German enterprise SAP has earlier expressed its stand on the war in Ukraine, stressing support to the people of the country through several initiatives– from halting its cloud operations in Russia to implementing international sanctions without exception and providing technology support on top of humanitarian aid to Ukrainians. 

SAP Business Network for Humanitarian Aid

SAP Business Network, strategically designed to champion business collaboration amongst trading partners and unify fragmented supply chains, has been utilised by SAP to contribute to the ongoing turmoil in Ukraine. Since the 9th of March, SAP has been encouraging the suppliers on SAP Business Network to extend their services to deliver humanitarian aid and about 1,500 partners have already committed to this initiative. The software enterprise also utilises the network to expedite the hospital supplies and equipment needed by the Ukrainian government. 

Access to SAP Ariba Discovery, powered by SAP Business Network, has also been opened to support the people of Ukraine. The business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solution allows buyers to post immediate sourcing needs and connect to suppliers that can offer the humanitarian aid needed for free. SAP Ariba Discovery ensures swift delivery of needs with its network of 8 million connected companies across 190 countries. In Japan, the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economy have tapped SAP Ariba Discovery in 2020 to propel the growth of SMEs in the country amidst the pandemic.

SAP Japan and Qualtrics Collaboration

Starting 21st of April, SAP Japan and Qualtrics have offered free access to the Ukrainian Refugee Support Platform to allow refugees from Ukraine to seamlessly connect to Japan– including those who wish to evacuate to the country– and corresponding organisations that provide aid. (InsideSAP Asia often references articles from websites in other languages to bring you as much information as possible.) 

The platform launched and operated by Experience Management (XM) company Qualtrics in collaboration with public and private organisations facilitates evacuation requests from refugees via their smartphones or the Internet. Moreover, the Ukrainian Refugee Support Platform, which supports English and Japanese languages, acts as a hub for information exchange to provide integrated support for evacuees before, during, and after their stay in Japan. 

Qualtrics also launched a QR-code-based solution–available in Ukrainian, Russian, Lithuanian, and English– that can be distributed across refugee registration centers, local media, and other channels. The solution connects nonprofits and regional governments with the people to provide them with their urgent needs– from food supplies to medications and financial aid – by routing them to corresponding local relief coordinators. The platform features a dashboard to enable non-profit leaders to make informed decisions on resource allocation to ensure relief efforts are given urgently and accordingly.

Beyond technology support, SAP and its employees’ total donations have surpassed €3 million and more than 4,000 employees have extended housing support and other aid to refugees.

“The SAP family stands with everyone affected and horrified by the events in Ukraine. There are no winners in war, and we join others in calling for the restoration of peace,” SAP CEO Christian Klein wrote on LinkedIn.

The post How SAP Business Network, Qualtrics Support People of Ukraine appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Pos Malaysia Berhad, the national postal delivery service of Malaysia, has embarked on a customer experience transformation journey in partnership with Qualtrics, a leading experience management company, and Kantar, a global data, insights, and consulting firm. The innovation partnership is centred on enhancing the customer experience and driving operational efficiencies across the organisation by creating a single system that will encompass the company’s entire customer experience program.

Commenting on the postal service provider’s digital transformation strategy, Sumesh Rahavendra, Group Chief Transformation & Digital Officer, Pos Malaysia, said:

“As part of our digital roadmap, we are committed to completely redesigning our customer journey. Supported by Qualtrics and Kantar, Pos Malaysia will be able to differentiate our services through a superior and responsive customer experience.’

Qualtrics has been deepening its presence in Southeast Asia with the launch of the first Centre for XM Innovation in Asia based in Singapore. The Centre is focussed on advancing the customer and employee experience management capabilities of enterprises in Singapore and across the region.

Advancing the Customer Experience Program

The recent research conducted by the Qualtrics Experience Management (XM) Institute, “2021 Global Consumer Trends”, revealed that the pandemic has sparked the need for companies to rewrite their playbooks to cover the evolving needs of customers that drive brand loyalty. According to the study, organisations need to invest in improving customer service quality and be equipped to meet their customers online, in-person, and hybrid as 75{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of consumers have gone digital. Most importantly, the research stated that customer satisfaction is directly correlated to trust and advocacy, especially for organisations in critical industries such as education systems, health institutions, and government agencies.

