuck in brand euphoria or have to stay with on-premises infrastructure, or with a certain vendor because of their name or that they are going to get there someday.

As we have seen, Avaya has declared bankruptcy. Avaya does not have cloud technologies despite their marketing message. So the customers that are in those technologies now realize they have to find a path to keep up with the basic customer service at a global scale. Unfortunately, those customers have to find a path forward and they don’t have one right now.

It's less about cost of ownership and it’s more about the high cost of not doing anything. If I don't do anything, what’s going to be the cost? That cost ultimately becomes - I’m not going to be able to have engagement with my customers because the consumers are changing.

It's less about cost of ownership and it's more about the high cost of not doing anything.

Gardner: What about this idea of considering your contact center function not just as a cost center, but also as a business development function? Am I being too optimistic.

It seems to me that as AI and the best of what human interactions can do combine across multichannels, that this becomes no longer just a cost center for support, a check-off box, but a strategic must-do for any business.

Multi-channel customer interaction

Triant: When an organization reaches the pinnacle of happiness within what these technologies can do, they will realize that no longer do you need to have delineation between a marketing department that answers social media posts, an inside sales department that is only taking calls for upgrades and renewals, and a customer service department that’s dealing with complaints or inbound questions. They will see that you can leverage all the applications across a pool of agents with different skills.

I may have a higher skill around social media than over voice, or I may have a higher skill level around a sales activity, or renewal activity, over customer service problems. I should be able to do any interaction. And potentially one day it'll just be customer interaction department and the channels are just a medium of inbound and outbound choice for a brand.

But you can now take information from whatever you see the customer doing. Each of their actions have a leading indicator, everything has a predictive action prior to the inbound touch, everything does. Now that a brand can see that, it will be able to have “consumer interaction departments,” and it will be properly routed to the right person based on that information. You’ll be able to bring information to that agent that will allow them to answer the customer’s questions.

Gardner: I can see how that agent’s job would be very satisfying and fulfilling when you are that important, when you have that sort of a key role in your organization that empowers people. That’s good news for people that are trying to find those skills and fill those positions.

Vasili, we only have a few minutes left, but I’d love to hear about a couple of examples. It’s one thing to tell, it’s another thing to show. Do we have some examples of organizations that have embraced this concept of a strategic contact center, taken advantage of those multi-channels, added perhaps some intelligence and improved the status and capability of the agents -- all to some business benefit? Walk us through a couple of actual use cases where this has all come together.

Cloud communication culture shift

Triant: No one has reached that level of euphoria per se, but there are definitely companies that are moving in that direction.

It is a culture change, so it takes time. I know as well as anybody what it takes to shift a culture, and it doesn't happen overnight. As an example, there is a ride-hailing company that engages in a different way with their consumer, and their consumer might be different than what you think from the way I am describing it. They use voice systems and SMS and often want to pivot between the two. Our technology actually allows the agent to make that decision even if they aren’t even physically in the same country. They are dynamically spread across multiple countries to answer any question they may need to answer based on time and day.

But they can pivot from what’s predominantly an SMS inbound and outbound communication into a voice interaction, and then they can also follow up with an e-mail, and that’s already happened. Now, it initially started with some SMS inbound and outbound, then they added voice – an interesting move as most people think adding voice is what people are getting away from. What everyone has begun to realize is that live communication ultimately is what everybody looks for in the end to solve the more complex problems.

What everyone has begun to realize is that live communication ultimately is what everybody looks for in the end to solve the more complex problems.

That's one example. Another company that provides the latest technology in food order and delivery initially started with voice-only to order and deliver food. Now they've added SMS confirmations automatically, and e-mail as well for confirmation or for more information from the inbound voice call. And now, once they are an existing customer, they can even start an order from an SMS, and pivot back to a voice call for confirmation -- all within one interaction. They are literally one of the fastest growing alternative food delivery companies, growing at a global scale.

They are deploying agents globally across one technology. They would not be able to do this with legacy technologies because of the expense. When you get into these kinds of high-volume, low-margin businesses, cost matters. When you can have an OpEx model that will scale, you are adding better customer service to the applications, and you are able to allow them to build a profitable model because you are not burning them with high CapEx processes.

Gardner: Before we sign off, you had mentioned your pipeline about your products and services, such as engaging more with AI capabilities toward the end of the year. Could give us a level-set on your roadmap? Where are your products and services now? Where do you go next?

