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How to Build Brand Trust in a Polarized World

�鶹ԭ�� News — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 05:26:46 +0000

Digital technology’s massive growth has long been destined for a head-on collision with trusted brand authenticity. In a polarized, fast-changing environment, issues have measurable consequences on brand reputation and company revenue.

Trending news and customer sentiment on topics including data privacy, ethics, social justice, and sustainability can immediately reflect on any company’s brand. Knee-jerk responses like pausing political contributions under public pressure won’t cut it.

Here’s how some high-tech industry researchers described the challenges and opportunities facing companies intent on building authentic brand trust in a dynamically fractious world.

Trust Management Efforts Will Soar

In a recently published report, IDC researchers called on business leaders and technology suppliers to “evolve their understanding of trust and how to achieve it to succeed in the digital economy.” predicted that by 2025, 80% of chief trust officers will demand vendors incorporate security and risk capabilities to measure corporate trust, including vendor relationships and employee reputation.

However, managing trust requires greater business accountability. Josh Greenbaum, principal at Enterprise Applications Consulting, was amazed at the unprecedented activism of many organizations in the wake of the U.S. Capitol insurrection in early January.

“In a world with this degree of global polarization, and the resulting inability to effect change at the political level, it’s fascinating that corporations are stepping up, trying to fill the void, and taking action,” he said.

Some researchers predicted increasing business responsibility for online content. By 2024, Gartner analysts said content moderation services for user-generated content will be a top CEO priority at 30% of large organizations. They expected every company with an online presence, from social media to retailer platforms, to be challenged to deal with malicious content. They advised brand advertisers to “neutralize polarizing content, and, at the very least, show a balance between views.”

Rethink AI as a Tool for Trust

Digital technologies might force companies to develop a conscience. Greenbaum argued for a market-wide reassessment of the , particularly the methodologies behind data gathering and data model creation.

“The AI problem is encumbered, in part, by reprehensible interests in social control by some governments, as well as the greed factor of organizations that are monetizing data using algorithmic analyses,” he said. “At its worst, the surveillance economy has exacerbated a tremendous problem with privacy and security, juxtaposing many business models against ethical behavior. We cannot build anything so fast without understanding its broader implications, especially if that unleashed power is universally available.”

Indeed, by 2023, predicted 42% of organizations will be held to “regulatory certification that their AI- and machine learning-based algorithmic systems are ethical (free of bias and discrimination) and transparent.”

Experience Begets Trustworthiness

Paying lip service to customer demands for trustworthiness is not enough. The customer’s actual experiences will drive brand trust scores up or down. analysts opined that, “Companies with the best price, coolest product, or most memorable marketing campaign will not necessarily have an advantage compared with companies that provide a safe, secured, and seamless experience.” Turns out customers also care about the safety and security of an organization’s employees, how it collects and uses customer data, along with a company’s environmental and social justice efforts.

One analyst said that trust was only partially about a customer’s perception of brand based on social, moral, or political values. They wrote that, “Experience is more powerful than perception – consistent customer experience quality, frequency of interaction, and intimacy of interaction engender consumer trust in the company and buffer the brand against reputational blunders.”

Digital Transparency Boosts Trust

Consumer data invasiveness is just one component of the brand trust challenge. On the B2B side, technology can boost business trust between buyers and sellers across complex supply chains. But only if organizations can integrate and understand the implications of the data that underpins relationships across business networks, using software applications like and .

“Companies need well-analyzed data and algorithms to tackle complicated supply chains for resiliency based on reality, not erroneous assumptions,” said Greenbaum. “If I’m suddenly switching to a local supplier because my overseas partner is on lockdown, I need good feedback about that supplier so I can trust them with my order and succeed at my job. Without that trust, if I’m trying to deliver something like a vaccine, I would also fail society.”

