Despite depressed consumer confidence levels, rising inflation and the increasing cost of living that could have had a severely negative effect on the sector, the latest BER Retail Survey found .

The recently concluded Black Friday promotion period is another ray of optimism for the sector. , Black Friday sales are expected to again surpass Christmas sales in South Africa this year.

The consumer research company found that the 2021 Black Friday week surpassed the biggest festive season sales week, with sales of fast-moving consumer goods baskets 23% higher than the average of all other month-end weeks in 2021.

Smart adoption of tech driving retail innovation

While bargain-hunting by cash-strapped consumers certainly contributed to the retail success of Black Friday and other promotional periods, there are larger forces at play. The retail sector’s resilience in the face of severe disruption can also be ascribed to its accelerated adoption of digital technologies that has unlocked new innovations.

For example, the Shoprite Group’s omni-channel retail offerings saw a rapid release of its on-demand delivery service Sixty60 across South Africa. Despite only launching in 2020, Sixty60 Its appeal to the always-on Gen Z consumers entering the customer pool has helped establish Sixty60 as the dominant force in on-demand grocery services, beating out more established competitors.

The fulfilment of online grocery purchases could see retailers introduce their own delivery services, as Sixty60 has done. But other retailers have pursued partnerships to avoid having to invest in new processes and infrastructure. Retailers can provide an excellent customer experience by establishing smart partnerships with expert fulfilment partners.

Africa’s largest e-commerce retailer Jumia with instant delivery service Zipline to employ the use of drones to enable quick on-demand deliveries.

German drone delivery service Wingcopter also in Africa to aid delivery.

The blending of physical and online retail is also giving rise to new customer experiences. South African retailer Woolworths recently piloted a new service where customers can virtually try on clothes or makeup to see how they’d look before they make a purchase.

As adoption of online commerce accelerates over the coming years, customers can expect to see more innovation in how retailers leverage technology to deliver great customer experiences.

Beating retail adversity

It’s not all good news for retailers though. Most retailers face severe disruptions to their supply chains. A recent survey among US business leaders found that ongoing supply chain issues are causing widespread challenges, including a decrease in revenue (58%), inability to pay employees (50%), and the need for new financing measures such as business loans (54%).

Supply chain gridlocks stemming from lockdown pressures in China means retailers can’t always ensure products are on the shelf. This is giving rise to retailers increasing their stock thresholds just in case supply chain issues cause听 product shortages .

Many retailers are also pushing into new product and service categories. For example, Shoprite’s money market account, designed for cost-sensitive consumers and launched in 2020, .

The appeal of the service is two-fold: there are almost no account fees aside from a R5 withdrawal fee, and customers can do their banking while in-store听 grocery shopping.

3 priorities for retail success in 2023

Retailers can continue their golden run in the year ahead by focusing on a small handful of key priorities.

Firstly, retailers can enhance their use of big data and analytics to guide the development of new services and innovation. Many retailers have a wealth of customer purchase data that can be mined for insight into personalised products, offers and experiences.

Whether purchasing online or in-store, customers seek personalised shopping experiences tailored to their needs and preferences. This can take the form of personalised marketing offers, discounts or rewards, and ensuring product suggestions and sales items are relevant to each customer.

Clothing retailers can take it a step further by tracking customer purchases to understand what styles and types of clothing a customer prefers, and offer similar products or even offer to tailor-make clothing items based on the customer’s preferences, body type, and more.

Secondly, retailers could develop tailored subscription services for certain types of customers.

For example, a pharmacy retailer could use loyalty data to better understand which customers are purchasing baby products. Because of the repeatable nature of purchases such as nappies and baby formula, a smart retailer could introduce a subscription service to qualifying customers that ensures a regular delivery of key baby items.

This would ensure repeat business for the retailer while giving new parents a positive customer experience by removing the need to constantly go to the shop to stock up on essentials.

Finally, retailers should enhance their human capital management capabilities. With customer expectations for great personalised service at an all-time high, retailers that want to win the hearts and minds of customers need to ensure in-store staff can deliver a consistently great customer experience.