Mao Gen Foo, Head of Southeast Asia, Qualtrics, shared that in Malaysia, poor customer experiences are costing enterprises up to USD 35 billion annually, which is a strong indication that organisations need to prioritise better understanding of consumers’ evolving needs. He stressed:

“The digital transformation underway across Southeast Asia is an opportunity for businesses and governments across the region to cultivate greater trust, loyalty, and satisfaction among their customers and employees. In these new environments, organisations like Pos Malaysia are well placed to succeed by regularly tapping into in-depth insights that help them deliver personalized, and seamless customer experiences at scale.”

Pos Malaysia is pioneering a unified brand and customer experience program in collaboration with Qualtrics and Kantar to ensure that the organisation continuously improves on delivering customer experiences based on data. The single system allows Pos Malaysia to take necessary and timely action on current and emerging issues. In addition, leveraging Qualtrics CustomerXM’s capability to rapidly segment data, the Malaysian company delves into customer data not only by geography and demographic but also according to the channel and type of engagement. 

Nithi Kumar, Regional Head of Experience, Kantar APAC & India, said that the company’s experiences and best practices from Post Office UK, Australian Post as well other service and retail brands will be shared with Pos Malaysia to support their CX journey to becoming a truly customer-focussed organisation.

“Pos Malaysia is one of the oldest and most beloved brands for many and we are committed to growing the brand love through a systematic and impactful VOC & Brand program. We are excited to turn these insights into impactful business decisions to enable Pos Malaysia to prioritize and plan better in the new world,” he expressed.

The post Pos Malaysia Taps Qualtrics, Kantar for Modern Customer Experience Program appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Experience Management company Qualtrics has recently established an alliance with Nexthink, a leading digital employee experience management software provider, to design a solution that would help organisations better understand and improve the experiences of the future workforce. The two tech companies announced the collaboration during the Nexthink’s Experience Everywhere event whilst presenting compelling details on the future of work that would significantly affect employee experiences.

Under the innovation partnership, SAP-owned Qualtrics and Nexthink will be integrating their respective employee experience data (X-Data) and operational data (O-Data) to delve into employees’ pulse to enhance experiences when utilising workplace technology. Nexthink is known for its Nexthink Experience platform and has a strong market presence in 11 countries including India, UAE, Germany, and the UK. 

Explaining the crucial role of technology in the employee experience, Brad Anderson, President of Products and Services, Qualtrics, said:

“Employees are more engaged and productive when organisations have the right systems, software, and tools in place to support their work. Having experience data from Qualtrics with operational data from Nexthink helps IT leaders deliver the technology experiences that impact employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity.”

Collaborating for the Future Workplace Technology

The Qualtircs and Nexthink innovation supports today’s fast-evolving, unprecedented workplace trends that heavily relies on technology. During the onset of the pandemic, many companies have abruptly embraced remote working and launched initiatives that would support work productivity amidst the challenges. For instance, SAP Labs India and SAP Singapore have designed a hybrid workspace that incorporates high-tech communication tools to ensure enhanced employee productivity, wellness, and engagement.

During the event, Anderson highlighted Qualtrics’ research “The future of employee experience: 22 predictions for 2022”, which revealed significant insights on closing experience gaps in today’s hybrid work setup. According to the study, a vast majority (85{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) of employees agree that technology is essential to their work and is a factor for employee retention. Further to the results of the survey, technology increases employee engagement by 230{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}, with employees 13X more likely to say their employee experience is exceeding expectations.

Pedro Bados, Co-founder and CEO at Nexthink, stated that against the remote and hybrid digital work backgrounds, real-time employee engagement is essential to accelerating transformation and delivering better experiences with digital services in the enterprise.

“Integrating real-time metrics on devices, applications, and networks with experience data from Qualtrics will provide IT teams with the ultimate single pane of glass to understand end-to-end digital employee experience while taking real-time actions to improve them,” he added.

Bados also mentioned the opportunity behind the pandemic-era phenomenon The Great Resignation that started last year. He emphasised the much-needed shift in the IT-employee relationship to be more oriented towards supporting employees’ accomplishments and building a fulfilling environment rather than being focussed on productivity and incident-reporting to better the quality of life at work as well as the employee experience.