And in case you thought digital trust was an oxymoron, consider this: predicted that 15% of supply chain transactions will use blockchain to track the provenance of ethical, sustainable practices within two years. Some analysts have long touted blockchain’s potential to foster trusted business transactions that rely on collaboration between different companies. IDC expected 65% of transcontinental shipping to be legislated to use blockchain that tracked crew health information, fuel sourcing, and goods origination by 2023.

Data Standardization

Harmonizing data for consistency and quality across an ever-more sprawling web of digital systems is critical to trusted data protection. As intelligence proliferates from innovations like digital twins, AI, and the Internet of Things (IoT), common standards for handling consumer and other data will keep it safer. For example, one semantical data model is foundational to Rise with �鶹ԭ��, the company’s recently announced business transformation as a service.

Digital Can Be a Force for Good

Companies can and must adopt a sincere, strategic stance on issues for society’s benefit. But don’t wait to take action until the activists are banging down your front door. By then, it could be too late for your business and our society.

. It also appeared on the �鶹ԭ�� Global News Center.

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How Responsible Businesses Put Trust, Ethics, and Sustainability First

Susan Galer — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 09:48:28 +0000

Lost in the euphoric rise of upbeat digital growth predictions this year is a corresponding wave of people-first trends.

Here’s 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’t reduce an organization’s 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 “consumers will give brands permission to become more creative, entertaining, and immersive than they’ve 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’t give your brand a second chance.” Calling disjointed experiences the “antithesis of customer obsession,” 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’s 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 “privacy by design” 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,” rather than only profit.

Maybe that’s 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’s contributions to society’s measurements will matter even more in 2021 and over time. analysts predicted 30% of major organizations will use a “voice of society” metric to act on societal issues, and assess the impacts to their business performance by 2024. It turns out that what’s 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 “empathy at scale” 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’s 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, “trust is not just about security anymore; it is also about responsibility.” Most analysts predicted increasing investments in sustainability initiatives, fueled by public sector mandates, shifting societal demands, and the realization that it’s good for business.

One analyst said that “sustainability-focused companies have better financial results relative to their peers, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.” 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’s 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 �鶹ԭ��. Follow her on Twitter @smgaler.

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�鶹ԭ�� Named a Leader Among Specialized Insights Service Providers in Recent Report by Independent Research Firm

�鶹ԭ�� News — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 08:35:52 +0000

WALLDORF — (NYSE: �鶹ԭ��) today announced that it has been named a leader among specialized insights service providers in a report, “.” According to the report, �鶹ԭ�� provides services that “deliver new innovative capabilities to product-related rollouts and… help customers get the maximum value out of their investment.”

The report’s analysis of 13 top vendors in the specialized insights service provider landscape was based on three core categories: market presence, strategy and current offering. �鶹ԭ�� was named as a leader.

“Across all our �鶹ԭ�� offerings and teams, we instill a commitment to providing our customers with the best tools, support and strategic insights they need to be successful at every stage of becoming an intelligent enterprise,” said Shane Paladin, president, Services, �鶹ԭ��. “Continually helping customers identify and utilize data-driven insights is critical to driving business value, and it is an honor for �鶹ԭ�� to be recognized as a leader among specialized insights service providers.”

The report determined that with its product-specific orientation, the �鶹ԭ�� offering stood out from the pure-play insights providers. And according to the report, “References appreciate �鶹ԭ�� as an unbiased expert leading the sessions.” Additionally, �鶹ԭ�� was noted for its new change-management engagement for evangelizing new capabilities. It also was cited for its offering of custom development for �鶹ԭ�� products.

�鶹ԭ�� offers personalized support and development through a variety of tools and services once the initial implementation of its software products has been completed. As �鶹ԭ�� introduces products and services tailored to specific business needs, ongoing expert analysis will be integral to the insights �鶹ԭ�� offers to help customers achieve their full business potential. To �鶹ԭ��, this recognition signifies its differentiating strength: serving customers throughout their digital transformation journey.

For more information on analytic services and insights from �鶹ԭ��, please visit . To read the full report, download “.”

Visit the . Follow �鶹ԭ�� on Twitter at .