It’s no longer enough that in-store staff simply stock shelves and process purchases. Smart retailers will invest in attracting and retaining top talent to ensure in-store staff can provide helpful information, guidance and support to customers during their purchases.

Retailers may choose to partner with technology providers that have the experience and global insight to guide how technology is deployed to assist with the above three priorities. For retailers that get it right, there is practically no limit to their success over the coming years.

The post Three Ways Retailers Can Continue Their Golden Run in 2023 appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

This usually prompts me to reflect on the generational gaps that exist in the workplace today, as well as how the workplace has evolved in the twenty-five years that I have been in corporate.

A changing workplace

One of the most significant workplace developments is diversity and inclusion (D&I), which has become one of the most talked about phenomenon in the workplace today, alongside trends such as the use of technology, remote working, and the prioritisation of human resources as a strategic company asset.

The recognition that having people from diverse backgrounds helps to build stronger teams has prompted employers to pay close attention to how they engage and nurture diverse employees, particularly the younger generation, which is quickly becoming the majority in the workplace.

Given the emphasis on D&I and the value it brings to the workplace, employers must consider employee satisfaction from the perspective of each individual employee.

As a result, ensuring a personalised approach to driving employee engagement has emerged as a critical focus area for all businesses and leaders.

In the midst of all of these changes in workplace priorities, technology has become deeply ingrained in our daily lives, particularly over the last two decades.

For example, innovations such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have enabled people to work for companies located anywhere in the world from the comfort of their own homes.

As technology continues to shape society, it will undoubtedly play a key role in enabling future workplaces, particularly in empowering business leaders to better manage priorities such as tailored approaches to employee engagement.

Employee engagement is critical to achieving high levels of employee satisfaction, and technology can help make this possible.

Personalising employee engagement

One of the critical areas to ensuring a unique and personalised approach to employee engagement and satisfaction is talent management.

A 23-year-old graduate entering the workforce has very different career growth aspirations to a 55-year-old.

The younger employee is more likely to want to learn and advance quickly up the career ladder, whereas the older employee is more likely to be looking for stability as they approach retirement.

Managing this process successfully and ensuring a tailored and personalised approach to talent and career management for each employee鈥檚 specific needs, especially in large companies, can be difficult 鈥� if not impossible.

Employers can empower employees to reach their full potential by investing in tools and systems that automate learning and development, as well as enhance career planning and mapping.

Understanding employee sentiment

Employee feedback should be solicited on a regular basis to better understand employee sentiment and ensure that the company鈥檚 initiatives are aligned with employee expectations.

During the recent pandemic, for example, when most companies shut down and employees worked remotely, this became a priority.

Companies must invest in employee experience management tools to become better listeners.

This enables leaders to foster a listening culture and make decisions based on employee expectations, ensuring that each employee鈥檚 individual needs are well understood and met.

In conclusion, fostering a listening culture is critical to developing a purpose-driven approach that prioritizes diversity and inclusion, resulting in a committed and productive workforce that feels appreciated.

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It employs advanced technologies such as analytics, artificial intelligence, automation, and machine learning to create tailored value propositions that are relevant and appealing to individual customer needs and wants.

Hyper-personalisation is the key to delivering exceptional customer service.

It enables businesses to be hyper-intuitive, connecting with customers at the right time and with the right information.

According to听, brands that provide a superior customer experience generate 5.7 times more revenue than their competitors

For example, a customer of听, an American pet food retailer, lost both of her pets in the space of one week.

When she contacted Chewy about returning unused pet food, they not only processed a full refund and picked up the food right away, but they also sent the customer a bouquet of flowers a few days later with a personalized note of condolences for her loss.

Another example is听, which generates more than 35% of its revenue by curating customer experiences through hyper-personalization; for example, on their Kindle platform, where they recommend new books to customers based on previous purchases on their e-commerce platform.

So, what do Chewy, and Amazon have in common?

They connect the dots and use existing data to create tailored value propositions that are relevant and appealing to the needs and wants of individual customers.

What distinguishes Chewy and Amazon from their competitors is their ability to connect with their customers at the right time.

