It’s no secret that the business landscape is in a process of rapid transformation — particularly in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years of constant business disruption have accelerated changes in customer behaviour and expectations, changing B2B sales operations for good. In the wake of the pandemic, McKinsey identified that B2B companies viewed digital interactions with their customers as two to three times more important than traditional sales interactions — a direct reflection of the shift in customer buying preferences. 

So, three years on, how are B2B companies responding? In our recent webinar, hosted in collaboration with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and Salesforce ANZ, we explored three key ways that our B2B customers have thrived in this latest digital age. 

Strategy one: prioritise people and processes over technology in your digital transformation 

Throughout the webinar, we underscored the importance of digital transformation across all operations, leveraging technology to streamline processes, enhance productivity and improve the customer experience. However, choosing the right tech is only one small part of the equation. At the end of the day, it’s the people within your organisation who will be implementing and using that technology, making them the deciding factor as to whether your digital transformation project will be successful.  

By involving employees from the outset, you’ll have the opportunity to address any concerns, provide training and support, and, ultimately, secure a much smoother transition to the new technology. Next, you’ll need to assess and optimise all of your existing processes to create a solid foundation for transformation. Sustainable transformation is an ongoing process — not a one-time event. It goes far beyond simply implementing new systems and tools but instead looks to bring the people involved along on the journey, keeping them in the loop and informed about the changes that will almost inevitably affect their day-to-day. 

Strategy two: embrace the cost and time-savings of generative AI 

One of the most significant transformations for B2B businesses over the past few years has been the quick adoption of generative AI to support (and in some cases, revolutionise) routine business practices. Generative AI offers B2B businesses the ability to automate and streamline tasks that previously required significant human input — particularly in the sales and marketing realm. 

In the webinar, our panel identified some key areas they’ve seen B2B organisations take advantage of generative AI to unlock significant time and cost savings — an important consideration in a time of rising interest rates and shrinking corporate budgets. These include: 

• Performing skills assessments at scale — an incredibly valuable tool for both hiring and performance reviews 
• Building out chatbots using natural language processing via Customer 360 
• Creating targeted and unique product descriptions for eCommerce 
• Building out full pictures of different customer segments with predictive analytics about their purchasing decisions. 

Strategy three: choose a technology partner who shares your vision of success  

The final strategy identified by our panel as a ‘game changer’ for forward-thinking B2B organisations was forming strategic partnerships with third parties who are committed to your success. The right partner should align with your business goals and objectives and provide a tailored solution that ultimately works towards your long-term vision and strategy. 

If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that business needs can evolve and change — sometimes overnight! When choosing a partner, it’s essential they can provide flexible solutions that can accommodate your changing requirements. As mentioned, sustainable digital transformation is a journey rather than a final destination, and it’s important to have the best partner possible join you for the ride. 

Thriving in the digital age with Cloudwerx 

At Cloudwerx, we are committed to seeing our clients not only survive but win big in this new era of business. That’s why we take the time to sit with any prospective customers to learn all about your people, processes and technology — before we take any action. From there, we offer a range of tailored solutions to support your business, including advisory, implementation, managed services and integration, all tailored to your unique requirements.  

We have established partnerships with leading platforms, including Salesforce UiPath and Mulesoft and will work with you to determine the right way forward, crafted around the beating heart of a business: your people. If you’d like to learn more about leveraging strategies to transform your operations, we’d love to hear from you.  

Talk to the Cloudwerx team today about how we can work together to create a custom strategy customised to your business and your people. From there? We roll up our sleeves and dive straight in. 

Join the conversation 

We’re hosting one final webinar in our Next-Gen B2B series. Register today to attend The Power of Data: Using a 360 Customer View to Unlock B2B Sales and Revenue Growth. Register for our final webinar