Hi Avdhesh, tell us about yourself and your background?
I’m based in India and share a passion for brand marketing and sales strategy in various industries like eCommerce, real estate, travel & hospitality, gaming, health and wellness, IT, and much more…
This year I was also recognized by Thinkers360 as a Top 50 Thought leader in domains like Digital Transformation, Analytics, Ecosystems, Health & wellness, Sales, Marketing, Social, Startups, and more… I am working and hiring 100% remotely for the last 12 years with clients all over the world and was fortunate to have my first million in the 2008-09 recession.
Online commerce was booming in 2020; how did it affect brands’ adoption of Artificial Intelligence? – What should be the main focus for brands this year?
Every Brand has gained its reach in 2020 and now found a balancing stage to grow and continue in 2021; There could have been no year better than 2020 for the eCommerce industry, and everyone has only made profits from small to the big bulls. I believe Brands are at the stage of adopting AI into the culture, and once they do, the outcome unbelievable.
AI and VR will make the eCommerce industry accessible as per one’s needs and will allow us to test all before a purchase is made. I believe AI will enhance the skillsets
and the way we represent things. I can’t wait to shop on Amazon or any other eCommerce platform through a TV App. I mean, check, test how it looks, and order right away.
Avdhesh’s checklist for digital transformation
In your POV – What is the ultimate checklist for a good digital transformation strategy?
It all depends on how you can adopt AI and other technologies in your organizational structure serving your clients. Even that local Barbershop is on Google my Business and serves its purpose. I believe it is completely on the kind of business you are in and adapting technologies accordingly to suit your vision, maintaining an excellent customer relationship.
How much has the CEO’s role in the social distancing era – what role digital transformation has in this crisis?
The CEO is the center person for everyone and a source of inspiration for everyone in the organization. I will say now forget the crisis and adapt to the digital transformation; it would not have been easy for everyone to work at home with family or kids around, or many would have lacked the experience. This is where the CEO needs to convey their message that even they are new to the situation and only focus on marketing and advertising. Sales are not only the departments in an organization, but one needs to look after all their employees.
There might have been many employees, for example, your organization’s security staff, you did not need them, but would that have been right to let them go? It’s an ecosystem
which a CEO needs to manage or, if not, learn to manage.
What was the biggest lesson you learned in 2020?
You don’t need to focus only on profits, be human, you can’t make millions in every crisis, but yes, you can always create value, build relationships that will only benefit you in the future. The remote situation was not new for me bcoz I adapted it in 2008, cutting down costs and increasing payments for all the staff… Take Care of your loved ones, take rest, you can’t get a year like 2020 back to do all you wished for your family, friends, or colleagues, the Best year in a millennium.
2020 was the year of webinars and online events. What was your favorite one?
I participate in webinars and events for learning; naming a specific one would not help you focus on learning. All are great; Any chance to learn something new is great.
It looks like working from home will stay with us for the foreseeable future. How should Executives gear up to the changing times?
Executives should focus on results. It does not matter when you do it; the only thing which matters is you deliver the result for the day, work at 5 in the morning, 4 afternoons, or 2 am, get comfortable, and get going.
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
As far as I see it, Customer satisfaction CSAT is the most important. If you wish to have a good CSAT, you will work with all in between, and when you focus on customer satisfaction, you can handle everything which comes in between delivering your customers.