Hyper-personalisation is all about connecting with customers at the right time and with the right information to either identify an upsell opportunity or improve customer experience, fostering stronger relationships, and developing customers for life.

Many pundits have dubbed data the 鈥渘ew oil鈥� of the 21st century, but only a few businesses are truly leveraging it to create unique customer experiences and new revenue streams.

The collection of customer data by businesses will only grow in the future.

Consider Domino鈥檚 Pizza, which allows customers to place orders from up to 12 channels via its听听补辫辫谤辞补肠丑.

Customers can place orders for pizza via traditional channels such as the phone, as well as newer social media platforms and messaging apps such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Alexa, and Slack.

As a result, businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to ingest, consolidate, and use large amounts of customer data from multiple sources in a meaningful way that benefits both the customer and the company.

Building a 360-degree view of the customer by consolidating many data sources and engaging with customers in real-time and in a highly personalized manner is even more challenging.

Customer Data Platform, also known as CDP, is the solution to this challenge.

At its most basic, CDP is a piece of software that unifies and organizes customer data from various sources and touchpoints and uses it to drive 1-to-1 personalized customer engagement.

If data is the new oil that businesses can use to generate new customer value, then CDP is the engine that drives hyper-personalized customer engagements.

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, hyper-personalization influences $87.5 billion in sales through personalized offers that lead to consumers making purchases they did not intend to make when they began the purchasing process.

Customer-centric and data-driven marketing is the key to gaining a long-term competitive advantage, and hyper-personalization is at the heart of it.

This can be a powerful differentiator against competitors and a sure-fire way to create new revenue streams and increase Customer Lifetime Value.

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In a webinar sponsored by听麻豆原创 Concur听Marco Dal Moro, lead of 麻豆原创 Concur centre of excellence,听Greg Cubitt,听senior regional solutions consultant and regional sales manager,听Ntokozo Mtshali听unpacked why employee experience matters.

Marco started his presentation by saying that today it is more important than ever for businesses to attract and retain the best talent; mainly because mobility has never been so high as it is today.

He explained that people in HR know better than anyone that one of the most important points of human capital management is processes like employee hiring and employee safety.

鈥淪o, when you have the ability to drive productivity from the very beginning of the employee journey, you are making an impression that lasts. And what we鈥檙e trying to say here is that there is a way to transform your business by increasing efficiency through delivering duty of care, promoting user satisfaction, and boosting employee engagement 鈥� revolutionising, therefore, the travel and expense process right off the gate.鈥�

The challenges of CHROs

Marco shared some of the challenges CHROs face constantly. 鈥淐HROs face a lot of pressure to manage the workforce from recruiting to onboarding, to retirement and attrition,鈥� he said, adding that these are just broad strokes.

These challenges also include:

• Satisfying of duty of care compliance:
• 听Low satisfaction with travel and expense tools
• 听Not having a mobile app-based solution
• 听Manual and paper-based travel and expense processes
• 听Lengthy reimbursement cycle
• 听Minimal flexibility in booking and purchasing

Solutions organisations need

Marco said the question is how organisations provide guidance and oversight during purchase. And how do they gain the visibility they need across spending without having timely integrated analytics to keep track of them?

鈥淵ou need a solution that first of all will improve employee experience and does so by leveraging top-rated mobile apps, intuitive tools, and easy-to-navigate spend policies to improve employee satisfaction with your travel and expense processes,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he second pillar is employee engagement, to improve employees鈥� productivity and keep them focused on their job by eliminating unnecessary paperwork and automating manual tasks.

鈥淎nd the third pillar is to help you fulfill the duty of care, this reduces risk and increases the wellbeing of your employee by locating, communicating, and assisting them during emergencies, which is something that 10 years ago, would have been reserved for CEOs.鈥�

Creating positive employee experiences

Marco highlighted that 64 percent of organisations say employee experience is one of the most important factors considered when purchasing technology.

