“You press the button, we do the rest.” These are the touching words of Kodak’s first advertising slogan. Coined by George Eastman, Kodak’s iconic founder in 1892, this tagline almost seems relevant 120 years later. Almost. There was a time in history where uttering those words evoked an emotional sense of nostalgia. Now, unfortunately, the Kodak moment represents that moment when executives fail to realize how consumers are changing and how markets will ultimately evolve in new directions without them….
Digital Transformation Needs Change Agents and Leadership Not Just Technology
Over the last year, I partnered with BMC on a new podcast series called “Digital Outliers.” We hand-picked 11 incredible guests working in critical areas of digital transformation and the future of work including IT, humanities and innovation. The result was humbling. Each episode dives into the trends shaping how companies work and compete. Our guests also offer prescriptive guide points for executives and change agents driving digital efforts to modernize culture, productivity, innovation, and experiences. My first guest in Episode 1…
From Future Shock to Future Proof: Digital Transformation is not a Prescription, It’s a Mission
When I set out to research digital transformation several years ago, I did so with the belief that there was more to the story than technology, IT and modernization. Yet, the name itself implies that change is focused on or prioritizes all things digital. But there’s more to the story than how CMOs or CIOs are deploying modern platforms to better engage customers and employees. The story I set out to uncover was that of the people behind change. To…
Would you make a decision to join or leave a company based on how you work?
Did you know that employees and employee prospects judge the immediate and long-term potential of a company by their reliance on desktop phones? To some it makes total sense. Why would any company have tethered devices to talk to someone else? Don’t we have mobile devices and apps for that? Besides, I’m always on the go. On the other hand, some might wonder as to why we would be having this conversation at all. Of course there are desktop phones!…
Why Disruptive Technology is Hijacking Your Customers
Disruptive technology is not just a commodity anymore; it has become a necessity. I recently met with Rilke Thomsen of Sleeknote to talk about how disruptive technology is shaping customer behaviors, preferences and expectations. Our conversation turned into a short but interesting three-part audio series that I wanted to share with you here. What is disruptive technology? Disruptive technology is something that comes along early on and has the potential to disrupt markets, behavior, and processes models. According to Brian, there are three…
Customer Experience Should Be Designed For And Measured By What Customer’s Actually Experience
Customer experience (CX) is the new black and it is, for all intents and purposes, the catalyst for accelerated and purposeful digital transformation. In my research however, I find that customer experience is not truly a customer-first initiative. It is in many cases relegated to enterprise-first approaches to improve customer flow from an infrastructure perspective. It’s not necessarily something I’m calling out as a problem. Optimizing customer journeys is indeed necessary. But, it is not a means to an end. It is…
Culture is Either the Roadblock or Highway to Innovation – We Need Leadership not Management
After studying customer experience, digital transformation and innovation for so many years, I’ve found that the next big thing in business (r)evolution is culture. The other most interesting thing I’ve learned is that while businesses are readying or investing in change, the definition of meaningful culture is elusive or inconsequential. Yet, company culture is either the number one catalyst or inhibitor to progress. Culture needs a champion. As Peter Drucker once famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast…” Like most aspects in business, management…
4 Keys to Designing New Customer Experiences
On a cold and rainy day in Minneapolis before year’s end, I joined my Prophet colleagues at Le Meridien Chambers where we hosted a breakfast of brand champions. It was the second time this year that I was invited to speak to some of the city’s (and the country’s) most prominent companies and this time I had even more new research and ideas to share. During the two hours that we were together, I presented findings from “The 6 Stages of Digital…
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The Coming Trends in Digital Transformation, Marketing, CX and EX [VIDEO]
It was the day after the U.S. election. I arrived in Copenhagen. I was tired. It near the end of a two week trip that took me to Munich, Amsterdam, Beirut, and London. But, I was also excited to attend Digital Copenhagen, a conference that explores digital trends affecting the future of business. My presentation was set to challenge conventional beliefs around several important technological and business trends. Before I took the stage, I joined the crew at TwentyThree to…
I Answer Your Questions About the State of Digital Transformation
Where are companies at in their digital transformation efforts? This was the question I set out to answer in, “The 2014 State of Digital Transformation” report. After two years, it was time to check-in on the digital transformation landscape again to learn how companies are changing, what challenges they’re facing now and what opportunities they’ve uncovered. Recently, I hosted a webcast on behalf of Altimeter and Prophet to share the findings from the latest “State of Digital Transformation” report. Over…