According to US federal data, The Great Resignation, also known as The Great Reshuffle, is extending into 2022. This is also reflected in Willis Towers Watson’s 2022 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, which revealed that 44{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of employees are currently seeking employment including 11{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} who are prospecting to land a job in Q1 of 2022.

The post Qualtrics, Nexthink Co-Innovate for Future Workplace Technology Solution appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

In 2020, the Qualtrics Partner Network (QPN), which provides organisations with access to best-in-class experience management consulting, technology, and services, doubled to more than 200 global member companies in a short span of two years. Over 85{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of Qualtrics customers’ XM programmes are underpinned by QPN partners’ innovations that address every organisation’s unique business need.

In the third year of QPN, Qualtrics, the leader in customer experience and creator of the XM category, celebrated its annual Partner of the Year Awards acknowledging the successes and contributions of its clients in the advancement of experience management. This year, new categories were added such as the Breakthrough Award for new partners that broaden the reach of XM to new markets and the All-In Award for those that exemplify Qualtrics’ cultural values as voted by the client-facing teams.

Leading Business Technology Partners in 2021

The 2021 XM Partner Award winners from all over the world demonstrated outstanding contributions in advancing and scaling up their customer, employee, product, and brand experience programmes, driving engagement, retention, loyalty, and brand relevance. Here are the leading business technology partners of Qualtrics recognised during the 2021 Partner Summit:

Korn Ferry: Employee XM Partner of the Year – Asia Pacific & Japan and Europe, Middle East & Africa and Innovation Partner of the Year

Korn Ferry, a global organisational consulting firm and a global leader in employee experience, helps clients design optimal organisation structures, roles, and responsibilities. Backed by 7,000 experts in over 50 countries, the company delivers services on core areas including organisation strategy and total rewards. In February 2021, the consulting firm collaborated with Qualtrics, combining Qualtrics’ cloud solution and Korn Ferry’s expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to accelerate the impact of DEI efforts for organisations worldwide.

“Korn Ferry is delighted to be recognised by Qualtrics for our expertise in delivering best-in-class employee experience programmes on a global scale,” said David Marzo, Global Solutions Leader, Korn Ferry. “The combination of Korn Ferry’s transformational advisory expertise and Qualtrics EmployeeXM empowers our clients to close the gaps to create a radically human organisation”

EY: Customer XM Partner of the Year – Americas and Asia Pacific & Japan

Leading professional services organisation EY works across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax, and transactions. Leveraging experience and operational metrics, the firm empowers companies worldwide to drive exceptional experiences, and innovate faster and with more insight. Last month, the multinational firm launched EY Qualtrics Experience Management competency to support companies’ experience transformation through end-to-end solutions– from strategy to design and enablement to implementation. 

“EY’s purpose of building a better working world has been founded on the belief that Customer and Employee experiences are interconnected and have a direct influence in driving outcomes,” said Vijay Nidumolu, Managing Director, EY. “We are honored to be recognized by Qualtrics as the EmployeeXM partner of the year in 2020 and a CustomerXM partner of the year in 2021 which is consistent with how we approach everything we do for our clients.”

ServiceNow: Alliance Partner of the Year

ServiceNow, a software-as-a-service provider, offers a smoother and more impactful way to put an organisation’s insights into action by harnessing the combined power of ServiceNow’s digital workflows with Qualtrics’ experience management technology on a single platform. Bill McDermott, the former SAP CEO, is ServiceNow’s CEO and President.

FullStory: Technology Partner of the Year

Atlanta-based FullStory offers digital experience intelligence as well as debugging and developer tools. FullStory has an integration with Qualtrics that helps customers seamlessly reconcile qualitative customer feedback with digital experience intelligence to understand and take action on pressing issues and opportunities, greatly improving customer experience.

WSA: Employee XM Partner of the Year – Americas

Workforce Science Associates’ (WSA) leadership has empowered leading workforce engagement businesses such as Kenexa. The Nebraska-based company is focused on Workforce and Employee Engagement Consulting, Project Managing, Leading, and Executing.

