Carlos Dominguez, president and COO
of Sprinklr, notes that while marketing is
about getting people to want to talk to a company, customer service is about
interacting with someone who is already
invested in the brand. His goal: get companies to blend those tasks in “ways that
are radically different.”
of Sprinklr, notes that while marketing is
about getting people to want to talk to a company, customer service is about
interacting with someone who is already
invested in the brand. His goal: get companies to blend those tasks in “ways that
are radically different.”
Marketing today is not about what a company says. It's about what
customers say about the company.
customers say about the company.
To Carlos Dominguez, that kind of thinking is a truism. “Taking
someone who’s got a problem — who’s already a customer in a
bad situation — if you can satisfy them and convert them to an
advocate, that’s kind of the way of the new world,” he says.
“But very few companies are thinking through that lens.”
someone who’s got a problem — who’s already a customer in a
bad situation — if you can satisfy them and convert them to an
advocate, that’s kind of the way of the new world,” he says.
“But very few companies are thinking through that lens.”
As president and COO of Sprinklr, a U.S.-based enterprise social
media management company whose clients include 40% of the
Fortune 50 and companies like Microsoft, Nike, Gap, and P&G,
Dominguez leads the company’s marketing, sales, services, and
partnerships teams. Before joining Sprinklr, Dominguez spent
22 years at Cisco Systems, serving the last seven as a “technology
evangelist” and representative for the chairman and CEO while
delivering keynote addresses worldwide.
media management company whose clients include 40% of the
Fortune 50 and companies like Microsoft, Nike, Gap, and P&G,
Dominguez leads the company’s marketing, sales, services, and
partnerships teams. Before joining Sprinklr, Dominguez spent
22 years at Cisco Systems, serving the last seven as a “technology
evangelist” and representative for the chairman and CEO while
delivering keynote addresses worldwide.
In a conversation with Gerald C. (Jerry) Kane, an associate professor
of information systems at the Carroll School of Management at
Boston College and guest editor forMIT Sloan Management Review’s
Digital Leadership Initiative, Dominguez talks about what the
brightest digitally-centric companies are doing today.
of information systems at the Carroll School of Management at
Boston College and guest editor forMIT Sloan Management Review’s
Digital Leadership Initiative, Dominguez talks about what the
brightest digitally-centric companies are doing today.
Give us a quick overview of what Sprinklr does and where you see the
market potential.
As social has evolved, businesses are finding that they need to leverage
it in everything they do, whether it’s servicing their clients or talking
to them or listening to what they care about.
it in everything they do, whether it’s servicing their clients or talking
to them or listening to what they care about.
From the very beginning, the whole premise of Sprinklr was to provide
an enterprise platform for large companies to be able to do everything
that needed to be done in that new world with all of those different
channels. We want to give brands some power to be able to engage
with customers in the channels that they are choosing to use. When
I say power, it’s about giving them information. It’s aggregating stuff
for them, making them more intelligent.
an enterprise platform for large companies to be able to do everything
that needed to be done in that new world with all of those different
channels. We want to give brands some power to be able to engage
with customers in the channels that they are choosing to use. When
I say power, it’s about giving them information. It’s aggregating stuff
for them, making them more intelligent.
Here’s an example: Companies are collecting lots of information on
people, but when I’m in a store that information is not usually
presented to the people that are dealing with me. I’ll give them an ‘A’
for collecting the data, but a ‘D’ for not using it in a way that’s really
meaningful to them or — better yet — me. On the other hand, when
I walk into my car dealer and my name pops up in the display as I’m
driving down the ramp and it says, “Welcome, Carlos Dominguez.
Great to have you,” and then, the guy comes in and says, “Oh, you
were here last time for these problems. Is everything okay?” That
simple experience, just leveraging the data that they have on me,
makes all the difference in the world.
people, but when I’m in a store that information is not usually
presented to the people that are dealing with me. I’ll give them an ‘A’
for collecting the data, but a ‘D’ for not using it in a way that’s really
meaningful to them or — better yet — me. On the other hand, when
I walk into my car dealer and my name pops up in the display as I’m
driving down the ramp and it says, “Welcome, Carlos Dominguez.
Great to have you,” and then, the guy comes in and says, “Oh, you
were here last time for these problems. Is everything okay?” That
simple experience, just leveraging the data that they have on me,
makes all the difference in the world.
