Technology is not at the center; the customer is at the center!

Recently, I was invited to participate in the 25th edition of the Council of the Americas Symposium and Bravo Awards in Miami, as part of a panel on customer centricity. It was amazing to be able to discuss themes that are at the core of our company. Moreover, participating in the panel, really made me think that having customer obsession as a key pillar of our culture helps us to reinforce the importance of putting the customer at the center of everything we do.

But what does it mean to be customer centric and why is it important for companies to become customer obsessed to succeed? At Microsoft, we believe, the journey begins with a growth mindset, which inspires us to be curious about our customers—learning all we can about their challenges, to be able to provide innovative and practical solutions to meet their goals. Our aim, is to put their value and impact first, helping them in their own digital transformation. We are aware that this journey is not perfect, and it can have obstacles from time to time. You can′t become customer-centric overnight, it is an ongoing process, that we must practice on a daily basis.

To drive their business forward, companies must listen to their customers, invest in their employees, development tools and programs, to be able to cater to their requirements and really nurture their unique potential, fostering a modern workplace, wherever they are, to encourage productivity, engagement, and collaboration. Such is the case with Unilever, a company which empowers employees to carry out their mission of meeting consumers’ rising expectations and become driven by data insights to predict the future. They partnered with Microsoft, to shift from a project-based approach to a platform strategy with Azure Microsoft cloud computing services, delivering the architectural backbone for the company’s digital transformation. Unilever CIO Jane Moran states, that it has allowed them to be more agile and scalable and that the capabilities of digital technology offer an opportunity to transform its supply chain and meet the requests of customers who expect customization, on-demand products, and brands with purpose.

At Microsoft, we have learned that in order to offer our customers the technology they need to achieve results, we have to know them inside and out, use their feedback to think of each customer's interaction as a personal one. As our CEO Satya Nadella has stated: “We have to meet the unmet unarticulated needs of the customers. In other words, we have shifted from giving the customers what we think they need to understand what they want.

To meet those unarticulated needs, we are currently investing $16 billion dollars a year on research and development, translated into platforms, services, and a pipeline for future innovation, but by far our biggest bet is investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI), because we know that it can be central to everyone’s strategy. 

We want to make Artificial Intelligence accessible and valuable to everyone by amplifying human capabilities, not replacing them. And we understand our customers need to be prepared to work with AI. That’s why we created AI Business School, with free AI courses to provide leaders of all industries with specific, practical knowledge to define and implement their AI strategy. Industry experts will give their input on how to foster an “AI-ready” culture and teach all attendees, how to use AI responsibly and with confidence.

I also believe technology must serve a higher purpose and at Microsoft, we truly believe we can bring the benefits of technology to people, reaching every community and every country around the globe. Again, putting people at the center of everything we do. That is why we are investing in ventures like The Airband Initiative, to bring internet services to 40 million people around the world by the year 2022. And we have successful examples in Latin America with Colombia, as we started our work to create a long-term solution for the Meta region, we sat down with the national spectrum regulator to understand the region’s needs, existing regulations and to determine any gaps. By putting people at the center we are able to change the lives of people with disabilities with products like the XBOX Adaptive Controller, created to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility helping make gaming more accessible. Now everyone can play.

We believe the drive to help them, must be intertwined into the very fabric of who we are. It must be rooted in our genetic code. Everything we do must stem from a single source of customer obsession that emanates throughout the company. At the end of the day, we should be actively looking for ways to listen to our customers, advocate for them, and empower them to achieve more.