Hall & Partners: Brand XM Partner of the Year – Americas

A pioneering strategic consultancy powered by full-service market research, connected data, and inspiring insight, Hall & Partners leverages technology and experience management to design, gather and inspire businesses to build stronger relationships with customers, consumers, and patients. The company currently has 10 offices worldwide including in Singapore, Melbourne, and Sydney.

SOM: Breakthrough Partner of the Year – Americas

SOM is a 100{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} Quebec-based research firm with over 300 employees specialising in data collection, analysis, and visualisation– empowering companies make informed and judicious decisions.

Walker: All-In Partner of the Year – Americas

Walker is a full-service XM firm that serves a wide range of industries including B2B, consumer, and public sector organisations. Walker delivers industry-best tools and expert guidance to drive better, faster results.

Kantar: Customer XM Partner of the Year – Europe, Middle East & Africa

London-headquartered Kantar is a data and evidence-based agency providing insights and actionable recommendations to customers worldwide. The firm enables organisations to explore the entire customer journey and embed operational change, drive customer centricity, and deliver business impact. Kantar has presence spanning 90 markets and is known as the world’s leading data, insights, and consulting company.

AKT: Breakthrough Partner of the Year – Europe, Middle East & Africa 

AKT is one of the largest People Experience Management Cloud Solutions consultancies in EMEA. Aside from ensuring successful implementation, integration, optimisation, and support of the entire suite of SAP SuccessFactors HXM and Qualtrics solutions, AKT helps companies adapt to the new expectations in the digital experience economy by redefining and transforming the way people experience their companies and organisations.

Zill Consulting: All-In Partner of the Year – Europe, Middle East & Africa

Founded by two experienced Qualtrics consultants who bring together the benefits of combining advisory and technical practices for XM, Dublin-based Zill provides design, implementation, and managed services to XM programmes.

IBM: Asia Pacific & Japan Breakthrough Partner of the Year

IBM joined the QPN in November 2019 and has delivered professional implementation of Qualtrics EmployeeXM to organisations in Japan, including winning orders for large-scale employee experience projects and receiving the highest satisfaction score after implementation. In April, IBM Japan became the first-ever certified Qualtrics reseller to provide one-stop support to customers implementing the industry-leading XM solutions from Qualtrics.

Ugam: All-In Partner of the Year – Asia Pacific & Japan

Ugam, a Merkle company, is a leading analytics and technology services company based in Mumbai. The company enables organisations to make informed business decisions by leveraging a proprietary big data technology platform coupled with the firm’s analytics expertise.

Commending the expertise of the business technology partners, R.J. Filipski, Qualtrics Global Head of Ecosystem, said:

“The continued growth and innovation of the Qualtrics Partner Network push the boundaries of the Experience Management category. This year’s partner winners are leaders in their respective spaces and utilize their expertise and commitment to the customer to deliver ongoing value.”

The post Qualtrics Awards Outstanding Business Technology Partners in 2021  appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Singapore’s vision of Smart Nation is underpinned by the country’s adoption of digital and smart technologies across all domains, including the public sector. In the healthcare sector, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Promotion Board (HPB) in partnership with Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS), a multi-award-winning healthcare IT leader, delivered HealthHub in 2015. This Smart Health initiative empowers Singaporeans to manage their health and wellness by providing easy access to their public health records and medical appointments online, among others.

The Digital Healthcare Companion

Functioning as the digital healthcare companion for Singaporeans, HealthHub continuously updates its capabilities to adapt to the ever-changing healthcare landscape. In February, the mobile app added a new feature that allows Singapore residents to check their COVID-19 test results and vaccination records– as a significant feature to help in the vaccine rollout. As of 2 September 2021, 80{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of Singapore’s population has completed their full regimen of COVID-19 vaccines and 83{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} has received at least one dose.

Now, as the HealthHub’s user base continues to grow, IHiS wanted to ensure consistent delivery of reliable and excellent healthcare service to the people of Singapore. The company tapped Qualtrics, the world’s leading Experience Management (XM) provider and creator of the XM category, to back HealthHub with its customer experience management software Qualtrics CustomerXM.

Sharing about the technology partnership, Mao Gen Foo, Head of Southeast Asia, Qualtrics, said:

“In our rapidly changing world, the experience a government or business provides to its customers and employees has never been more important. It means experience management is now critical. With Qualtrics, IHiS will enhance its capabilities to more efficiently listen, understand, and act on feedback to ensure HealthHub delivers meaningful and long-lasting value to users across Singapore.”