He shared the challenges and solutions to creating an employee experience: 鈥淚n creating a positive employee experience, the challenges include the fact that we are all on the go, in work and in life, and you can’t really afford to be tied to your desk.鈥�

The other challenges are:
1. Enabling mobile experience
2. Navigating policies is hard
3. Limited choice of brands to book
4. Time-consuming reimbursement processes
5. Complex tools
6. No visibility into claim status

He shared that the solutions to these challenges are quite clear. 鈥淵ou need a solution that gives the employee one of the most liked and top-rated applications in the industry, that has policy guidance built-in, and gives employees the flexibility to book brands they already like.鈥�

Greg also highlighted that the integration with 麻豆原创 Concur SuccessFactors, which is its HCM solution system, helps to improve the employee experience by being able to leverage top-rated mobile applications that are easy to navigate, and also increase employee engagement.

鈥淐oncur integrates with SuccessFactors, which are your master data source for all your employee information. As changes happen on your employee master data system, these changes propagate automatically and seamlessly to the concur system,鈥� he said.

This article first appeared on

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Much has been written about the pandemic鈥檚 impact on business and its role as a once-in-a-generation catalyst for accelerated digital transformation. Across the continent – in enterprises large and small, and in every industry – business leaders have had to adapt with great urgency to survive the immediate disruption and ensure the long-term viability of their businesses.

Organisations that had already embarked on the journey toward becoming intelligent enterprises 鈥� those enterprises that seamlessly blend data, technology, systems and processes to enable real-time insights and decision-making across the business – would have had the benefit of a warship when the pandemic tsunami first struck.

Their greater resilience and adaptability not only cushioned them from the worst impact, but in many cases enabled quick pivots to new business models that secured their survival and accelerated their success.

The less prepared would have been floundering in their makeshift canoes, often tossed and turned with little means to steer their organisations through stormy seas.

There is no doubt that we are sailing in uncharted waters and towards an uncertain future.

Having the capability to quickly deploy new technologies – such as AI-assisted processes or scalable cloud applications – empowers organisations with agility and adaptability, both essential elements of success in our turbulent times. What鈥檚 more, it lends a sense of certainty to the decisions they make, as such decisions are grounded in accurate data.

New world of work = new challenges, opportunities

The hybrid work environment most organisations have had to adopt has created new challenges for managers and leaders to effectively motivate, guide and manage their teams. While challenging, this fundamental cultural shift toward more flexible work holds the promise of finally unlocking the possibilities of the digital workplace, which .

Organisations need real-time insight into employees’ current state of mind, their perception of their work, challenges keeping them from performing at their best and gaps in processes such as onboarding. This allows business leaders to make quick adjustments and maintain a positive and fulfilling employee experience at every step.

Using an experience management tool that produces measurable, data-driven insights can bring structure and consistency to how organisations respond to employee expectations. Technology is an invaluable tool here: that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.

New modes of leadership are also needed. I strongly believe the time is over for one-dimensional organisations that focus purely on chasing quarterly revenue targets.

Analysts estimate that purpose-driven organisations have and 40% higher levels of talent retention. What’s more, one study found that , compared to a 4.1% average for the S&P 500 over a ten-year period.

Employees also value purpose: 84% of millennials in one study said that .

Empowering the next generation of digital workers

The matter of skills development, while long a priority of governments and organisations across the continent, is of even greater importance today. As organisations drive greater digitisation in their business models, the urgency of having a steady supply of work-ready digital skills grows.

Organisations will need to collaborate with public and private sector partners to ensure Africa鈥檚 growing youth population is equipped with the key digital skills that can support their growth and success. Initiatives such as Africa Code Week that bring together hundreds of partners from government, NGOs and the private sector have already introduced millions of kids to coding while empowering local teachers with vital digital skills training.

Africa Month an opportunity to chart new course

Our recent shared experiences across the African continent should teach us that no one is immune to disruption.

The world already faces the consequences of climate change which could disrupt the global economy in ways that far outweigh the impact of the pandemic. Scientists believe the COVID-19 pandemic is almost certainly not the last one we’ll see, especially if we persist with unsustainable ways of living.

However, the same challenges also hold the promise of transforming the way we work and live to bring us toward more sustainable, innovation-driven and fulfilling ways of working.