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Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to �鶹ԭ�� are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. �鶹ԭ�� undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect �鶹ԭ��’s future financial results are discussed more fully in �鶹ԭ��’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including �鶹ԭ��’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
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�鶹ԭ�� and other �鶹ԭ�� products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of �鶹ԭ�� SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

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�鶹ԭ�� Named a Leader Among Enterprise Data Fabric Solutions by Independent Research Firm

�鶹ԭ�� News — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 11:51:55 +0000

WALLDORF — (NYSE: �鶹ԭ��) today announced it has been positioned as a Leader in “.”

Forrester Research Inc. researched, analyzed and scored 15 vendors and named �鶹ԭ�� a Leader. The report noted �鶹ԭ��’s enhanced data management capabilities to support complex use cases and its improved self-service capabilities. Vendors were evaluated and �鶹ԭ�� was named a Leader based on criteria in three categories: current offering, strategy, and market presence.

In the report, Forrester states that “�鶹ԭ�� customers like �鶹ԭ��’s general data management capabilities, in-memory platform, search and access, data integration, and technical support.” �鶹ԭ��’s enterprise data fabric solution consists of capabilities from the including the �鶹ԭ�� Data Intelligence solution, �鶹ԭ�� HANA, �鶹ԭ�� HANA Cloud and �鶹ԭ�� Cloud Platform Integration Suite.

“At this time of unprecedented change, businesses acknowledge that the importance of achieving data excellence and relying on trusted information to find the right path forward has never been more important,” said �鶹ԭ��’s Andreas Wesselmann, senior vice president, �鶹ԭ�� HANA & Analytics, Data Management. “To help with this goal, we continue to innovate and bring improved data fabric capabilities to help our customers manage complex data environments with confidence and agility. We believe this recognition from Forrester validates the robustness of our end-to-end data management solutions, and how we’re enabling customers to better connect and extract value and insights from data.”

�鶹ԭ�� continues to bring to market to meet evolving customer needs. Key elements are �鶹ԭ�� Data Intelligence, �鶹ԭ�� HANA and �鶹ԭ�� HANA Cloud, with data virtualization capabilities. Part of the Business Technology Platform, �鶹ԭ�� Data Intelligence plays a key role in enabling customers to turn their data to value. The latest update to �鶹ԭ�� Data Intelligence is centered around delivering value from distributed data assets, increasing data literacy across the organization, helping customers rely on trusted data and operationalizing machine learning. �鶹ԭ�� Data Intelligence extends its integration, complex data orchestration, data pipelining, data catalog and machine learning services with enhanced connectivity, governance and pipeline modeling features to provide a robust data fabric. The latest release provides deployment freedom with a bring-your-own-license model for hyperscalers as well as on-premise and fully managed cloud service options.

Learn more about , or read more about the newest data management innovations and integrations from �鶹ԭ��.

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�鶹ԭ�� Named a Leader in Cloud Human Capital Management for �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors Solutions

�鶹ԭ�� News — Wed, 20 May 2020 07:06:03 +0000

WALLDORF — (NYSE: �鶹ԭ��) today announced that it has been named a leader in “.”

Forrester Research Inc. researched, analyzed and scored 11 human capital management cloud providers and named �鶹ԭ�� a leader based on its current offering, strategy and market presence of �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors solutions.

In the report, Forrester states that �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors solutions have over 6,800 customers on the �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) Suite. “Payroll is supported for an impressive 46 countries,” the report cites. It adds that �鶹ԭ�� recently renamed �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors Human Capital Management (HCM) Suite to �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors HXM Suite to reflect the focus on employee experience management tools from Qualtrics, AI-based user experiences and its formidable partner ecosystem.

The report also noted that it expects �鶹ԭ�� to introduce AI-enabled, conversational capabilities that leverage intelligent technologies throughout the �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors HXM Suite.

