Turn your customer’s experience into an exceptional experience

This summer, whenever my daughter and I wanted to get some quality time, we’d drive into Bar Harbor to Jordan’s Restaurant for breakfast (served all day, which is key, because we didn’t always make it in the AM).  It’s a little out of the way, and often the line is out the door, but there’s a reason we go there: The hospitality.  Typically, when you visit one of these breakfast spots you get service – exactly what you asked for, nothing more and (hopefully) nothing less. If there’s a problem, they correct it and move on.  Hospitality though, is the art of anticipating needs and delivering an exceptional experience.  At Jordan’s, they know us.  They ask how the family is, and they actually want to hear the answer. They also know that my daughter has a food allergy and always say that Dave is happy to cook her eggs in a clean pan.  At Jordan’s, they’re always two steps ahead.  They use the fact that they really know us and care, and they go out of their way to deliver a better experience than we can get anywhere else.

The difference between service and hospitality is the difference between meeting expectations and going way beyond them.

From now on, service won’t cut it

In the world of technology, service is no longer enough.  Customer expectations are rising, and as partners, we need to rise to the occasion too.  Almost all companies are moving to embrace digital transformation, but only 15% of them have a digital-ready network[1].  Why is this number so small? The biggest reason is a skills shortage. While most can manage installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting technology, that’s just like the every-day breakfast spot. It takes care of the basics and nothing more.  But, customers need more than that. They’re looking for relationships that will be there for them throughout their technology lifecycle, with trusted advisors that understand their goals and the possibilities of their installed technology. They need expert guidance to help them get the most from their tech, and get all their people making the most of it too.

Old-world professional services delivery is not designed to do this. It’s not enough anymore to land and move on.  And let’s be honest, that’s what we used to do. Our customers need us to land and engage, to help them identify what’s holding them back, and do what’s needed to move forward.  Here at Cisco, we understand that no one vendor can deliver this alone.  It takes an ecosystem.  Not just any ecosystem, but one that has new skills and differentiated lifecycle offerings that deliver incredible customer experiences.  Partners that understand and embrace this shift will step ahead of the rest and thrive in the years to come.  Cisco is here to drive this transformation with our partners – the best partner ecosystem in our industry.  We are here to help you create new opportunities that you can monetize at every step of your customers’ lifecycles.

Come to Vegas to lead this transformation, together with us

At Partner Summit 2018 November 13 – 15 in Las Vegas we’re offering partners an opportunity to set themselves apart and lead through customer obsession.  We’ll show you how Cisco is going to work with partners to deliver the best customer experience in the industry, and move customers from choosing to using to loving the solutions that you deliver.

One last thing: If you can’t make it in person, be sure to register for Virtual Partner Summit, and join us online.

Events you don’t want to miss:

Tuesday, November 13

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Impact Session: Accelerating Transformation with Cisco Partner Programs
Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Oceanside B
Denny Trevett, Vice President, CX Partner Model
Marc Surplus, Vice President, Strategy, Operations, and Programs
Sandra Flinders, Senior Director, Global Partner Programs

Wednesday November 14

9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Global Insight Session: Leading Together Seizing our Opportunity
Maria Martinez, Chief Customer Experience Officer will speak during the session and share how we are going to simplify the way we work together.

12:30-1:30 and 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Impact Session: Grow Predictable, Profitable Revenue Streams and Differentiate Yourself with Lifecycle Services
Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Oceanside B
Rajat Mishra, Vice President, Customer Experience Strategy, Portfolio & Partner
James Mobley, Vice President/General Manager, Global Product Management, Customer Experience
Alistair Wildman, Vice President, EMEAR, Cisco Customer Experience (CX)

2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Impact Session: Accelerating Transformation with Cisco Partner Programs
Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Oceanside B
Denny Trevett, Vice President, CX Partner Model
Marc Surplus, Vice President, Strategy, Operations, and Programs
Sandra Flinders, Senior Director, Global Partner Programs,

[1] Gartner 2017 CEO Survey