The pandemic has been a tsunami that has swept across the globe. We are still feeling the ripple effects through every industry and in every country.

As we celebrate Africa Month, we must also take stock of how we are preparing for the next inevitable disruption.

Investment into building intelligent enterprise capabilities in our public and private sectors could hold the promise of a tsunami-proof lifeboat that can protect organisations and their employees, customers and partners from the worst effects of the next wave, while bringing us all closer to calmer shores.

The post African Enterprises: Build Your Boat Now Before the Next Tsunami Hits appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

According to the World Bank, emerging market SMEs are responsible for creating 70% of regular employment and are an important part of economic development.

The ability to overcome financial pressure is important because many SMEs struggle to do more with less effort.

Some SMEs are responsive and offer short-term relief, but can adopt opportunistic cost-cutting measures that are often disruptive in the long run.

Successful SMEs choose to take a proactive approach by adopting approaches such as strategic sourcing to drive cost savings and efficiency.

Strategic procurement

Strategic procurement is a game changer. Leverage the power of technology and data to meet your sourcing needs.

By incorporating organizational goals and unique market conditions, strategic sourcing creates efficiency and predictability while helping to reduce costs.

Companies that take a data-driven approach can make credible decisions about supplier-related issues.

In this regard, SMEs need to have a complete picture of procurement spending and be able to answer some basic questions. What am I buying? Who do you buy from? And how much do I spend?

By addressing these questions, strategic sourcing allows companies to develop optimal strategies for purchasing goods and services 鈥� directly related to the production process or for internal use.

There are two important factors for SMEs who want to enjoy the benefits of today鈥檚 strategic sourcing.

1: Utilization of digital supplier network

With access to a dynamic digital marketplace, SMEs can adapt their procurement requirements to qualified and competent suppliers around the world. Importantly, the more suppliers involved, the greater the source of purchasing power.

With just a few clicks, the Digital Supplier Network allows buyers to post their procurement needs, compare bids from different suppliers, and make credible decisions about which supplier to buy from.

Leveraging a digital supplier network is important for building long-term procurement partnerships, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs.

2: Innovative sourcing tool

SMEs need access to intuitive sourcing tools that enable seamless creation, execution, and management of sourcing events.

The use of tools such as electronic auction platforms is invaluable. Electronic auctions allow companies to post procurement requirements on online platforms, run timed online events, and protect goods and services at competitive prices.

Procurement management in SMEs

Strategic sourcing is a good starting point for managing supplier relationships and is an integral part of increasing efficiency, reducing costs and creating a sustainable competitive advantage. As part of this series on leveraging technology in customer relationships, the next two articles will focus on operating the supplier engagement process and managing the effective supplier experience.

1. Strategic procurement:听It starts with finding a supplier, agreeing to the best pricing, and signing a contract.

2. Commerce automation:听The focus then shifts to making the process of involving suppliers more efficient, transparent and collaborative.

3. Supplier Experience Management:听The focus then shifts to continuous improvement through joint innovation to optimize supplier experience and processes.

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Here鈥檚 how some research and business leaders viewed the latest deluge of upcoming technology innovations, accompanied by a resurgence of people-centric exigencies for brand trust, ethical responsibility, and .

Digital Can Boost Customer Trust in Brands

Since the pandemic compressed expected years of digital evolution into seemingly overnight transformation, the consensus is that cloud-based technology is the only way to future-proof business.

analysts predicted that by the end of this year, 65% of organizations will shift to digital-first through automated operations and contactless experiences. But that doesn鈥檛 reduce an organization鈥檚 ability and imperative to build trusted, personalized relationships with customers. Indeed, the idea is to use digital technologies to improve customer experiences.

For example, researchers viewed digital as a double-edged sword when it came to brand trust. They predicted that 鈥渃onsumers will give brands permission to become more creative, entertaining, and immersive than they鈥檝e ever found palatable before. Chief marketing officers will need to create consciously and sincerely; if manipulative tactics destroy trust among this emotionally vulnerable population, consumers won鈥檛 give your brand a second chance.鈥� Calling disjointed experiences the 鈥渁ntithesis of customer obsession,鈥� Forrester analysts predicted market spend on loyalty and retention marketing will increase by 30% in 2021 as CMOs assert control over the full customer life cycle.

