1. Q. What is your perspective on the
premise that the customer is now
in control?
Munish Gupta: We are seeing a very different market
than what it used to be. The customer is truly asking for
something different...customer centricity from busi-
nesses. Our perspective is that customer data should
drive the relationship and insights.
Q. Are you seeing this in B2B, B2B2C and
B2C environments?
Gupta: Yes. We are seeing it across the board. It’s
not just B2C. The reason this trend originated in B2C
is because of the consumer experience and the phe-
nomenon that they are now more connected than ever
through social channels, devices and communities. Part
of why this is happening is the consumerization of IT.
Q. Is a focus on the customer
causing a cultural shift
or some other paradigm
changes in companies?
Gupta: Absolutely! And
because of this cultural shift,
there’s also an adjustment
in company strategy. A lot
of companies started out
as physical stores, and now
they’re trying to bring the
customer experience into the
digital space. In doing this, they
have to develop a strategy. They have to think about how
they develop their product. How do they engage with
their customers and partners? It’s not just about the
value chain process anymore. It’s truly about how you
manage the customer and the partner experience. The
key piece to enable this is data insights.
Q. Do marketing or operational tactics
need to change for an organization to
become customer driven?
Gupta: If you start looking at your operations tactics
or the marketing practice, you have to look at the front
office and back office, then orchestrate a vision for
keeping the customer as a focal point. Customers are
social and mobile all the time. They want to look at what
information is coming to them and how relevant it is.
You have to think about how to personalize the experi-
ence so the information you’re sharing with customers is
relevant, drives value and drives revenue.
Q.How can enterprises encourage
customers to share a certain level of
detail without being too intrusive?
Gupta: The customer is always willing to share data if
he or she sees real value. The key is to give a benefit in
return. The other aspect that is really important is to give
users the flexibility of an opt-out option. We’re seeing
more and more customers increasing their own profiles,
whether through the Internet or social media. When we
talk about the power of the customer, we are already see-
ing them building their own data profiles. T —J.E.
MAKE THE CONNECTION
Munish Gupta, the global markets leader for CRM and Cloud
for Cognizant, shares his insights on keeping a customer focus.
SPECIAL SECTION
“The customer
is always willing to
share data if he or she
sees real value.”
—Munish Gupta, global markets
leader for CRM and Cloud
for Cognizant
Teradata Magazine l Q3/2014 l ©2014 Teradata Corporation l AR-6988