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Description:
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Avaya, spun off from Lucent Technologies in 2000, faced a dilemma that
often strikes technology firms as they hit their stride: Many of its
customers were making the shift from commodity buyers of telephone equipment
to strategic buyers of communications solutions. With nearly 1 million
customers worldwide, including most of the Fortune 500, Avaya found itself
with many strategic buyers, yet few truly strategic customer relationships.
To build deep and meaningful relationships with executive buyers and
influencers, the company stepped out of its product- and technology-centered
comfort zone and launched a ground-breaking customer council program
for the senior-most executives of Avaya’s most strategic customers.
This ITSMA Case Study explores the genesis of the program, outlines
the core principles that guided the creation of Avaya's councils, and
highlights the impact they have had on the organization's thought leadership,
solution development, and sales.
Key takeaways include:
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Executive-level customer relationships can provide critical insight
into the larger marketplace during times of rapid transition.
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Fostering many-to-many interactions among peers in a council setting
can take customers out of the sales cycle, magnify the impact of
executive-level relationships, and create meaningful dialogue about
customers’ fundamental
business challenges.
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Third-party guidance and support to maximize professionalism, ensure
objectivity, and foster trust with customers can contribute substantially
to council success.
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Leveraging the insight and impact of customer councils
across the entire customer base—and the organization itself—requires
an integrated approach involving thought leadership, broad programs
for executive relationship management, and focused dialogue with
sales, R&D, and other internal
audiences.
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