Each month, Tony Uphoff, visionary CEO of Thomasnet.com, joins Cloud Wars Live for a recurring segment. “Uphoff on Industry” will explore the innovations, upheavals, and breakthroughs reshaping the the world of manufacturing and industrial markets. Join Tony and me as we discuss disruptive new trends in the digital-industrial world. These include how we design, source and manufacture products. And also the new ways in which industrial companies are getting up to speed on marketing, sales and customer experience.
Episode 6
In this episode: Tony and I start by discussing the substantial increase in software products and services in the industrial marketplace. In the midst of all this change, both of us agree that software companies need to focus on customer success. (BTW: Tony says he will throw rocks openly, even while he lives in a glass house.)
In the spirit of “eating their own dog food,” Tony says, Thomas has reconfigured over 400 seats of Salesforce and added a completely different order entry system. The company also ripped out the entire financial software backbone, installing several other systems to support the financial process.
Next, Tony talks about Regis McKenna, who was a hugely influential figure in Silicon Valley. McKenna was responsible for a lot of modern marketing and positioning, including Apple and Compaq. Tony also touches on Jan Carlzon, who resuscitated SAS airlines in the 1980s, and his new book called “Moments of Truth.”
Finally, Tony and I look at the remarkable and unexpected changes taking place in the software world. We discuss the budding BFF relationship between former rivals Microsoft and Oracle. Of note is that their deal was made to drive more value for customers by helping them integrate software from Microsoft and Oracle. Larry Ellison even went so far as to say the two companies now have a “great partnership.”
You can also stream this episode in audio-only format:
Highlights
'I think it's time we get real about the software industry's focus on customer success.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet 'A lot of the companies we are talking about are working through a kind of awkwardness between marketing promise and sales delivery, if not service delivery, on the customer experience.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet 'We believe here that the digital transformation is an ongoing process, not a singular step.' #CloudWars Click To Tweet
Cloud Wars Live Digital All-Stars
Tony Uphoff is one of our regular Digital All-Stars. The All-Stars are experts who will appear in regular video podcasts focused on the critical themes shaping (and re-shaping!) the business world in the digital age of 2019. Our intention is to provide regular chunks of timely ideas, insights and conversations on high-priority subjects from industry veterans with diverse backgrounds.