A customer journey begins with insight

Triant: We have been building cloud technologies for 16 years in the contact center space. We released our latest CCaaS platform in March 2016 called CxEngage. We then had a major upgrade to the platform in March of this year, where we take that agent experience to the next level. It’s really our leapfrog in the agent interface and making it easier, bringing in more information to them.

Where we are going next is around the customer journey -- predictive interactions. Some people call it AI, but I will call it “customer journey mapping with predictive action insights.” That’s going to be a big cornerstone in our product, including business analytics. It’s focused around looking at a combination of speech, data and text -- all simultaneously creating predictive actions. This is another core area we are going in an and continue to expand the reach of our platform from a global scale.

At this point, we are a global company. We have the only global cloud platform built on a single software stack with one data pipeline. We now have more users on a pure cloud platform than any of our competitors globally. I know that’s a big statement, but when you look at a pure cloud infrastructure, you're talking in a whole different realm of what services you are able to offer to customers. Our ability to provide a broad reach including to Europe, South Africa, Australia, India, and Singapore -- and still deliver good cloud quality at a reasonable cost and redundant fashion –  we are second to none in that space.

Gardner: I’m afraid we will have to leave it there. We have been listening to a sponsored BriefingsDirect discussion on how CCaaS capabilities are becoming more powerful as a result of cloud computing, multimode communications channels, and the ability to provide optimized and contextual user experiences.

And we’ve learned how new levels of insight and intelligence are now making CCaaS approaches able to meet the highest user experience requirements of today and tomorrow. So please join me now in thanking our guest, Vasili Triant, CEO of Serenova in Austin, Texas.

Triant: Thank you very much, Dana. I appreciate you having me today.

Gardner: This is Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions, your host and moderator for this ongoing series of BriefingsDirect discussions. A big thank you to our sponsor, Serenova, as well as to you, our audience. Do come back next time and thanks for listening.

Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes. Get the mobile app. Read a full transcript or  download a copy. Sponsor: Serenova.

Transcript of a discussion on how contact center-as-a-service capabilities are becoming more powerful to provide optimized and contextual user experiences for agents and customers. Copyright Interarbor Solutions, LLC, 2005-2017. All rights reserved.

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Women in business leadership -- networking their way to success

The next BriefingsDirect digital business insights panel discussion focuses on the evolving role of women in business leadership. We’ll explore how pervasive business networks are impacting relationships and changes in business leadership requirements and opportunities for women.

Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes. Get the mobile app. Read a full transcript or download a copy. Sponsor: SAP Ariba.

To learn more about the transformation of talent management strategies as a result of digital business and innovation, please join me in welcoming our guests, Alicia Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer at SAP Ariba, and Lisa Skeete Tatum, Co-founder and CEO of Landit in New York. The panel was recorded in association with the recent 2017 SAP Ariba LIVE conference in Las Vegas, and is moderated by Dana Gardner, principal analyst at Interarbor Solutions.

Here are some excerpts:

Gardner: Alicia, looking at a confluence of trends, we have the rise of business networks and we have an advancing number of women in business leadership roles. Do they have anything to do with one another? What's the relationship?

Tillman

Tillman: It is certainly safe to say that there is a relationship between the two. Networks historically connected businesses mostly from a transactional standpoint. But networks today are so much more about connecting people. And not only connecting them in a business context, but also from a relationship-standpoint as well.

There is as much networking and influence that happens in a digital network as  does from meeting somebody at an event, conference or forum. It has really taken off in the recent years as being a way to connect quickly and broadly -- across geographies and industries. There is nothing that brings you speed like a network, and that’s why I think there is such a strong correlation to how digital networking has taken off -- and what a true technical network platform can allow.

Gardner: When people first hear “business networks,” they might think about transactions and applications talking to applications. But, as you say, this has become much broader in the last few years; business networks are really about social interactions, collaboration, and even joining companies culturally.

How has that been going? Has this been something that’s been powerful and beneficial to companies?

Tillman: It’s incredibly powerful and beneficial. If you think about how buying habits are these days, buyers are very particular about the goods that they are interested in, and, frankly, the people that they source from.