Advancing Healthcare with Customer Experience Management Software

Through Qualtrics CustomerXM, IHiS intends to deliver a customer experience programme centred on refining and optimising the HealthHub web portal and mobile app’s customer experience as Singaporeans’ health journeys rapidly evolve. 

Leveraging Qualtrics’ predictive intelligence capabilities, HealthHub is expected to deliver the following:

• Easily collect and aggregate feedback from its users across mobile and online channels in real-time to analyse user sentiment
• Identify critical feedback
• Pinpoint emerging trends
• Enable IHiS to understand if HealthHub’s features are meeting the evolving needs of its users
• Deliver meaningful customer experiences

As the technology partner that digitises, connects, and analyses Singapore’s health ecosystem, IHiS is one of the first organisations to use the newly opened Qualtrics data centre in the city-state, which provides direct access to the Qualtrics Experience Management Platform in compliance with local data sovereignty and security requirements. The SAP-owned company has recently strengthened its presence in the Asia Pacific and Japan region with the opening of a new headquarters in Sydney and a data centre in Singapore to cater to the increasing demand for Qualtrics Experience Management solutions.

“The recent opening of the Qualtrics data center in Singapore, alongside our plans to hire 1,200 new employees in the region, is a game-changer for local businesses and governments embarking on experience transformations. Organisations will benefit from local access to the Qualtrics Experience Management Platform and our industry-leading experts, equipping them with the insights, capabilities, and support to quickly and confidently respond to our changing world,” explained Foo.

The post Singapore’s HealthHub Advances with Qualtrics Customer Experience Management Software appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Singapore-based Rolling Arrays established its partnership with SAP back in 2010, which then kick-started its years of experience in delivering consultation and implementation services for HR. With offices in countries including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, UAE, and India, the certified SAP Gold Partner has a track record of delivering more than 200 HR transformation projects for over 100 blue-chip customers in Asia.

In 2020, the HR specialist set off as an implementation provider for SAP SuccessFactors in a bid to deepen its capabilities within the HR technology space at a regional level. This year, the company has become the first certified reseller and delivery partner for SAP-owned Qualtrics in SEA. Commenting on the latest partnership, Manu Khetan, Founder and CEO of Rolling Arrays, said:

“Our team of more than 150 consultants at Rolling Arrays are experts in recommending and implementing the right and best solutions for our customers. Qualtrics is the leader in experience management, and has continually demonstrated proven value in enabling organisations of all sizes and from all industries to continually improve the experiences delivered.”

“This combination of expertise and capabilities will help every organisation across Southeast Asia confidently respond and succeed in the changing world around us,” Khetan maintained.

With an increasing number of businesses and governments rethinking their customer and employee experience strategy during the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Qualtrics Experience Management Operating System (XM/OS) aims to provide them with the insights and capabilities to continuously develop and improve the experiences they deliver in their organisations. The new partnership with Rolling Arrays will assist companies in implementing Qualtrics solutions and help them expand and maximise the value of their investment. 

Strengthening Companies’ Customer and Employee Experience Strategy

Meanwhile, R.J. Filipski, Global Head of Ecosystem at Qualtrics, also highlighted the importance of XM to all organisations as every sector undergoes an experience transformation in response to changes heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on the new collaboration with the HR solutions provider that helps attract, develop, and retain talent, he said:

“The partnership with Rolling Arrays is critical to Qualtrics’ ongoing expansion in Southeast Asia, and will equip our customers with more industry-leading support, expertise, and capabilities to build their next great customer, and employee experiences.”

Following Qualtrics’ commitment to hiring 1,200 additional employees across the broader Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region by 2024 as part of its plan to scale up operations and investments, the latest partnership with Rolling Arrays further reinforces Qualtrics’ growing presence in SEA. In addition, Qualtrics’ new data center in Singapore is anticipated to ensure data sovereignty and security requirements compliance for all governments and businesses across SEA as customers in the region continue to grow.