Managing Employee Experience for Trusted Relationships

The impact of digitalization in the workforce was also profound. predicted that by next year, 45% of repetitive work tasks in large companies will be automated and/or augmented via “digital coworkers,” powered by such innovations as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. researchers agreed, forecasting that one out of every four remote workers will be supported by new forms of automation, either directly or indirectly, by the end of 2021.

In the same breath, every analyst talked about managing the employee experience — with good reason. predicted that by 2024, organizations providing a total experience will outperform competitors by 25% in satisfaction metrics for both customer and employee experience.

It鈥檚 no wonder that predicted 60% of enterprises will invest heavily in digitalizing the employee experience this year, transforming the relationship between employers and employees. Further out, Gartner predicted by 2023, large organizations will increase employee retention by more than 20% by repurposing office space as on-site childcare and education facilities.

Some analysts expect high-performing organizations will make digital the default, adding in the physical to deliver the best holistic experience for team productivity. Gartner predicted that 40% of organizations will blend virtual and physical experiences, leading to increased workforce productivity and customer reach during the next couple of years. Hybrid working environments may well become the post-pandemic norm.

Here again, ethics loomed large. analysts saw regulatory and legal activity related to employee privacy infringements doubling this year. They put the onus on employers to adopt a 鈥減rivacy by design鈥� approach when handling employee personal data. This included identifying and assessing privacy and ethical risks and requirements, and transparent employee communication.

Digital Power Brings Ethical Responsibility

Many businesses have done some in the wake of the pandemic, political discord, and long-simmering equity demands. Two years ago, , an association of U.S.-based CEOs, updated its purpose statement of a corporation to “take into account all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and the community,鈥� rather than only profit.

Maybe that鈥檚 partly why analysts predicted the emergence of responsible AI, meaning the operationalization of AI accountability across organizations and society. They saw responsible AI as an umbrella term covering many aspects of AI implementations including value, risk, trust, transparency, ethics, fairness, interpretability, accountability, safety, and compliance.

Most analysts predicted that sentiment analyses and metrics documenting a company鈥檚 contributions to society鈥檚 measurements will matter even more in 2021 and over time. analysts predicted 30% of major organizations will use a 鈥渧oice of society鈥� metric to act on societal issues, and assess the impacts to their business performance by 2024. It turns out that what鈥檚 damaging to society is damaging to business. These analysts think organizations have a fiscal and moral responsibility to measure, reduce, or eliminate tone-deaf or insensitive racial and ethical concerns.

called this phenomenon 鈥渆mpathy at scale鈥� where companies increasingly used sentiment analysis, fueled by AI, to measure how customers perceive their vendors. They predicted by 2024, 32% of consumer brands will use AI-enabled contextual sentiment analysis to measure customer perceptions of empathy. This is where experience management technology such as comes in, connecting data for actionable insights company-wide in an .

What鈥檚 more, trust directly relates to AI-based data explainability. IDC predicted that by 2022, over 60% of in finance, healthcare, government, and other regulated sectors will include provisions to explain their analysis and decisions.

Sustainability is Table Stakes for Responsible Business

IDC analysts reported that the most favored companies are not only transparent and secure, but also give back to their communities, concluding that, 鈥渢rust is not just about security anymore; it is also about responsibility.鈥� Most analysts predicted increasing investments in sustainability initiatives, fueled by public sector mandates, shifting societal demands, and the realization that it鈥檚 good for business.

One analyst said that 鈥渟ustainability-focused companies have better financial results relative to their peers, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.鈥� By next year, predicted the majority of companies will realize greater value by combining digital and sustainability, giving rise to digitally driven and sustainably enabled projects as the de-facto standard. said that by 2025, 90% of G2000 companies will mandate reusable materials in IT hardware supply chains, carbon neutrality targets for providers’ facilities, and lower energy use as prerequisites for doing business.

