Risk, Opportunities & #CX: A Conversation with Abid Ali Neemuchwala of Wipro

The emergence of the As-a-Service Economy is nothing if not a series of transitions from long-standing legacy business models to more fluid, dynamic, and agile strategies that place the consumer, not the business, first. These transitions, highlighted in the 8 Ideals of the As-a-Service Economy, collectively represent a major disruption, with both significant risks and tremendous opportunities. For those who are willing to lead (from either a provider or enterprise perspective), the risks can become manageable and the opportunities achievable.

At our recent HfS Working Summit (“The Rise of the As-a-Service Economy, May 12th, 2015 in Dallas, TX), we had the chance to sit down with Abid Ali Neemuchwala, newly minted Group President and COO of Wipro. Abid drew on his vast experience within the sourcing and IT sectors to share some of his insights on the emergence of the As-a-Service model, the importance of leading by example, and how risks can be managed through a focus on outcomes (becoming opportunities).

From his thoughts on Customer Experience (#CX) and the role of partnerships to his perspective on loyalty in the digital age, it was a conversations worth having. 

A few key themes of our conversation include:

On Wipro’s role in the As-a-Service Economy: We’ve been early investors, becoming ready as a provider for the As-a-Service model. [For us] it means more than just digital technology, such as AI, robotics, and analytics, but end-to-end “ownership” of enterprise services with a focus on the customer experience across the entire journey.

Discussing the value of leading by example: Providers must be willing to use and validate their offerings internally before they are delivered to the client – it allows us to test the reimagining of processes and how we use technology.

Regarding risks in the transition to As-a-Service: Demand prediction and demand forecasting are risks providers must take on themselves, allowing enterprises to focus on business, and not operational, risk.

On the role of outcomes: Governance is evolving. By focusing on the outcomes of an enterprise, we move from Fulfillment SLAs to Outcome SLAs and shift from Cost-Plus pricing to Outcome-based pricing, where the responsibility to operate efficiently is borne by the provider.

Regarding loyalty and customer experience (#CX): Loyalty comes from innovation and continuously delighting the client over the term of the contract, including demonstrating how the customer engagement can be reimagined to provide a greater overall customer experience and a higher value to the enterprise. Being a strategic partner that invests ahead of the curve in new technology and business processes is essential.

Discussing the value of use cases: Use cases, integrated with customer journeys, allow a provider to show an enterprise how digital technology and processes can come together to help them achieve specific outcomes and drive greater end-user experiences on a vertical by vertical basis.

Once again, we’d like to thank Abid and Wipro for their sponsorship of this Working Summit, and for making time to be part of this conversation.