Adobe Digital Luminary Program – Illuminating the Pack

Digital disruption is a reality. It’s only upon reflecting on the present that we realize how far we’ve – driven the ultimate aim of customer satisfaction and retention. But where do we head from here? Have we – individuals and businesses alike, found the gospels of delivering unforgettable customer experiences? Certainly not.

To find answers to some of the most fundamental questions and address the leadership vacuum created by digital disconnect, Adobe partnered with The Indian School of Business (ISB) to host the first edition of the Adobe Digital Luminary Program at Hyderabad.

We welcomed 34 customers from various industries to discuss the importance of driving efficient Customer Experience Management (CXM) and digital disruption across businesses. Over two days, attendees learned first-hand from eminent faculty members and leveraged cross-industry peer learning – aiding clarity of thought and, helping them strategise and design for brand transformation journeys.

From the get-go, it was observed that customer expectations are higher than ever — and there’s a dire need for digital innovation with a customer-first approach. What’s important to note is that most conversations circled back to three core themes: IT for competitive advantage, robust customer experiences, and leading organizational change.

Technology is helping drive value

Organizations are masters of ‘existing’ tech – but adopting anything new requires significant deep-dive. Prof. Deepa Mani, ISB Research Fellow spearheaded the discussions to help CXOs understand IT disruptions and how businesses can design information capabilities for competitive advantage.

At the session, all agreed that adopting technologies that streamline digital processes and strengthen customer relations needs to be at the core of digital transformation of a company. Additionally, adoption needs to be kick-started with a bottom-up model; facilitating conversations that add value.

Various attending leaders also highlighted that despite the democratic nature of technology, implementation needs to take into account different perspectives.

“Marketing and technology strategy cannot be implemented basis preconceived ideas. Success lies in experimentation.” – Deepak Oram – DVP, Marketing Technology & Automation, HDFC Bank

“Companies need to tackle digital disruption head-on; legacy businesses must work hard to stay at par for sustained relevance.” – Khushru Mistry – CIO and SVP, IT, Eureka Forbes Pvt. Ltd.

Delivering relevant and meaningful experiences

Consumer’s perception of brands has always been important but the digital world makes the attention to brand experience crucial. Prof. Madhu Viswanathan’s advised all attendees to keep the customer experience at the front and centre. Emphasising on the evolving role of marketers, he urged all attendees to adopt a person-centric view, to effectively target all stages along a customer’s journey.

“Not all experiences can be transactional. It is critical to deliver class-leading customer experiences, starting from the top of the funnel, to the middle, and most importantly – the post-purchase experience at the bottom of the funnel.” – Pallavi Singh, Marketing Director, BMW India

“Going ‘digital’ is imperative to deliver a seamless customer experience. To deliver cost efficiencies and enabling a pleasurable customer journey, leveraging customer intelligence (data) is critical.” – Dileeph KV, Joint President (Business Transformation), Hindalco Industries Ltd.

Cultivating change leaders

There’s a critical need to establish effective collaboration between CTOs, CIOs, and other business operations leaders to analyze strategic technology investments. Senior leaders need to step up and take charge as the change leaders – spearheading a strategic transformation.

“Leadership is critical to ensure effective change management. Implementing the right technologies and mindset is critical for a multi-generational workforce.” – Khushru Mistry – CIO and SVP, IT, Eureka Forbes Pvt. Ltd.

“If there’s great leadership and culture, there is an open avenue to engage stakeholders across the organization to drive digital transformation. All it requires is a mindset shift.” – Udit Malhotra, Head – Digital Marketing, MG Motor India

“Millennials dominate what businesses should do. Understanding their mindset is critical, which most leaders fail to understand. Customers have changed, so should businesses.” – Pallavi Singh, Marketing Director, BMW India

To conclude, a transformational mindset is focused on possibilities, not limitations. With Adobe Digital Luminary Program, we aimed to help customers understand these possibilities, identify strengths and build delightful customer experiences.

We witnessed great participation, delivered insightful discussions and learning, and most importantly – had pure fun – making the whole experience quite rewarding for our customers.