Optimists look ahead to 2021 and beyond as a major reset for the next phase of the digital age. Let鈥檚 all plan to make the most of this digitally fueled opportunity for the business at hand, and the greater good worldwide.

Susan Galer is a multi-media communicator at 麻豆原创. Follow her on Twitter @smgaler.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 Global News Center.

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In 2020, the 麻豆原创 Insights research center launched a groundbreaking advising business leaders of skills and attributes they will need in the emotion-driven experience economy. With over 10,000 responses from consumers across Canada and the U.S., the report found that what differentiates business now is a leader鈥檚 ability to speak out and to mobilize action on global issues. “Driving this mindset is the Passionates, a growing set of consumers who believe in taking action to make the world a better place and they expect business leaders to do the same,” said Siddharth Taparia, senior vice president and head of Strategy, Brand, and Experience Marketing at 麻豆原创.

“We wanted to draw attention to environmental and societal issues and show what leading companies and 麻豆原创 customers and partners are doing to address these challenges and bring about change and awareness in their own industries,” Taparia said.

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The series is hosted by Baratunde Thurston, a New York Times best-selling and Emmy-nominated storyteller. Each episode focuses on a broad subject and investigates angles with data-driven content, customer testimonials, and points of view from experts.

The first episode explores how players in the fast fashion industry are making positive environmental changes as the result of pressure from passionate consumers who are pushing for change. The second episode covers how passionate fans have pressed professional sports leagues and athletes to put social justice initiatives and messages on and off the field of play. The third episode delves into how food and beverage companies are confronting major environmental challenges of water supply, food waste, and plastic use 鈥� and how passionate consumers are driving changes.

The series includes conversations with supermodel, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Karlie Kloss and professional golfer Cameron Champ. The episodes also feature segments on how organizations like the NBA and the World Wildlife Fund are working to drive change on a global level.

*This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 Global News Center

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Staying focused on the customer at all times is, in today鈥檚 business world, little more than standard good business practice. Of course, remaining customer-centric is easy during the good times, but becomes more difficult during times of crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. This is why those companies that succeed despite the current adverse conditions will be those with the most precisely focused customer-centric strategies.

Marc Emert, Customer Experience Solutions Specialist at 麻豆原创, suggests the foundation on which such customer-centricity is built is transparency and honesty, along with constant communications with the individual client. A simple example of this, he explains, is when a customer has placed an order, the company should ensure the client is kept in the loop as to the status and disposition of the delivery.

鈥淎n additional element is that you need to be sure that the customer can contact you via the channel of their choice 鈥� whether this is a contact centre, e-mail, social media or another channel. Furthermore, customers today do not want to wait; they demand service on a 24/7/365 basis,鈥� he says.

鈥淭his, in turn, creates the challenge of maintaining a single view of the customer across a multichannel engagement. The only way to succeed here is to implement software that allows you to ingest data from multiple sources. Technology is also the answer to delivering another increasingly in-demand option, namely self-service.鈥�

The COVID-19 pandemic has furthermore added another unique layer of difficulty to customer service, as it has led to many customers having far less patience. He explains that the massive rise in online shopping, driven by the lock-down, has given customers a taste of the kind of speed with which organisations are capable of delivering goods. Most retailers that provide such a service can get the products to the customer within a couple of hours.

鈥淥f course, once they realized that retailers could deliver so quickly, customers began to query why other e-commerce organisations could not achieve the same delivery speeds. While it is potentially tougher to deliver large electronic or household appliances so rapidly, the nature of logistics is also evolving, and forward-thinking businesses should be able to find ways to achieve this. Moreover, in instances where they cannot, regular communication with the customer becomes even more critical so the customer remains informed of the status of their delivery throughout the process.鈥�

鈥淔or me, the real key to customer-centricity lies in building a relationship and forming a bond with each customer. If you can provide them with a sense of security and deeper personalization, they will likely remain with you, even if your delivery speeds are potentially slower than your competitors. Customers today are, after all, seeking a deeper sense of engagement with their suppliers.鈥�

Essentially, adds Emert, it boils down to data and the manner in which companies are able to leverage it effectively by unifying it, ingesting it and analyzing it. In other words, it is about having a single view of the customer and breaking down organisational silos.