“Human experience management is a differentiator in the market, and we believe that the latest Forrester Wave Cloud HCM Report is further validation,” said Meg Bear; senior vice president; Products, Engineering and Operations; �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors. “The �鶹ԭ�� SuccessFactors HXM Suite enables our customers to leverage the voice of every employee to improve processes and enhance experience and, as a result, drive market-leading business results. With our global capabilities, robust partner ecosystem, integration with employee experience management tools from Qualtrics and emerging technologies, like machine learning, our HXM solutions help organizations quickly adjust to rapid changes in the global economy.”

Visit the area of sap.com and the �鶹ԭ�� News Center. Follow �鶹ԭ�� on Twitter at and .

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Independent Research Firm Names �鶹ԭ�� a Leader in Data Management for Analytics

�鶹ԭ�� News — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:12:16 +0000

WALLDORF —�� (NYSE: �鶹ԭ��) today announced that it has been named a leader in “The Forrester Wave™: Data Management for Analytics, Q1 2020.” Forrester Research Inc. evaluated 14 vendors and gave �鶹ԭ�� the highest score in the Strategy and Market Presence categories.

The data management solutions from �鶹ԭ��, including �鶹ԭ�� HANA, �鶹ԭ�� BW/4HANA and �鶹ԭ�� Data Hub, scored five out of five in 16 of the 25 evaluation criteria Forrester applied in the research study.

In the report, Forrester states: “�鶹ԭ�� focuses on real-time analytics, security, and integration. Enterprises use �鶹ԭ�� HANA for in-memory data marts and �鶹ԭ�� BW/4HANA data warehouse implementations that integrate with multiple data sources, including other data warehouses like �鶹ԭ�� IQ. In addition, �鶹ԭ�� Data Warehouse Cloud, announced in May 2019, offers companies an analytical and persona-driven data-warehouse-as-a-service designed for business and IT. �鶹ԭ�� Data Warehouse Cloud focuses on orchestrating various data sources and maintaining security, trust, and semantic information to accelerate business-critical insights. It offers instant access to application data via prebuilt adapters. . . . Reference customers like �鶹ԭ��’s performance, data integration, data modeling, and storage processing capabilities. . . .”

The report observed: “�鶹ԭ��’s key differentiators are its shared-nothing, distributed in-memory data platform for real-time analytics; optimized data streaming and query processing; integrated data services layer; advanced compression; and security.”

�鶹ԭ�� helps Ferrara introduce its diverse portfolio of brands, such as SweeTARTS and Red Hots, to new generations.

“Ferrara is a tech-savvy, sweet snacking powerhouse with a passion for sharing delight by creating some of the most iconic sweet snacks,” said George Lesko, Ferrara vice president and CIO. “Over the last few years, we have added many well-known brands to our portfolio. As we continue to grow, our in-memory data warehouse powered by �鶹ԭ�� HANA has really improved our data governance and analytics. From our supply chain to sales to distribution, now we can see what’s happening across the company in real time.”

�鶹ԭ�� unites data and analytics to drive real business value.

“We believe this ranking as a leader further validates that �鶹ԭ�� is in a unique position to bring data and analytics closer together than ever before and enable customers to realize the full potential of their data,” said Gerrit Kazmaier, �鶹ԭ�� HANA & Analytics executive vice president. “Based on our �鶹ԭ�� HANA in-memory technology, we enable our customers to securely connect to any data source, eliminating the need for unnecessary data movement. With our broad portfolio of data management and analytics solutions, including the latest �鶹ԭ�� Data Warehouse Cloud, customers can now combine this with cloud elasticity to give more people access to data, simplifying data landscapes, improving security and reducing costs.”

�鶹ԭ�� HANA has more than 32,000 customers.

For more information, see “�鶹ԭ��’s Data Management for Analytics Portfolio a Leader in Recent Evaluation.”

Visit the . Follow �鶹ԭ�� on Twitter at .