What Sprinklr aspires to do is this: as customers continue to evolve,
engaging with multiple channels in multiple ways, we will become
the platform with which the largest brands in the world engage their
customers from beyond the firewall. So, regardless if it’s coming in
through a social channel, a mobile channel, an email, a phone call;
regardless of whether it’s a legacy or a brand-new system, somehow
Sprinklr is connecting all of these systems in a way that it’s able to
inform and provide the brand with the information they need to create
an absolutely incredible experience for their customer. That’s our
aspiration.
engaging with multiple channels in multiple ways, we will become
the platform with which the largest brands in the world engage their
customers from beyond the firewall. So, regardless if it’s coming in
through a social channel, a mobile channel, an email, a phone call;
regardless of whether it’s a legacy or a brand-new system, somehow
Sprinklr is connecting all of these systems in a way that it’s able to
inform and provide the brand with the information they need to create
an absolutely incredible experience for their customer. That’s our
aspiration.
Can you tell us about a client that is really out in front on this?
There’s a lot of them, but Microsoft is incredibly progressive, and
they’re a client. They have dozens of products and brands, touch
hundreds of millions of customers each day, and are a truly global
company.
You start thinking about all the channels their customers are on —
imagine being the CMO of that organization. You spend a lot of money
building a campaign, you’re going to go out on social channels to publish
it, but how the heck do you do that? What sort of data do you get?
imagine being the CMO of that organization. You spend a lot of money
building a campaign, you’re going to go out on social channels to publish
it, but how the heck do you do that? What sort of data do you get?
Where we’re extremely unique is that we’re built for that scale,
regardless of how big a company and its campaign is. Microsoft is
a wonderful example of a company that can drive campaigns, know
who the people are who are talking about the brand, the influencers,
get them engaged. I’d say they’re fully digital.
regardless of how big a company and its campaign is. Microsoft is
a wonderful example of a company that can drive campaigns, know
who the people are who are talking about the brand, the influencers,
get them engaged. I’d say they’re fully digital.
What do you see that motivates companies to really become serious about
engaging with customers on social business platforms?
What drives them is that their customers are on those channels. I’m
the father of three Gen-Yers. They would never, ever think of dialing
a 1-800 number. The infrastructure that’s been built during my
generation is radically different from what the younger generation uses.
My kids will send an email, maybe, but mostly they’ll just tweet and
talk about how pissed off they are. The fact that companies need to pay
attention to these channels is nothing more than that’s where their
customers are going.
the father of three Gen-Yers. They would never, ever think of dialing
a 1-800 number. The infrastructure that’s been built during my
generation is radically different from what the younger generation uses.
My kids will send an email, maybe, but mostly they’ll just tweet and
talk about how pissed off they are. The fact that companies need to pay
attention to these channels is nothing more than that’s where their
customers are going.
Do the tools that you offer them let them do customer service either better or
differently than they could do in other, more traditional channels?
That’s a great question. Let me tell you how we approach this.
One of the clients who we’re working with brought us in because they
wanted to improve their customer service. They didn’t feel like they
were doing a good enough job on the social side, of listening, engaging,
responding, doing that kind of thing. They said, “Hey. Give us a solution.”
wanted to improve their customer service. They didn’t feel like they
were doing a good enough job on the social side, of listening, engaging,
responding, doing that kind of thing. They said, “Hey. Give us a solution.”
But the dialogue we had with them quickly changed and we said to
them, “Look. We’ve got a solution for you, but first can we ask, how
much are you spending in marketing?” They looked at us and said,
“Well, why the hell are you asking that question?” And we said,
because in marketing, all the dollars you’re spending is to get people
to want to talk to you. On the customer service side, you actually have
a customer, someone who’s invested in your brand, who’s invested in
your product. They happen to have a problem and they want to get a
resolution. And the KPIs in that world are around how quickly we can
resolve that problem and hang up on that customer.
them, “Look. We’ve got a solution for you, but first can we ask, how
much are you spending in marketing?” They looked at us and said,
“Well, why the hell are you asking that question?” And we said,
because in marketing, all the dollars you’re spending is to get people
to want to talk to you. On the customer service side, you actually have
a customer, someone who’s invested in your brand, who’s invested in
your product. They happen to have a problem and they want to get a
resolution. And the KPIs in that world are around how quickly we can
resolve that problem and hang up on that customer.
