When it comes to technology, disruption is good for business
No longer a cost burden, mastering technology has become a necessity to navigating a business landscape which features challenges that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.
Globalisation, fluctuating exchange rates, and huge volumes of data in the hands of consumers is changing key business drivers such as productivity, costs, and collaboration.
“The concept of disruption engenders fear,” said Ben Shields, a Partner at Deloitte Private.
Whilst technology can be seen as a threat to established businesses, it can also bring businesses closer to their customers, he said.
For example, it lets businesses answer the question, “How do I market when my customers are everywhere?”, said Robert Zimmerman, Senior Vice President at Salesforce.com Asia Pacific and Japan.
Speaking at GE’s At Work 2013 event in Sydney on Tuesday, Mr Zimmerman said these are challenges and opportunities that didn’t exist just five or six years ago.
Customers are engaged through all sorts of channels today – a Facebook page, Twitter, email or a smartphone app. It’s making the sales process more collaborative than ever before.
Matt Tindale, a Director at LinkedIn, said, “It’s no longer about being there when the customer is making decisions. It’s about building relationships.”
One strategy for developing these relationships is content marketing. Mr Tindale advocates publishing content to engage with current and potential customers, in turn becoming a trusted advisor.
Mr Zimmerman sees this as a way for companies to get closer to customers. “We’re at this inflection point for companies that are willing to make a leap and looking at ways to build competitive advantage,” he said.
Mike Beesley, CEO of mid-market business Transition Systems Australia, agrees. It’s important to be thinking “six, 12 or 18 months ahead – what’s coming along or on the way,” he said.