The power of digital self-sufficiency: how brands can be technology-fluent

Tech buyers at companies big and small deserve to confidently invest in solutions that meet their needs, and know that they will get the proper level of technology support from those who know it best. At Adobe, our expert help and support lives within Consulting Services, which is a team designed to get companies using our technology fast and get results just as quickly.

A close bond to become self-sufficient

While this type of support is designed to ensure the maximum return on investment for brands, there may be a challenge lurking here. It’s one we’re seeing often across the technology industry, where companies buy new software and then solely rely on the vendor or partner agency to run and operate the technology. It may appear that this close interaction between customer and vendor is the perfect set up, but over time, it can result in internal teams not knowing how to use the technology to its full potential, and the customer not actually getting its full return on investment.

There is always a learning phase when implementing new tech, and the right vendor and technology implementer will be critical partners to get rolling. But be sure they get your internal staff trained, truly understanding how to use the technology, and becoming subject matter experts. You want to be able to lean on your own staff for general guidance on using the technology. Relying on your vendors for time-bound requests may be a challenge across time zones, for example. You want your teams to be self-sufficient using the software.

At Adobe, we love forming deep partnerships and long-lasting relationships with our customers, but we also know that they are best off if they work with us to create long term strategies that put them on a path to self-sufficiency. It is our hope that every company we partner with will understand the importance of investing in learning strategies and pathways that will help their people to thrive with the technology and allow our support to step back until it’s time for the next phase of digital maturation. The right tech vendor partner will train their customers to become fluent in the technology and team them how to depend on themselves to creatively use the tools to their maximum capacity. One of my biggest bugbears is vendors tying customers so deeply into codependence on purpose, making them feel like they will fail without them.

I believe that creating a culture of continuous learning and constant exploration are, ultimately, the best way to get employees to realize the full power of any tech stack, and at Adobe, our consulting services are designed according to this philosophy.

Getting in the front seat

The right tech vendor will inspire you to test new ideas — and to learn along the way. Test-and-learn cultures have been proven to be far more innovative and productive. An attitude from the company leaders, and from the vendor, is important to keep focusing on what you are learning and evolve that way.

Of course, when customers buy new software, they get nervous about their first time using it — so many people want it to be perfect. This should be part of the learning curve to becoming self-sufficient, whether everything goes well out of the box, or even if there are hiccups, you will have takeaways from the experience that will help your staff do it better and faster the next time.

At Adobe, we equate the onboarding process with riding a two-seater bike. When the customer starts out, we are leading the way in the front seat, letting them take it all in. We encourage a little peddling for themselves and, ultimately, they get a feel for how everything works. As we all get comfortable riding, we move to the stage where we can switch — and the customer takes control of the software (or the bike) and makes decisions about which way to go with it. We are still there, right behind — very much supporting them, but we’re letting them take control, to try things out so they learn for themselves what works and what doesn’t.

Curiosity didn’t kill the cat

Of course, the onboarding strategy comes down to the customer organization itself and the culture.

Some companies decide that the best way to get everyone up to speed is to hire people specifically to implement the software. Others provide training to different roles across the organization, giving each member of the team their own view into all of the different functionalities for their discipline. What matters most is making sure people know they won’t be in trouble or without help if something doesn’t go as expected at first.

Ultimately, we want to give people enough of what they need to start using the technology and can start thinking about new ideas and tweaks and implementations themselves. We think companies that create a culture that helps everyone evolve with the software through continuous learning — and let them know that it’s OK to not get it spot on from the start — are the companies that will succeed with the technology best. Employees will learn from every success and every failure. Along the way, the brands will learn more about their customers’ wants and needs, too.

So, let’s improve the vendor and customer relationship through self-sufficiency. We love forming long-term partnerships with customers and will always be there for them. What works best? When we can discuss how we can keep maturing their digital capabilities, fluency, and ultimately the experience they provide their customers. We’ll help you get the best out of the technology, and we want you to be able to sustain day-to-day without us while we team up to help progress move your organization forward in other areas. This is true success, and a sign our consulting services are doing their job.