2942: Cisco - How Customer Experience Can Drive Business Innovation

[00:00:01] Welcome back to the Tech Talks Daily Podcast. Now as you all know by now, I'm passionate about speaking to as many people as possible and learning more about their story and how they're leveraging technology. And in the last month, this curiosity has taken me everywhere

[00:00:17] from show floors at Helsinki to Denver and Vegas. And I recently found myself reflecting on an inspirational guy I met at Cisco Live who just oozed warmth, excellence, positivity and not to mention great fun to be around.

[00:00:33] His name's Harry Caldwell and he's the leader of CX America's organisation at Cisco. And at Cisco, the customer experience is called the CX Team and they help their customers succeed with their products and solutions to deliver tangible business value faster.

[00:00:51] And they also work with organisations around the world to help them serve their customers. And we had a great conversation there. So today, I want to explore Harry's journey, his approach to leadership and how at Cisco they're fostering innovation while also focusing on creating real-world impacts through technology.

[00:01:11] But I don't want to reveal too many spoilers but trust me you'll love this one. So buckle up and hold on tight as I beam your ears all the way to the show floor of Cisco Live here in Vegas

[00:01:21] where you can join myself and Harry in conversation right now. So a massive warm welcome to the show, Harry. Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do? Hi Neil, it's so good to be with you.

[00:01:35] So Harry Caldwell, I have the privilege of leading the CX America's organisation for Cisco. It's about 4,400 professionals spread across US, Canada and Latin America. I am a person who loves and enjoys getting to know people and driving business through deep collaboration.

[00:01:57] My career focus over the years in fact has been that single thread from beginning to end. It's really about enabling people to do their best work, whether they're employees that I have the privilege of leading or customers that I have the privilege of serving

[00:02:15] or partners that I collaborate with on a daily basis to drive business outcomes for our customers. I'm a guy who's based in Dallas, Texas, who I'm not a fan of the Cowboys, believe it or not, Neil.

[00:02:30] But I enjoy so much of Dallas and I enjoy so much of working for Cisco. I've been here two years, spent 23 years at Microsoft prior to that in a host of other roles. Glad to be with you. Great to have you.

[00:02:44] If you're not a Cowboys man, who are you? Who is your team? I grew up in the Carolinas, North Carolina specifically, and we didn't have the Panthers in those days. I don't want to date myself here. But that expansion team had not yet landed in Charlotte.

[00:03:01] And so I was a fan of the Steelers back then. And I still appreciate the wins that they were able to hang up on the board during those years. And I still follow them to this day.

[00:03:13] I like the way that their head coach creates a culture of excellence. He challenges the team. He holds them accountable. They haven't had as many wins as I'd like recently, but that's my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Absolutely love it. And, of course, we first met last night.

[00:03:30] Straight away, I could have sensed there was a great energy about you, so much positivity. And one of the things I love about Cisco Live here is the diversity of voices. Yes. I've seen people and spoken with people all around the world talking about the same thing.

[00:03:44] So do you have any stats about the number of different nationalities that are attending Cisco Live this year? I don't have that stat. The stat I have is it's 20,000 attendees this year. Wow. We are from all over the world.

[00:03:59] I have met so many different people from so many different parts of the world who come to Cisco Live with a number of different expectations, hopes, and opportunities to network and to do things differently and better through some of the best practices that we share in our hub, but also to understand how others are doing business.

[00:04:23] So as an advocate for diversity and inclusion, how do you incorporate these values into your leadership approach and indeed the broader CX organization at Cisco? I'd love to hear more about that.

[00:04:34] One of the ways that I think about diversity, equity, and inclusion is really that it is a part of who I am. It's a value that I carry.

[00:04:47] It's part of the way in which I think I orient kind of my North Star is to be a person who cares for people. And as part of that, I want to drive all aspects of what I do in the most inclusive way possible.

[00:05:02] When I think about diversity and inclusion and equity within the organization given its size, we've done that through a number of different ways.

[00:05:13] One is we've aligned ourselves to what Cisco is doing from a priority perspective, looking at the outcomes that are measurable, that are impactful for each community group.