Looking forward to combining Rolling Array’s technology implementation expertise and extensive HR advisory capability to deliver Qualtrics’ holistic XM solutions to customers in SEA, Philip Wixon, Chief Operating Officer at Rolling Arrays said:

“I am very pleased to read SAP’s announcement of Rolling Arrays’ recent enablement as a Qualtrics implementer for our customers across the region. Monitoring and measuring employee experience is the next frontier of engaging with employees and Qualtrics is the market’s leading XM solution.”

The post Qualtrics, Rolling Arrays Boost Customer and Employee Experience Strategy in SEA appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

In the 2019 Cushman & Wakefield report, Singapore’s data center market ranked third globally and was recognized as the only mature data center market in Southeast Asia. Many multinational companies expand their presence in the country since Singapore continues to rise in the global index due to improved high-speed connectivity, political stability, and low risk of natural disasters relative to other countries.

As the city-state is projected to remain a major connectivity hub in the Asia Pacific region, it is no surprise that Qualtrics has set its eyes on Singapore to be its next data center location to cater to Southeast Asia customers. Slated to open in 2021, the Qualtrics data center aims to ensure government and enterprise customers’ compliance with data sovereignty and security requirements when deploying the vendor’s experience management (XM) platform.

Sharing about the rationale behind opening a new data center in Singapore, Mao Gen Foo, Head of Southeast Asia at Qualtrics, said:

“With the opening of a dedicated data center for Southeast Asia in Singapore, Qualtrics is well-positioned to help businesses and governments improve the customer and employee experience they deliver with our industry-leading XM technologies.

Our continued and substantial investment demonstrates our long-standing commitment to build the XM category in the region, giving local businesses the competitive advantage needed to continue competing on the global stage.”

Growing APJ Market

To address the growing demand for XM solutions at the end-user level, the new data center in Singapore is anticipated to increase local headcount by at least 50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in Southeast Asia during the next 12 months.

Soon after SAP’s $US8 billion acquisition of Qualtrics early last year, Qualtrics APJ has become the fastest-growing market for the company, serving over1200 customers, employing approximately 160 people, and having eight offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, India, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Qualtrics cater to industry leaders such as Cathay Pacific, GOJEK, Samsung SDS, Fuji Xerox, Sony, Yamaha, Qantas, Chobani, and Volkswagen Group Australia, which have contributed to the unprecedented growth of the XM company in the region.

Brigid Archibald, the recently appointed Qualtrics Managing Director of APJ and former Country Manager of Australia and New Zealand, explained that the strategic move is a logical consequence for the business. She stated:

“The capabilities and expertise of the Qualtrics team is unmatched, and we are excited to continue this growth in 2021.”

Qualtrics currently operates a network of global data centers, spanning the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, and the APJ region. Four years after the opening of its APJ headquarters in Sydney, Australia, Qualtrics APJ doubled the size of its regional workforce in 2019.

Commenting on Qualtrics’ plan in Singapore, Verena Siow, President and Managing Director of SAP Southeast Asia, said:

“The establishment of a Qualtrics data center in Singapore is of huge value to businesses and governments – giving them the tools and capabilities needed to thrive in today’s business environments. Qualtrics is central to helping businesses unlock the insights they need to improve every experience they deliver.”

SAP announced in July its intent to take Qualtrics public through an initial public offering (IPO) while retaining majority ownership.

The post Qualtrics to Launch Data Center in Singapore appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

With the global health crisis compelling businesses to embrace digital technologies to survive, thrive, and reach out to consumers, business leaders can take into account the recent Qualtrics survey results when mapping their strategy during and post-pandemic.

Following the release of the Qualtrics survey on consumer behaviors and expectations of brands they engage with during a pandemic, the Experience Management company’s latest survey results highlighted the consumers’ preference for e-commerce in the time of COVID-19.

“After months of disruption, we are beginning to see new behaviours and preferences emerge that are likely to remain post-pandemic. There is no doubt that there has been a massive shift towards digital, making it critical for brands to ensure they are able to optimise the experience they deliver on their digital channels including mobile applications,” said Qualtrics Southeast Asia head of CX solutions strategy Harish Agarwal.

“Simultaneously, even though consumers are beginning to go back to some previous habits, high levels of ambiguity remain, meaning businesses must be able to understand and quickly respond to changing environments. Businesses can deal with this ambiguity using tools like Qualtrics to get an “always-on” and integrated understanding of their customer experience across touchpoints, equipping them with end-to-end insights to continually deliver superior customer experience,” Agarwal further explained.