Skeete Tatum

If I look at my buying population in particular at SAP Ariba, there is a tremendous movement toward sustainable goal or fair-trade types of responsibilities, of wanting to source goods from minority-owned businesses, wanting to source only organic or fair-trade products, wanting to only partner with organizations where they know within their supply chain the distribution of their product is coming from locations in the world where the working conditions are safe and their employees are being paid fairly.

A network allows for that; the SAP Ariba Network certainly allows for that, as we can match suppliers directly with what those incredibly diverse buyer needs are in today’s environment.

Gardner: Lisa, we just heard from Alicia about how it's more important that companies have a relationship with one another and that they actually look for culture and character in new ways. Tell us about Landit, and how you're viewing this idea of business networks changing the way people relate to their companies and even each other?

Skeete Tatum: Our goal at Landit is to democratize career success for women around the globe. We have created a technology platform that not only increases the success and engagement of women in the workplace, but it also enables companies in this new environment to attract, develop, and retain high-potential diverse talent.

Our goal at Landit is to democratize career success for women around the globe.

We do that by providing each woman with the personalized playbook in the spirit of one-size-fits-one. That empowers them with the access to the tools, the resources, the know-how, and, yes, the human connections that they need to more successfully navigate their paths.

It’s really in response to the millions of women who will find themselves at an inflection point; whether they are in a company that they love but are just trying to figure out how to more successfully navigate there, or they may be feeling a little stuck and are not sure how to get out. The challenge is: “I am motivated, I have the skills, I just don’t know where to start.”

We have really focused on knitting what we believe are those key elements together -- leveraged by technology that actually guides them. But we find that companies in this new environment are often overwhelmed and trying to figure out a way to manage this new diverse workforce in this era of connectedness. So we give them a turnkey, one-size-fits-one solution, too.

As Alicia mentioned, in this next stage of collaborative businesses, there are really two things. One, we are more networked and more visible than ever before, which is great, because it’s created more opportunities and flexibility than we have seen -- not to mention more access. However, those opportunities are highly dependent on how someone showcases their value, their contribution, and their credibility, which makes it even more important to cultivate not only your brand and your network. It goes beyond just individual capabilities of getting at what is the sponsorship in the support of a strong network.

The second thing I would say, that Alicia also mentioned, is that today’s business environment -- which is more global, more diverse in its tapestry -- requires businesses to create an environment where everyone feels valued. People need to feel like they can bring the full measure of their talent and passion to the workplace. Companies want amazing talent to find a place at their company.

Gardner: If I’m at a company looking to be more diverse, how would I use Landit to accomplish that? Also, if I were an individual looking to get into the type of company that I want to be involved with, how would I use Landit?

Connecting supply and demand for talent

Skeete Tatum: As an individual, when you come on to Landit, we actually give you one of the key ingredients for success. Because we often don’t know what we don’t know, we knit together the first step, of “Where do I fit?” If you are not in a place that fits with your values, it’s not sustainable.

So we help you figure out what is it that fits with “all of me,” and we then connect you to those opportunities. Many times with diversity programs, they are focused just on the intake, which is just one component. But you want people to thrive when they get there.

Many times with diversity programs, they are focused just on the intake, which is just one component. But you want people to thrive when they get there.

And so, whether it is building your personal brand or building your board of advisors or continuing with your skill development in a personalized, relevant way -- or access to coaching because often many of us don’t have that unless we are in the C-suite on the way -- we are able to knit that together in a way that is relevant, that’s right-sized for the individual.

For the company, we give them a turnkey solution to invest in a scalable way, to touch more lives across their company, particularly in a more global environment. Rather than having to place multiple bets, they place one bet with Landit. We leverage that one-size-fits-one capability with things that we all know are keys to success. We are then able to have them deliver that again, whether it is to the newly minted managers or people they have just acquired or maybe they are leaders that they want to continue to invest in. We enable them to do that in a measurable way, so that they can see the engagement and the success and the productivity.

Gardner: Alicia, I know that SAP Ariba is already working to provide services to those organizations that are trying to create diversity and inclusion within their supply chains. How do you see Landit fitting into the business network that SAP Ariba is building around diversity?

Tillman: First, the SAP Ariba Network is the largest business to business (B2B) network on the planet. We connect more than 2.5 million companies that transact over $1 trillion in commerce annually. As you can imagine, there is incredible diversity in the buying requirements that exist amongst those companies that are located in all parts of the world and work in virtually every industry.