[00:05:26] The additional thing that we've done is we've established a DEI council at the CX Americas organization that has representation across each of our theaters. Our theaters are both geographic and vertical structures that are based on the way in which we show up in those particular customer segments.

[00:05:48] But we have representation across each of them, and those folks represent the three priorities that Cisco cares about. So hiring, develop and belong.

[00:06:03] And as we work through that, I also am intentional about making sure that what I communicate often is infused with elements of value or inclusion in a way that people can understand there's a business differentiation for us when we operate in this way.

[00:06:24] As a person that owns a P&L for Cisco, I want to put the best possible product in front of our customers. And that's done, research tells us, by having the most diverse teams possible.

[00:06:38] And that's one of the reasons I invite you on the podcast today because I really shined at you in our conversation last night. And we're talking about Cisco Live here, and there's a lot of headlines around artificial intelligence, machine learning.

[00:06:50] But I think in some ways that almost does it a disservice because it's so much more than that. So I'd love to ask you, how would you describe Cisco Live to listeners? And what do you love most about the event?

[00:07:01] I suspect it's a combination of technology and people, but I don't want to put words in your mouth. Is that right? It's absolutely true. It's Cisco Live. So it's the largest event that we do all year within Cisco. 20,000 people from all over the world converge on this location.

[00:07:20] It is comprised of partners and customers and Cisco-ins. And it's an opportunity to network, to hear about the latest innovations that are coming out from Cisco. While also having the Cisco Live hub where our partners can really showcase what they do in the marketplace.

[00:07:44] When I think about hearing announcements that are around our innovation, I immediately light up to thinking back on customer conversations that I've recently had. And the way in which our customers and partners are continuing to solve complex things.

[00:08:02] So it's both hearing the how we might go at that. And then the people make the real experience possible. So connecting into those conversations, folks light up. Partners getting a chance to connect with them face-to-face. Understanding how we work better together.

[00:08:23] How can we be complimentary of one another? It's an outstanding event. You leave here sort of with more education and more passion. And you really do.

[00:08:34] And one of the things I wanted to bring up as well, because I always say at the end of every episode, technology works best when it brings people together. Yes, it's a tech conference, but it's about people ultimately. And indeed customers.

[00:08:45] So can you tell me a little bit more about the Customer Hero Awards? And maybe tell me a little bit more about the criteria used to select some of the recipients of the Cisco CX Customer Hero Award.

[00:08:56] So the Customer Hero Award is an award that we give out every year to outstanding customers. The way that we think about them is it's beyond just achievement. It's really celebrating those folks who are innovating in a new way.

[00:09:15] They are pushing forward their respective industries through technology and doing it in a way that drives inclusivity and business results that will ultimately make their bottom lines better. And so we have eight categories that we go through.

[00:09:32] We recognize generally a customer in each, and they span from a cybersecurity world-class award nominee all the way to the CX Customer of the Year. And it's a large set of nominees, as you can imagine. But we have a small group that works through those nominations.

[00:09:56] There's an extensive dialogue, as you can imagine. Folks are going to bat for their respective customer in those, as you can absolutely imagine. And in the end, we think we pick really those who are the trailblazers. And that's what we're most excited about.

[00:10:13] So we celebrate them in an award ceremony here at Cisco Live in the Hub. And it normally draws a large crowd, and there's picture-taking in the whole nine yards. It's quite a bit of pageantry, but we're excited to do it each year.

[00:10:29] And just to bring to life some of the things you're talking about there, are you able to share any inspiring stories or specific examples of transformational successes that have been achieved at this year's Cisco CX Customer Hero Award? Yeah, absolutely.

[00:10:43] So this year's Customer Hero of the Year was Lowe's. Now, Lowe's is close to my house. I make a lot of visits for different kinds of tools that break in my hand all the time, Neil. I'm not one of those do-it-yourselfers, at least not in a good way.

[00:11:01] Lowe's worked with our Advanced Services Group, and they moved in a seamless fashion 25 business units that were roughly 8,800 agents from a legacy on-prem solution to a consolidated SaaS platform. They use CX and WebEx Contact Center Enterprise without any interruptions.

