Organizations looking to make the most of a content services partnership learned several valuable dos and don’ts during the event.
Through all phases of the customer journey, organizations are collecting more information and documents — in various formats — from their prospects and customers than ever before. Without the right systems or tools in place, many organizations are overwhelmed. In these instances, a content services partner can offer help and expertise to make sure an organization’s internal operations are set up to successfully deliver a positive customer experience.
Content services provider Hyland recently held its 2022 Partner Summer Summit to explore best practices in partnerships and content as it relates to the customer experience. With over 60 sessions plus keynotes from Hyland executives, attendees had the chance to gather unique insights on product sales, marketing, services, solution engineering and strategy for content services.
Executives including Chief Commercial Officer Ed McQuiston and Senior Director of Sales Marc Cianciolo shared insights on new customer buying habits and trends in cloud migration, as well as the ways in which partners can adapt to support these new behaviors. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the event.
A Cautionary Tale Around Rep-less Buying
Digital technologies are changing the customer journey, and B2B buyers are no exception. The increased availability of information online, combined with buyers’ sense of urgency, has led many to spend more time self-serving and doing their own research, without a sales representative involved.
While providing potential customers with high-quality information they can use to discover your product or service is a good idea, McQuiston cautions that the learning happening at this stage is often very surface-level, and that it doesn’t help buyers distinguish between potential vendors and their offerings.
“Rep-less buying can be reckless buying,” McQuiston explained, adding that it’s resulting in an increase in buyer’s remorse for technology. In fact, according to a recent study from Gartner, 56% of organizations said they had a high degree of regret over their largest tech-related purchase in the last two years.
A Shift to Total Experience
To better meet customers where they are, McQuiston suggests that sales reps adopt a “Total Experience” strategy. According to Gartner, this strategy aims to break down the silos of Customer Experience (CX), Employee Experience (EX), Multiexperience (MX) and User Experience (UX). When these functions come together and their various technologies are integrated, it makes it easier for customers, buyers and employees to communicate.
From a sales perspective, by ensuring various stakeholders within the company feel empowered, connected and ready to act in an integrated manner, the customer will then experience a more consistent process from their first interaction through onboarding and potential renewals.
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An Explosion of New Cloud Initiatives
Cianciolo also spent time discussing a recent increase in cloud adoption and the drivers behind it. A report from IDG commissioned by Hyland found that 75% of business leaders surveyed said the cloud is fundamental to their digital transformation efforts. Further, Cianciolo said that 85% of its customers fall into an intermediate or advanced category when it comes to the extent of the cloud initiatives deployed at their organizations, making it clear that they’re reassessing most, if not all, of their on-premise business functions.
Cianciolo stressed how important it is for sales reps to articulate the value of cloud migration. Cloud-based content services delivery gives customers the flexibility and agility to manage their content without sacrificing control, security or access. The right partner should offer highly optimized solutions that both meet a customer’s unique needs and adhere to standard compliance objectives.
Because IT frequently works alongside various business units during the adoption process, it’s also important to engage stakeholders from these units during sales conversations, since they’re most likely to be impacted by the changes.
Conclusion
In a keynote for the event, Hyland CEO Bill Priemer highlighted the ways a content services partnership can benefit organizations looking to deliver the best experience possible to their clients. According to him, partnering with a provider like Hyland brings with it operational improvement and efficiency, increased automation, information authenticity and greater insights.
“If you’re going to spend most of your waking hours doing something, you might as well strive to be the very best,” Premier said. “That’s the vision we have for our company and for our partner community.”
To learn more about Hyland’s global partner program for content services, visit hyland.com.