Delivering Transformational Experiences

By Toni Clayton-Hine, Chief Marketing Officer, Xerox

Many of us have heard the phrase “digital transformation” in reference to the next wave of the future when it comes to global business trends. However, we see digital transformation as table stakes in today’s world. If you are only talking about digital, you’re playing catch up.  Significant transformation really means moving beyond digital to deliver a better experience that is both physical and digital.

Today’s buyers are no longer looking for only great products; they want meaningful moments when interacting with brands. We see this in all categories – global, local, small, large, B2B and B2C, from Amazon to Apple to Salesforce. A great experience is one that connects the seller, buyer and user.

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In the tech space, we talk to the buyer about how technology will impact their IT environment. But, the problem is that the buyer is not always the ultimate user. For Xerox, the buyer may be the CIO, but the user is the knowledge worker who might be managing invoices, processing forms, or creating multi-channel marketing campaigns. To satisfy their unique needs, we have to look at the intersection of digital and physical experiences and what that means to both groups. It has to be a complete journey.

So how do we do that? By reimagining how people work in order to meet customers where they are, and then take them where they want to go. At Xerox, we are focused on this because we’re changing, too. Our company lives at the intersection of analog and digital worlds. Manual and automated. Physical and virtual. Hardware and cloud. We are dedicated to understanding how people work and in turn, how we can make their work experiences better. In fact, it’s in our DNA.

We invented the plain-paper copier in response to the laborious task of manually writing multiple versions of documents. Fast forward to today where we’re looking at apps that can customize a workflow and eliminate the need to program a device. And, it’s not just us – our worldwide partners are embracing the idea of transformational experiences too. Case in point – Vision-e and the Alexa experience. Vision-e is a Xerox partner that developed Vision-e Voice in conjunction with the Amazon Echo voice recognition software that allows users to give verbal commands to a Xerox ConnectKey technology-enabled printer or MFP.  The patent pending technology was developed working closely with Xerox engineers to access the ConnectKey application-programming interface. Simply say, “Alexa, please print double sided” and the machine responds by automatically printing double sided. How amazing is that?

Sometimes change is gradual. Other times it’s disruptive and uncomfortable, or edgy and exciting. One thing is certain: Change is inevitable and transformation is crucial for survival. We’re here to help.