Podcast Summary
Exploring Digital Transformations with IBM and Salesforce: IBM, in partnership with Pushkin Industries and iHeartRadio, releases a podcast series featuring Phil Weinmeister, Head of Product Salesforce Americas at IBM, discussing his role in helping businesses create digital experiences using the Salesforce platform and a low code, no code approach, even for those with little to no technical background.
IBM, in partnership with Pushkin Industries and iHeartRadio, is releasing a new season of the Smart Talks podcast series, where they discuss how new creators, including developers, data scientists, and CTOs, are utilizing technology and business to bring about change. The host, Malcolm Gladwell, interviews these visionaries and explores their innovative approaches to creating better digital experiences for various industries. During this episode, Phil Weinmeister, Head of Product Salesforce Americas at IBM, is featured. He discusses his role in helping businesses craft digital experiences for their customers, employees, and partners using the Salesforce platform. Despite the challenge of a shortage of highly specialized software engineers, Phil teaches people with little to no technical background how to create custom digital solutions using a low code, no code approach. The interview covers human-centric design, the potential of the low code, no code approach, and how IBM Consulting powers digital transformations with the Salesforce platform. The team at IBM Consulting, where Phil works, builds solutions for clients' problems while considering future applications for those solutions, making their approach unique within the consulting industry.
Understanding Customer Needs for Personalized Digital Experiences: Businesses must prioritize understanding their customers to deliver personalized digital experiences and build solutions with the audience in mind.
Businesses are facing challenges in providing the right digital experiences due to a lack of necessary data about their customers. This data-centric issue creates a divide between organizations and their customers, making it difficult to deliver easy and personalized experiences. The solution is to focus on human-centric innovation, which means starting with the end user and understanding their needs and desires. This approach involves journey mapping and building solutions with the audience in mind, rather than an afterthought. Salesforce, a customer relationship management platform, has transformed business in many ways, especially for enterprise-scale companies, but it's less known outside of that realm. Overall, the key takeaway is that businesses must prioritize understanding their customers to deliver the right digital experiences and build solutions with the audience in mind.
Salesforce: A Business Platform with Low and No Code Development Capabilities: Salesforce empowers business users to build solutions using a graphical user interface, making technology accessible and cost-effective for businesses to make changes and automate processes.
Salesforce is more than just a CRM; it's a business platform that offers low and no code development capabilities. This means that businesses can make changes and automate processes without relying on technical resources to write code. Instead, they can use a graphical user interface to build solutions through clicks. This democratizes technology and empowers business-minded individuals to deliver solutions, making the platform a single source of truth and the daily interface for employees to get their jobs done. Previously, organizations might have had custom-built solutions that required extensive hours and resources for changes, but with Salesforce, these changes can be made more efficiently and cost-effectively. This shift from code-dependent development to clicks-based development is revolutionary and has been a game-changer for many businesses.
Combining industry knowledge and Salesforce platform expertise: IBM uses industry expertise and Salesforce platform knowledge to build custom solutions, improving efficiency and digitizing partner interactions for various industries.
The combination of industry knowledge and Salesforce platform expertise is a powerful tool for businesses looking to improve efficiency and adopt a more data-driven approach. IBM, which operates at the intersection of IBM and Salesforce, uses this approach to help organizations in various industries by understanding their unique needs and the capabilities of the Salesforce platform. For instance, they recently built a manufacturing solution using Salesforce's Partner Relationship Management (PRM) template, addressing a common need for manufacturers to digitally interact with suppliers and distributors. This solution was created by combining industry expertise and Salesforce platform knowledge, delivering a digital experience with a few clicks. By focusing on the end-user and designing solutions that cater to their journey, businesses can keep their partners happy and keep operations moving forward.
Embrace innovation and technology for better digital experiences: Businesses should be open to new digital solutions and work with experts to create human-centric experiences using a 'clicks not code' approach, empowering anyone in the organization to make a difference.
Businesses looking to improve their digital experience should be open to new ways of doing things and be willing to embrace innovation and technology. This is especially important for industries like manufacturing or distribution that may have neglected the digital experience. By being open to new solutions, businesses can work with experts from companies like IBM and Salesforce to bridge gaps and create human-centric digital solutions using a "clicks not code" approach. This empowers almost anyone in an organization to create digital solutions, making a significant difference. Phil, who helps businesses make these improvements, emphasizes the importance of creativity in this process. He got into writing and teaching about Salesforce through his excitement for the platform and a suggestion from a colleague. By sharing his knowledge, he benefits himself and his company. Embracing change and creativity can lead to transformative digital experiences.
The importance of creativity in business: Be open, inquisitive, resourceful, and collaborative. Ask the right questions and learn from others. Creativity is not just about coming up with ideas alone, but also about working with others, listening, and learning.
Creativity is a valuable asset in both personal and professional life, especially in the business world. The speaker, who found success in writing books about Salesforce, emphasizes the importance of being open, inquisitive, resourceful, and collaborative. He also highlights the significance of asking the right questions and learning from others. His experience of writing books on Salesforce not only helped him solve business problems but also made a positive impact on thousands of people by providing clear and visual explanations. The ecosystem of Salesforce and its community of collaborators played a crucial role in his creative process. Creativity, therefore, is not just about coming up with ideas on your own but also about working with others, listening, and learning from their perspectives.
Collaborating at Dreamforce: Salesforce, Slack, and Jared: Collaborating with industry leaders and continuously learning new skills are crucial for driving innovation and success in enterprise software.
Collaboration and continuous learning are essential for driving innovation and success in the enterprise software industry. The speaker shared an example of their recent experience at Dreamforce, where they collaborated with Salesforce, Slack, and their colleague Jared to deliver an engaging session about building solutions using both platforms. Through this collaboration, they learned new skills and gained insights into the latest technologies. Despite having a busy schedule with a large family and a demanding job, the speaker emphasized the importance of fueling creativity through collaboration and continuous learning to stay ahead in their field.
Maintaining balance and efficiency in personal and work life: Staying creative and productive requires balance, using time wisely, taking breaks, and staying attuned to industry trends like consumer focus, no/low code development, and Explainable AI.
Maintaining a balanced and efficient personal and work life is crucial for staying creative and productive, even with numerous responsibilities such as raising a family and leading community groups. The speaker emphasizes the importance of using time wisely and taking necessary breaks to recharge. In the industry, trends like focusing on the consumer, the rise of no and low code development, and the emphasis on Explainable AI are exciting as they make complex technologies more accessible and open up new possibilities for businesses and individuals. Balance, efficiency, and staying attuned to industry trends are key to continuing to be creative and collaborative.
Democratizing Technology for Better Digital Experiences: Empowering businesses to modify their digital operations allows for customized solutions, human-centric experiences, and new opportunities for innovation.
Technology is becoming more democratized, making it accessible to a wider range of people and businesses. This was a key theme in a recent conversation between Phil and Jacob, who discussed the importance of creating better digital experiences through the use of tools like Salesforce and IBM Consulting. By empowering businesses to modify their digital operations, they can create customized solutions, deploy them on their own timeline, and build human-centric experiences that meet their unique needs. This not only makes doing business easier but also opens up new opportunities for innovation. Phil's work in this area is a step in the right direction, and the wider trend towards democratizing technology is an exciting development. Smart Talks with IBM, produced by Pushkin Industries and Iheartmedia, explores this topic further and highlights the importance of businesses having the right tools to adapt and thrive in the digital age.