In this article, we look into the Philippines and Singapore consumers’ preferences during the pandemic and in the coming months. Over 300 respondents were surveyed in each country.

Filipinos Switching to Digital

Though 94{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents are still very concerned by the pandemic, the Filipino consumers have quickly adapted to utilising online platforms since COVID-19 hit the country.

• 67{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents have purchased more online, which is evident in the frequency increase of online banking (62{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 55{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of respondents said that visit to retailers have been lessened, reflecting an increase for online grocery shopping (53{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 76{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of Filipino consumers said they will continue online shopping over the next six months
• 47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents still prefer food pick up versus dining in despite the 50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} increase for dine-in capacities of restaurants in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas and 75{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in modified GCQ areas in the country

Looking at the next six months, 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said it is likely they will choose to eat at a restaurant; 37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} were planning to take a family holiday; 36{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said they are ready to use public transport. For air travel, Filipinos are still quite ambiguous about it saying it’s unlikely they will travel internationally (57{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) or domestically (54{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

The number of people in the Philippines expecting COVID-19 to affect their day-to-day life for more than a year has increased to 45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} (up from 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in June 2020).

Singaporeans Embracing E-Commerce

Commenting on Singaporeans’ behavior during the pandemic, Agarwal said:

“Even though Singaporeans are beginning to go back to some previous habits, high levels of ambiguity remain, meaning businesses must be able to understand and quickly respond to changing environments.”

The recent Qualtrcis survey revealed that consumers in the city-state are embracing e-commerce. 

• 57{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents have purchased more online and have used online banking
• 47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said they visit retailers less, reflecting an increase in shopping for groceries online (44{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 73{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of surveyed Singaporeans said they will continue shopping online even after six months
• 56{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} still prefer picking up their food order instead of dining in restaurants

In the next six months, contrary to the Philippines survey results, a higher percentage of the Singaporean respondents are willing to eat at a restaurant (58{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and are most likely to use public transport (61{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). However, more than 60{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents said they are not ready to travel by air, a bit higher than the Philippines’ number.

The number of Singaporeans expecting COVID-19 to affect their everyday lives for more than a year has also doubled to 37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} from May 2020.

The post Qualtrics Survey Reveals the Need to Find the Best E-Commerce Solution appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

As businesses slowly ease into the new normal, including creating marketing strategies and roadmaps for the future of commerce, Qualtrics’ recent survey on consumer behavior during the pandemic in the Philippines and Singapore gives organisations critical insights on the pulse of the market in these changing times.

The recent Qualtrics study relates to the last study conducted by Qualtrics in May 2020, which outlines the biggest drivers of brand trust following the COVID-19 pandemic and how consumers want to be engaged. In Qualtrics’ latest study, the actions brands are taking continue to have a significant impact on consumers regardless of the changes in restrictions due to the pandemic.

Lisa Khatri, Research and Brand Experience Lead for Qualtrics in APJ said:

“Being able to identify, understand, and respond to rapidly changing expectations is business-critical during the pandemic, and long after it. The fact that preferences toward the message and the medium have changed and yet the importance of actions remains hugely important reveals brands cannot afford to stand still in how they engage consumers. 

As we move forward through the pandemic preferences and attitudes will continue to shift. This is why it is hugely important businesses use technology like Qualtrics to have an “always on pulse” of consumer sentiment and behavior tracking. Insights delivered by Qualtrics help identify the lead indicators businesses need to design and deliver the brand communications and experiences people want, and which ultimately cultivate the trust needed to succeed.” 

In this article, we will take a look at how the consumer behaviors, preferences, and expectations from brands they engage with shifted during the first 6 months of the pandemic in the Philippines and Singapore.

The Philippines Consumer Pulse

95{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the Philippines consumers said that brand actions impact trust in the time of a crisis. The drivers of the brand trust are consistent with May 2020 Qualtrics’ research and these are:

• (41{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Not taking advantage of a crisis to maximise profits remains the most important 
• (40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Maintaining reasonable pricing
• Taking care of customers (34{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and employees (23{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})

A Shift in Communication and Engagement Platforms

The survey revealed a significant shift in communication preferences, messages, and engagement platforms in the Philippines.

