onsider the last time you said to a colleague, “Why are we still doing things C that way? Isn’t there a better way to solve that problem?” The question will often get AppExchange solutions, Erin Wright: That's so a knowing nod and a heap D&B Optimizer and Conga funny. In my notes I have of sympathy. And yet, the Contracts, respectively, can people, process, and next day, the next week, or improve the way people technology too. So we even the next year won’t work day in and day out. have a very similar thought bring about the necessary process on this. As senior change to do things better EDITOR’S NOTE: Questions leaders, it’s important to ERIN WRIGHT and smarter. All this comes and responses have been provide the tools and the Sr. Director of Marketing at a cost of depressed edited for clarity. information that workers Global Alliances, employee morale and need to be empowered Dun & Bradstreet How Technology Improves Employee Productivity increased inefficiencies, How can senior leadership to make those good which often have myriad encourage employees to decisions. BY ANDREW GOTHELF • ILLUSTRATIONS BY RON LIM downstream effects on work smarter? customer happiness and, Ultimately, we think about ultimately, revenue. Doug Rybacki: I always the speed of the sales think about this from process, how to speed It doesn’t have to be three key angles: people, things to market. That can this way. Companies can process, and technology. translate into things like change the way their It’s a value pyramid, improving your employee DOUG RYBACKI employees work. They can with people at the top, experience, having a really Chief Product Officer, Conga improve their response to process in the middle, and good set of data to rely on, inefficiencies by thinking technology at the base. a good use of Salesforce – about how they can and all of those workflows help their employees If you have sales reps that that originate from that work smarter. This can continually hit their quota lead to improved customer come from the way – when not everyone does satisfaction. So I think management leads and – let’s learn from those the people, process, and treats employees. Or from people what they’re doing technology are important. technology brought in to differently and use what remove roadblocks and we learn to teach others. How do you convey to employees that working inefficiencies. Then I also like to find the innovators – people who smarter is empowering? To understand how are willing to go and try Erin: leadership can encourage stuff and figure it out. It all comes down to employees to work context and trust. If you smarter, and the ways Find a small group of give teams the information AppExchange solutions can people inside of a bigger they need to make good help, I had a wide-ranging part of the organization – decisions, and teach them conversation with Erin two to five people – who to interpret the findings Wright, Senior Director of will take that opportunity using technology, and trust Marketing, Global Alliances to go and explore some the employees to make at Dun & Bradstreet, new innovation and work those right decisions, and Doug Rybacki, out the kinks. Learn how you’re headed in the right Chief Product Officer at it should really work – direction. Conga. In addition to optimize it – so we learn their thoughts on smarter how to deploy to the workplaces, they also broader organization. hit on how their own 16 THE EXCHANGE FALL 2018 FFAALLLL 20 201188 THETHE EXCHANGE EXCHANGE 1717