The example here is you can’t begin to look at clients if you’re really
a customer has a problem, and they’re a great customer of yours —
do you make them an advocate? How do you make them a proponent
of your brand? Because in the world in which we’re living today, it’s
no longer about how much money I spend. It’s about what people
are saying about me. It’s not what I say. It’s what they say.
a customer has a problem, and they’re a great customer of yours —
do you make them an advocate? How do you make them a proponent
of your brand? Because in the world in which we’re living today, it’s
no longer about how much money I spend. It’s about what people
are saying about me. It’s not what I say. It’s what they say.
So, that’s a radical move. Taking someone who’s got a problem
who’s already a customer in a bad situation, you satisfy them and
convert them to an advocate — that’s the way of the new world.
But very few companies are thinking through that lens.
who’s already a customer in a bad situation, you satisfy them and
convert them to an advocate — that’s the way of the new world.
But very few companies are thinking through that lens.
Can you project out three-to-five years? What’s this going to do to organizations?
I think there will be people in charge of marketing and customer service
and PR and AR and accounting and legal — they’ll all exist because
somebody has to own the function — but at the strategic level, I think
all of those groups are going to talk about what they do through the
lens of what is the customer experience.
and PR and AR and accounting and legal — they’ll all exist because
somebody has to own the function — but at the strategic level, I think
all of those groups are going to talk about what they do through the
lens of what is the customer experience.
Everyone’s going to unify around the customer, which is ultimately
what you have to do. When you do that, that will force, basically,
customer service and marketing to look at the customer, the way they
spend money, the way they focus the entire organization, in ways that
are radically different.
what you have to do. When you do that, that will force, basically,
customer service and marketing to look at the customer, the way they
spend money, the way they focus the entire organization, in ways that
are radically different.
What skills will be necessary either for employees or for managers to successfully
work within the company you envision for the future?
I think all skills are going to change. I was talking to someone on a
plane about why Gen Yers do what they do, and he was talking about
how gamification and gaming has shifted their thinking. For them,
you’re on a level. You’re playing a game, whatever it is, you work
really hard, and you complete it. Now, you get moved to the next level,
and it’s a little bit harder.
plane about why Gen Yers do what they do, and he was talking about
how gamification and gaming has shifted their thinking. For them,
you’re on a level. You’re playing a game, whatever it is, you work
really hard, and you complete it. Now, you get moved to the next level,
and it’s a little bit harder.
That translates into expectations in the workplace. I can’t begin to
tell you how many Gen Yers walk in and say to me, “Hey, you asked
me to do this task. I did it. Can I do something different?” I go,
“Well, that was the first time.” He goes, “No, I’ve mastered it. I need to do something different.” And that’s a result of a lot of the environment that
they’re in.
tell you how many Gen Yers walk in and say to me, “Hey, you asked
me to do this task. I did it. Can I do something different?” I go,
“Well, that was the first time.” He goes, “No, I’ve mastered it. I need to do something different.” And that’s a result of a lot of the environment that
they’re in.
Leaders are going to have to change if they want to attract, retain, and
maintain those generations. That’s a given.
maintain those generations. That’s a given.
How important is culture to successfully leveraging digital for business advantage?
Culture is everything because it determines how you behave. If your
culture doesn’t value social and enable change, you’ll never survive this.
You know all the history of all the companies that haven’t made it.
Culture is a very critical piece of it and changing it, as you well know, is a
really difficult thing to do.
culture doesn’t value social and enable change, you’ll never survive this.
You know all the history of all the companies that haven’t made it.
Culture is a very critical piece of it and changing it, as you well know, is a
really difficult thing to do.
There’s a stat on change that I like to cite, that after a severe heart
attack, when you have to exercise regularly, eat right, and stop
smoking, only 20% of people do that. Here’s change imposed upon
people that only one out of five choose — and that’s life over death!
attack, when you have to exercise regularly, eat right, and stop
smoking, only 20% of people do that. Here’s change imposed upon
people that only one out of five choose — and that’s life over death!
So the change management side to this stuff is really very rigorous.
There’s technology, process, and people in anything that you do.
Tech is easy. It’s transforming the process and the people that’s difficult.
There’s technology, process, and people in anything that you do.
Tech is easy. It’s transforming the process and the people that’s difficult.
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