The top brand communications people expect today are updates on the brand’s response to the pandemic and messages on safety and hygiene protocols. Information into products and services is down one place to the third most desired message, (50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). Sales and promotion emails (45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and information on reward programs are next in the consumers’ preferences.

Facebook (84{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) remains the most popular engagement platform followed by online media (63{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), email (56{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and TV advertising (51{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

Singapore Consumer Pulse

In the city-state, more than 90{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of consumers agreed that during a crisis brand actions impact trust. Similar to Singapore’s response in May 2020 and comparable the to Philippines’ consumer response, the drivers of the brand trust in the country are:

• (40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Not taking advantage of a crisis to maximise profits remains the most important 
• (37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Maintaining reasonable pricing 
• Taking care of customers (32{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and employees (27{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})

A Shift in Communication and Engagement Platforms

The top message that Singaporeans expect from brands today is sales and promotion via emails (52{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), which has shown an 11{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} increase from May 2020. The other messages that make up the top 5 messages consumers want are information into products and services (47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), safety and hygiene protocols (43{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and reward programs (41{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

As for the preferred engagement platform, Singaporeans are increasingly choosing email (60{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), followed by Facebook (47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and Whatsapp (45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). The study revealed that consumers are moving away from traditional broadcast (19{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and online media (38{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), which showed a significant drop versus last May.

*Qualtrics surveyed 328 Singaporeans and 328 Filipinos (aged 18-65) in early September 2020.

The post Qualtrics Surveys Consumer Behavior During a Pandemic in PH and SG appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Qualtrics XM Institute is lead by Bruce Temkin, considered as one of the earliest customer experience visionaries who has been on the XM journey for over 20 years. Temkin founded the Temkin Group in 2010, which was acquired by Qualtrics in October 2018 and resulted in the conception of XM Institute. He explains how the new platform aims to become the world’s premier center of excellence for all things experience management,

“This new center brings together the industry’s foremost thought leaders to help shape the future of experience management, establish and publish best-practices, drive product innovation, and enable certification and training programs that further build a community of XM professionals. The Institute will create industry benchmarks, drive groundbreaking thought leadership, and guide ongoing program optimization for customers.”

Creating Experience Management Solutions

Qualtrics XM Institute provides original and high-quality research on experience management topics and trends as well as industry benchmarks delivered through the Experience Matters blog, XM Journal, and on the XM Institute website. Here, XM professionals get access to guidance and resources to help them create and deliver experience management solutions across the four core experiences of XM: customer, employee, product and brand.

Members also get the opportunity to join XM Professionals Network (XMPN), a community of practitioners and leaders to learn best practices, connect with peers around the world, and advance their XM career and program. XMPN is open to all professionals around the globe who are responsible for the experience management program within their organizations. The community holds regular online forums, monthly roundtables, expert Q&A sessions, and local chapter meetups. These events will be facilitated by an extensive team of subject matter experts who will assist organizations with program design, implementation, and optimization.

Empowering XM Professionals through Training and Certification

Qualtrics XM Institute will also be offering online and in-person XM training to members to help their organizations optimize and iterate on their experience management programs. Beginning July 2020, the XM Foundations online training curriculum will be open for XM professionals. The curriculum combines essential XM content with activities specifically designed to help participants reflect on existing efforts, apply key learnings, and create plans for driving action.

In addition, Qualtrics will launch the XM Professional Certification (XMP) by fall 2020. The premier certification will be open to professionals who possess practical, real-world experience of managing one or more core experiences (customer, employee, product, or brand) of business. Successful applicants will have job responsibilities that include execution or management of activities in each of the six XM competencies:

• Leading a transformation effort to architect and sustain an experience management program.
• Tracking and ensuring XM efforts achieve well-defined business objectives.
• Activating an organization for change by equipping people with the skills, support, and motivation to achieve desired results.
• Collecting, analyzing, and distributing actionable insights across the organization.
• Establishing mechanisms for an organization to prioritize and drive improvements based on insights.
• Identifying and creating experiences that differentiate an organization.

The post XM Institute, Go-to Resource for Customer Experience Management Solutions appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.