One of things that we offer as an organization is a Discovery tool. When you have a network that is so large, it can be difficult and a bit daunting for a buyer to find the supplier that meets their business requirements, and for a supplier to find their ideal buyer. So our SAP Ariba Discovery application is a matching service, if you will, that enables a buyer to list their requirements. You then let the tool work for you to allow matching you to suppliers that most meet your requirements, whatever they may be.

I’m very proud to have Lisa present at our Women in Leadership Forum at SAP AribaLIVE 2017. I am showcasing Lisa not only because of her entrepreneurial spirit and the success that she’s had in her career -- that I think will be very inspirational and motivational to women who are looking to continue to develop their careers -- but she has also created a powerful platform with Landit. For women, it helps provide a digital environment that allows them to harness precisely what it is that’s important to them when it comes to career development, and then offers the coaching in the Landit environment to enable that.

For women, it helps provide a digital environment that allows them to harness precisely what it is that’s important to them when it comes to career development.

Landit also offers companies an ability to support their goals around gender diversity. They can look at the Landit platform and source talent that is not only very focused on careers -- but also supports a company in their diversity goals. It’s a tremendous capability that’s necessary and needed in today’s environment.

Gardner: Lisa, what has changed in the past several years that has prompted this changed workforce? We have talked about the business network as an enabler, and we have talked about social networks connecting people. But what's going to be different about the workforce going forward?

Collaborative visibility via networking

Skeete Tatum: There are three main things. First, there is a recognition that diversity is not a “nice to have,” it’s a “must-have” from a competitive standpoint; to acquire the best ideas and gain a better return on capital. So it’s a business imperative to invest in and value diversity within one's workforce. Second, businesses are continuing to shift toward matching opportunities with the people who are best able to do that job, but in a less-biased way. Thirdly, business-as-usual isn’t going to work in this new reality of career management.

Business-as-usual isn’t going to work in this new reality of career management.

It’s no longer one- or bi-directional, where it’s just the manager or the employee. It’s much more collaborative and driven by the individual. And so all of these things … where there is much more opportunity, much more freedom. But how do you anchor that with a problem and a framework and a connectivity that enables someone to more successfully navigate the new environment and new opportunities? How do you leverage and build your network?  Everyone knows they need to do it, but many people don’t know how to do it. Or when your brand is even more important, visibility is more important, how do you develop and communicate your accomplishments and your value? It is the confluence of those things coming together that creates this new world order.

Gardner: Alicia, one of the biggest challenges for most businesses is getting the skills that they need in a timely fashion. How do we get past the difficulty of best matching hiring?  How do we use business networks to help solve that?

Tillman: This is the beauty of technology. Technology is an enabler in business to form relationships more quickly, and to transact more quickly. Similarly, technology also provides a network to help you grow from a development standpoint. Lisa’s organization, Landit, is one example of that.

Within SAP Ariba we are very focused on closing the gap in gaining the skills that are necessary to be successful in today’s business environment. I look at the offering of SAP SuccessFactors - which is  focused on empowering the humancapital management (HCM) organization to lead performance management and career development. And SAP Fieldglass helps companies find and source the right temporary labor that they need to service their most pressing projects. Combine all that with a business network, and there is no better place in today’s environment to find something you need -- and find it quickly.

But it all comes down to the individual’s desire to want to grow their skills, or find new skills, to get out of their comfort zone and try something new. I don’t believe there is a shortage of tools or applications to help enable that growth and talent. It comes down to the individual’s desire to want to grab it and go after it.

Maximize your potential with technology

Skeete Tatum: I couldn’t agree more. The technology and the network are what create the opportunity. In the past, there may have been a skills gap, but you have to be able to label it, you have to be able to identify it in a way that is relevant to the individual. As Alicia said, there are many opportunities out there for development, but how do you parse that down and deliver it to the individual in a way that is relevant -- and that’s actionable? That’s where a network comes in and where the power of one can be leveraged in a scalable way.

Now is probably one of the best times to invest in and have an individual grow to reach their full potential. The desire to meet their goals can be leveraged by technology in a very personal way.

Gardner: As we have been hearing here at SAP Ariba LIVE 2017, more-and-more technologies along the lines of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) – are taking advantage of all the data and analyzing it and making it actionable -- can now be brought to bear on this set of issues of matching workforce requirements with skill sets.