[00:11:27] Over the course of this system, in one quarter, they handled more than a million calls, improving their scalability, the reliability, and the engagement of their agents. They use AI for further enhancing their customer experiences as well as giving their agents more insights about the customers they're calling.

[00:11:51] This endeavor added a lot of value to them in a truncated period of time, so they were able to accelerate it and really see outcomes that made their bottom line better. So they were our Customer Hero of the Year. We have another in Gilead Science.

[00:12:10] We have others in Mass General Brigham, a healthcare provider who uses AI and some of the power of our network to bring the right sorts of analysis together for their practitioners and their researchers to really solve for things that have impacted patients for quite some time.

[00:12:31] They're actually trying to solve more diseases by getting to AI and more solution capability sooner rather than later. We also acknowledge them as an AI trailblazer. A lot of great stories wrapped in that experience.

[00:12:45] There really is, and I think that message is so important because it's easy to hear about AI and machine learning at a tech conference, but the real-world problems that we're solving here and also problems that you don't associate with technology.

[00:12:56] Home improvements, for example, you don't associate with technology. We had a shot from Lausanne. Are you talking about healthcare, doctors, patients, the role of technology? This is the stuff we should be talking about more, isn't it? I love it. It's absolutely true.

[00:13:10] This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where technology and humanity come together, and the benefit of that is for all of us. I recently had a conversation with a friend who said that AI plus HI, human intelligence, equals ROI.

[00:13:29] And I love the construct of that equation. When we work together with technology, all of us retain a value from it. What a great quote. I almost feel like stealing that one. Feel free.

[00:13:43] So how does Cisco work with these innovative leaders to foster these big dreams that we're talking about and shining a light on today? And how do you think this partnership model has influenced their business transformations? Is there a link there as well, do you think?

[00:13:57] I think there is. We pride ourselves in the way in which we show up. We want to be a collaborator.

[00:14:04] We believe that within, we're able to stitch together all of the various technology elements that our customers have interest in and see in themselves from a solution perspective while also keeping them at the center of that transformation.

[00:14:21] And so we provide great technology, but we understand also that buying the right technology is just the first step. So we walk with our customers every step of the way.

[00:14:32] I had a luncheon earlier today with a different customer, and they were telling us about the way in which they are leaning into our advice, our guidance. And they want us to be a part of the way in which they shape their digital journey going forward.

[00:14:49] They too were a healthcare provider. And it's just another example of how outcome-driven mindset along with deep collaboration can bring technology together and produce the right sort of outcomes. And I think that's a powerful moment to end on and a powerful message.

[00:15:07] And anyone wanting to learn more about that side of things and find out more information about those awards and the work that you're doing, is there anywhere in particular you'd like to point everyone listening? Absolutely. First of all, Cisco.com is a wealth of knowledge.

[00:15:21] It's a great site to just understand what we're doing and the way we're doing it and the technology and the innovations that are underway.

[00:15:28] And I also have a nice little blog that my team and I put together once a month, and that goes out under blogs.cisco.com slash services. Excellent.

[00:15:40] Well, I'll have links to all of those so we can find you nice and easy and people can dig a little bit deeper on some of that stuff. It's such a powerful message, and I'm so glad we met last night. Yes.

[00:15:50] I was able to convince you to come on here and share that story, but thanks for joining me today. Thanks. It's my pleasure.

[00:15:55] Harry is an absolute joy to be around, and I found it enlightening to learn more about his leadership style, how Cisco is driving change across industries. And for me, today's conversation underscored that powerful role of technology in enhancing human connections that drive business outcomes.

[00:16:15] But what are your thoughts on the future of customer experience and service excellence, no matter who you are and what industry you are in? So I want to invite you to join the conversation and share your views. Let's get them on here.

[00:16:29] So please email me, techblogwriteratoutlook.com, Instagram, LinkedIn, just Aunt Neal C. Hughes. Let's keep this conversation going. But that's it for today. I look forward to bringing you more insights from leaders like Harry who are shaping our digital future on the next episode of Tech Talks Daily.

[00:16:48] And the good news is, yes, not only are you cordially invited to join me, but you've got a backstage pass too. So hopefully I'll see you here bright and early tomorrow morning. But thank you for listening today. And until next time, don't be a stranger.