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Top 2020 AI Trends: Why People Actually Want More Machines in the Workplace

Susan Galer — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 06:28:00 +0000

will soon be everywhere, and we will learn to love them for all the right reasons. That is my prediction after seeing the latest research about these fast-evolving technologies. Read on for a quick update on 2020 AI trends from leading industry analysts.

Expect Booming Growth for AI and Machine Learning

Begin with the big picture: analysts said that AI — with a particular emphasis on machine learning — will eventually infiltrate just about every existing technology. predicted companies will invest over $265 billion worldwide in new intelligence technologies by 2023.

Slightly further out, researchers predicted that AI will be inescapable by 2025. These analysts saw AI as a “key ingredient” in 90 percent of business software applications. They also said that over 50 percent of user interface interactions will incorporate AI into computer vision, speech, natural language processing, and augmented and virtual reality. analysts called automation “a force-multiplier that will disrupt economic opportunity for many… a dynamic already underway that will pick up substantial speed and scope and requires attention now.”

AI: Fastest Route to Victory

One pervasive theme in 2020 AI trends was speed, or as many analysts called it, “hyper-automation.” analysts predicted that hyper-automation will spread big-time, notably into more traditional knowledge worker tasks. By 2024, IDC said AI-fueled enterprises with “proactive, hyper-speed operational changes and market reactions, will respond to customers, competitors, regulators, and partners 50 percent faster than their peers.”

Regarding customer experience (CX), researchers saw near-real-time experiences becoming table stakes for most industries as companies were pressured to build matching real-time customer experience signals. Forrester researchers predicted that CX leaders will manage a “portfolio of automation experiences, from the building and testing of data to the delivery and perceived value (or lack of value) of those experiences.”

Humans Plus Machines: The New Norm

Here is the kicker, and it’s heartening to us humans: researchers said that AI and machine learning will not completely replace people because “AI-driven autonomous capabilities… cannot match the human brain’s breadth of intelligence and dynamic general-purpose learning. Instead, they focus on well-scoped purposes, particularly for automating routine human activities.”

analysts picked up the human-machine thread, predicting that work will depend on “a symbiotic relationship between [hu]man and machine. This is not a [hu]man-led, machine-do structure; instead it will match leadership, decisioning, and executive tasks across robots and machines that best deliver the desired outcome.”

Additionally, about those 90 percent of enterprise applications that IDC predicted will be chock-full of AI, the same researchers said most will “deliver incremental improvements to automate processes and replace heuristic or rule-based techniques to make applications smarter and more dynamic.”

How Machine Learning Benefits Daily Business

There are many places in the business where a strategic dose of AI and machine learning will quietly, yet dramatically change how people work and companies operate. These include order to cash, design to operate, customer experience, and procurement.

In this demonstration at the event, I saw how image-based recognition helped automate the procurement experience. It showed how a buyer ordering everyday equipment – such as a laptop, keyboard, or mobile device – would not need to type in product names or model numbers. The buyer could simply take a picture of the product on their mobile device and the algorithm would quickly find the exact product or suggested comparable items from the supplier catalog.

“This just one example of how we’re applying machine learning in small steps in hundreds of places across �鶹ԭ�� solutions,” said Jana Richter, chief product owner of �鶹ԭ�� Leonardo Machine Learning Applications. “It doesn’t completely change procurement, but brings automation and convenience where it counts — in this instance, to image-based purchasing.”

What the AI Future Holds

In latest surveys, respondents who wanted AI to help with tasks outnumbered those who wanted AI to completely take over tasks three to one. That is likely because the same respondents ranked, in order of importance, their top-three reasons for using AI as: automating repetitive or manual tasks, improving customer experience, and reducing costs.

As for where people come in, analysts advised workers to learn core skills, adapt to new working models, and “understand what it means to be ready and fit for the future, maximizing their ‘Robotics Quotient (RQ).’” For the uninitiated, Forrester coined the term RQ, which scores someone’s ability to work with machines.

Naturally, analysts have caveats about AI’s growing prevalence, but that’s for another article.

Follow me @smgaler

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