Where should we expect to see these technologies reduce the complexity and help companies identify the right workforce, and the workforce identify the right companies?

Having the data and being able to quantify and qualify it gives you the power to set a path forward.

Skeete Tatum: Having the data and being able to quantify and qualify it gives you the power to set a path forward. The beauty is that it actually enables everyone to have the opportunity to contribute, the opportunity to grow, and to create a path and a sense of belonging by having a way to get there. From our perspective, it is that empowerment and that ownership -- but with the support of the network from the overall organization -- that enables someone to move forward. And it enables the organization to be more successful and more embracing of this new workforce, this diverse talent.

Tillman: Individuals should feel more empowered today than ever before to really take their career development to unprecedented levels. There are so many technologies, so many applications out there to help coach you on every level. It’s up to the individual to truly harness what is standing in front of them and to really grab hold of it -- and use it to their advantage to reach their career goal.

Gardner: Lisa, what should you be thinking about from a personal branding perspective when it comes to making the best use of tools like Landit and business networks?

Skeete Tatum: The first thing is that people actually have to think of themselves as a brand, as opposed to thinking that they are bragging or being boastful. The most important brand you have is the brand of you.

The most important brand you have is the brand of you.

Second, people have to realize that this notion of building your brand is something that you nurture and it develops over time. What we believe is important is that we have to make it tangible, we have to make it actionable, and we have to make it bite-size, otherwise it seems overwhelming.

So we have defined what we believe are the 12 key elements for anyone to have a successful brand, such as have you been visible, do you have a strategic plan of you, are you seeking feedback, do you have a regular cadence of interaction with your network, et cetera. Knowing what to do and how to do it and at what cadence and at what level is what enables someone to move forward. And in today’s environment, again, it’s even more important.

Pique their curiosity by promoting your own

Tillman: Employers want to be sure that they are attracting candidates and employing candidates that are really invested in their own development. An employer operates in the best interest of the employee in terms of helping to enable tools and allow for that development to occur. At the same time, where candidates can really differentiate themselves in today’s work environment is when they are sitting across the table and they are in that interview. It's really important for a candidate to talk about his or her own development and what are they doing to constantly learn and support their curiosity.

Employers want curious people. They want those that are taking advantage of development and tools and learning, and these are the things that I think set people apart from one another when they know that individually they are going to go after learning opportunities and push themselves out of their comfort zone to take themselves – and ultimately the companies that employ them - to the next level.

Gardner: Before we close out, let’s take a peek into the crystal ball. What, Alicia, would be your top two predictions given that we are just on sort of an inflection point with this new network, with this new workforce and the networking effect for it?

Tillman: First, technology is only going to continue to improve. Networks have historically enabled buyers and sellers to come together and transact to build their organizations and support growth, but networks are taking on a different form.

Technology is going to continue to enable priorities professionally and priorities personally. Technology is going to become a leading enabler of a person’s professional development.

Second, individuals are going to set themselves apart from others by their desire and their hunger to really grab hold of that technology. When you think about decision-making among companies in terms of candidates they hire and candidates they don’t, employers are going to report back and say, “One of the leading reasons why I selected one candidate over another is because of their desire to learn and their desire to grab hold of technologies and networks that were standing in front of them to bring their careers to an unprecedented level.”

Gardner: Lisa, what are your top two predictions for the new workforce and particularly for diversity playing a bigger role?

Technology ... enables people to bring their full selves, the full measure of their talent, to the workplace.

Skeete Tatum: Technology is the ultimate leveler of the playing field. It enables companies as well as the individual to make decisions based on things that matter. That is what enables people to bring their full selves, the full measure of their talent, to the workplace.

In terms of networks in particular, they have always been a key element to success but now they are even more important. It actually poses a special challenge for diverse talent. They are often not part of the network, and they may have competing personal responsibilities that make the investment of the time and the frequency in those relationships a challenge.

Sometimes there is a discomfort with how to do it. We believe that through technology people will have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. They need to learn not only how to codify their network, but also have the right access to the right person with the right cadence, and access to that know how, that guidance, can be delivered through technology.

Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes. Get the mobile app. Read a full transcript or download a copy. Sponsor: SAP Ariba.

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