鈥淲hat businesses need, therefore, is a platform that collects the data and unifies the customer profile, bringing together both structured or transactional data and unstructured data such as that found on social media sites. This will mean they can build a unified customer profile that enables them to both understand the client better, as well as engage and serve them more effectively.

鈥淟ooking to what the future of customer service holds, the simple answer is that data will only become even more important moving forward. Not only will you and your competitors all be vying for the same information, but the legislative and compliance issues around consumer privacy are clearly also going to increase. So the answer to effective customer-centricity lies in having the right platform that can help you gather as much data as you can, but in a compliant, transparent and ethical manner 鈥� I believe this will be how organisations differentiate themselves in this space in the near future,鈥� he concludes.

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Digital transformation is at the heart of it, a human-centred effort; because without people, and without them actually buying into this new way of doing things, it means nothing. For companies to truly participate in the digital economy, they need to first and foremost change the way they manage their most valuable assets, their employees.

Today鈥檚 employees require the flexibility to work from anywhere and at any time. The seamless digital experiences they enjoy in their personal lives are leading them to reject complex, cumbersome systems and processes in their professional lives. To attract and retain the best talent, companies need to support new ways of thinking, working and managing their employees.

Digital solutions for human resource management and employee engagement are a fundamental part of driving productivity, transparency and trust. When thinking about their digital transformation strategies, companies need to prioritise the human element by driving greater simplicity, improving employee experiences and enhancing employee engagement.

Here are ways in which companies can prioritise the human element in their digital transformation efforts.

Keep it simple and efficient

Doing business in today’s connected, uncertain, competitive and volatile environment is complex, as is the process of managing, engaging and motivating employees. It is important that companies empower their HR teams and managers with systems that enable streamlined processes and drive efficiencies.

Eliminating manual processes and spreadsheets by automating core processes for recruitment, talent management and compensation are non-negotiable priorities. In addition, automating the end-to-end performance management process including coaching, feedback, evaluation and recognition is a key part of connecting employees with the company鈥檚 purpose and mission.

Enhance the employee experience

Companies that are unable to break down silos using modern, connected and integrated systems find it difficult to enhance employee experience, attract top talent and meet their employees鈥� expectations. The emphasis should be on pursuing a comprehensive digital transformation strategy that prioritises the customer, the operations, and most importantly, the employee.

Companies need to cover the entire workforce value chain, from new recruits to established employees as well as soon-to-be retirees. This includes ensuring an efficient ramp-up process, delivering self-service tools, career development and training, compensation and benefits as well as wellness management.

The entire employee lifecycle needs to be powered by an automated and intelligent system that eliminates disjointed HR processes. To truly participate in the digital economy, companies need to be driven by modern HR systems that are automated, intuitive and make it possible to track an on-the-move digital economy workforce.

Drive productivity

Maintaining and increasing employee productivity can be a challenge in an ever-evolving and unpredictable business environment. For example, the Covid disruption demonstrated the importance of implementing and using smart HR systems that see work as an activity that can be performed from anywhere and at any time.

Streamlining and simplifying processes and tasks using technology has a positive impact on employee productivity and is an essential part of freeing up employees to focus on innovation and other important tasks that drive business strategy and ultimately profitability.

Technology makes this possible by centralising employee data and ensuring that all employees have access to the relevant information in real-time and from anywhere. In addition, managers and HR are able to highlight hotspots in the workforce through analytics and zoom into the root causes; thus, empowering them to make decisions that refine talent management and shape a workforce that can execute the business strategy.

Engage your employees

Employees that are connected to the purpose and mission of the company have a strong sense of commitment; this can be a significant source of competitive advantage. Deloitte has found that organisations that engage employees by making them feel connected to the company鈥檚 purpose and able to make a positive contribution are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets, three times as likely to be high-performing, six times as likely to be innovative and agile, and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes.

The ability for managers and HR to track metrics that allow them to evaluate the levels of engagement is an important part of creating a learning organisation that prioritises and fosters continuous improvements and growth.

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