I see precisely what you say everyday as my day job involves exactly what you mentioned.
We bring customers together to talk to each other about how to run their businesses better. It isnt about selling, but about sharing and relationships. Having company A chat to company B how they do fast close, IFRS or manage global performance management is a whole lot better than us preaching. The attendees are not IT, but senior folks from HR and Finance. My boss describes it as helping them get the best out of what they have already bought.
We've scheduled a session for the HR folks on performance management in Berlin at the beginning of March, there are about 18 companies coming so far. Should be fun.
Thomas
ps. most research, ethnographic or otherwise states the obvious, it doesn't mean though that it is a waste of time to do it.
Dennis Howlett
· 2 years ago
In which case Thomas isn't Steve/your good self illustrating one of the big issues for SAP (and other large companies) namely a waste of valuable resource when the company is already tapping into its customer base in the way you describe?
For instance, I'd be really interested in hearing about some of the general outcomes from the sessions with which you're involved. Doesn't have to be names etc but a flavour of what those customers are thinking would make a refreshing addition.
Thomas Otter
· 2 years ago
Den, We tend not to publish all the details, as the network members often prefer to keep the discussions between 4 walls.No sales folks attend, and development only attend if the customers want them to.
Juergen Daum often publishes summaries of panel discussions on the finance side. I'll send you some.
I'll blog what I can from the next meeting.
Steve Mann
· 2 years ago
Dennis... thanx for your comments. Let me shed further lite on what we are doing...
Regarding ethnography... is never done in a sales situation.. its done to observe behavior and what the rules of that behavior are... the participatory interview we did afterwards confirmed our insights into customer behavior.
Why we did this? It was NOT to improve the experience of our products, although a very worthwhile endeavor (both Microsoft and Intel employs teams of business ethnographers to enhance the customer experience). It was to get feedback on new user experience designs for the web which are being developed. The feedback is important...EVEN if intuitively obvious to you for a number of reasons.
1. Your marketing executive said it: ...we forget that customers have real business problems. Instead we try and dazzle them with our technology. Because by then it is all about ME. And not about the customer. That's exactly correct... for years, SAP has created an "US" experience on the web as well as in our products.. more about us than our customers... while not completely devoid of customer input, it certainly has not had enough... you know the rap.."you'll learn to use the software no matter how counter intuitive it might be, you'll find the information you need no matter how buried it is..." It needs to be a ME experience... a me experience is an engagement that empowers customers and delivers them tangible value every time. Its a focus on the individual...because only individuals have perceptions.
2. No one inside of SAP found it necessary to find this information... however, it it weren't done, the resulting user experience would have been a disaster...why? Its not in our DNA to create a ME experience for individuals. Customer at SAP = the Coca Cola company NOT the person John/Jane Smith, CFO, father/mother, amateur chef and blogger.
3. When was the last time you spoke to a customer? Asking that question inside of SAP yields vastly different answers... but most folks involved in the design of the customer experience...whether involving the design and communication around an invoice, to the design of the web experience or product, don't speak to customers often enough... granted some groups much more than others... but the key is not just to speak to then but to actually co-innovate on the solution with them... that's what we are attempting to do... Engage and Co-innovate.
Thanx again for your comments. Steve
Steve
· 2 years ago
oh... and i completely agree with these sentiments:
* Customers are asking for service which includes references and case studies. In other words they want to ’see’ and interact with their peers whenever they need. SAP will have to get out the way. * Its job will be to facilitate discussions. * SAP may own the network, but won’t control it. * SAP service will need to be embedded in the sales process. Because they’re going to be dealing with less than perfect news. * Customers will bitch and moan so get used to it and be prepared to respond.
All Comments
Thanks for the link and insight.
I see precisely what you say everyday as my day job involves exactly what you mentioned.
We bring customers together to talk to each other about how to run their businesses better. It isnt about selling, but about sharing and relationships. Having company A chat to company B how they do fast close, IFRS or manage global performance management is a whole lot better than us preaching. The attendees are not IT, but senior folks from HR and Finance. My boss describes it as helping them get the best out of what they have already bought.
Check out the networks here.
http://www.sap.com/community/pub/private/hbpn/i...
and
http://www.sap.com/community/pub/private/fbpn/i...
and as examples of an agenda
http://www.sap.com/community/pub/campaign/2007_...
and
http://www.sap.com/community/pub/campaign/2007_...
and
We've scheduled a session for the HR folks on performance management in Berlin at the beginning of March, there are about 18 companies coming so far. Should be fun.
Thomas
ps. most research, ethnographic or otherwise states the obvious, it doesn't mean though that it is a waste of time to do it.
For instance, I'd be really interested in hearing about some of the general outcomes from the sessions with which you're involved. Doesn't have to be names etc but a flavour of what those customers are thinking would make a refreshing addition.
We tend not to publish all the details, as the network members often prefer to keep the discussions between 4 walls.No sales folks attend, and development only attend if the customers want them to.
Juergen Daum often publishes summaries of panel discussions on the finance side. I'll send you some.
I'll blog what I can from the next meeting.
Regarding ethnography... is never done in a sales situation.. its done to observe behavior and what the rules of that behavior are... the participatory interview we did afterwards confirmed our insights into customer behavior.
Why we did this? It was NOT to improve the experience of our products, although a very worthwhile endeavor (both Microsoft and Intel employs teams of business ethnographers to enhance the customer experience). It was to get feedback on new user experience designs for the web which are being developed. The feedback is important...EVEN if intuitively obvious to you for a number of reasons.
1. Your marketing executive said it:
...we forget that customers have real business problems. Instead we try and dazzle them with our technology. Because by then it is all about ME. And not about the customer.
That's exactly correct... for years, SAP has created an "US" experience on the web as well as in our products.. more about us than our customers... while not completely devoid of customer input, it certainly has not had enough... you know the rap.."you'll learn to use the software no matter how counter intuitive it might be, you'll find the information you need no matter how buried it is..." It needs to be a ME experience... a me experience is an engagement that empowers customers and delivers them tangible value every time. Its a focus on the individual...because only individuals have perceptions.
2. No one inside of SAP found it necessary to find this information... however, it it weren't done, the resulting user experience would have been a disaster...why? Its not in our DNA to create a ME experience for individuals. Customer at SAP = the Coca Cola company NOT the person John/Jane Smith, CFO, father/mother, amateur chef and blogger.
3. When was the last time you spoke to a customer? Asking that question inside of SAP yields vastly different answers... but most folks involved in the design of the customer experience...whether involving the design and communication around an invoice, to the design of the web experience or product, don't speak to customers often enough... granted some groups much more than others... but the key is not just to speak to then but to actually co-innovate on the solution with them... that's what we are attempting to do... Engage and Co-innovate.
Thanx again for your comments.
Steve
* Customers are asking for service which includes references and case studies. In other words they want to ’see’ and interact with their peers whenever they need. SAP will have to get out the way.
* Its job will be to facilitate discussions.
* SAP may own the network, but won’t control it.
* SAP service will need to be embedded in the sales process. Because they’re going to be dealing with less than perfect news.
* Customers will bitch and moan so get used to it and be prepared to respond.