Adobe Aims to Be Your Customer Experience Record Keeping System

Adobe Aims to Revolutionize Customer Experience with New Platform Strategy

TechCrunch reports on Adobe's strategic move to transform its Adobe Cloud Platform into a comprehensive customer experience record-keeping system. This initiative aims to centralize all customer data, both from Adobe's ecosystem and external sources, providing a unified view for businesses.

The Evolution of Customer Data Management

For years, the marketing industry has strived to deeply understand customers to tailor content and experiences. Adobe Cloud Platform has been a key tool in collecting and analyzing customer data within Adobe's suite of products. However, the company recognizes the need for a more robust system to manage the increasing volume and complexity of customer interactions.

Introducing the Experience System of Record

Suresh Vittal, vice president of platform and product at Adobe Experience Cloud, highlighted the limitations of traditional Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in today's dynamic digital landscape. He stated that while CRMs were adequate for past operational needs, they are insufficient for the current demands of brands.

"A lot of investments for past generations of software evolution have been around batch-based operational systems. While they were necessary back then, they are not sufficient where these brands are going today," Vittal explained.

Adobe's vision is to create an "experience system of record" – a central hub where brands can consolidate experience data, content, and unified customer profiles to power next-generation experiences. This system is designed to manage the dynamic interactions brands have with their customers.

Building the Foundation: New Data Model and AI Integration

To realize this vision, Adobe is not only conceptualizing a new system but also building a new data model. This includes developing tools for data scientists to create custom data models, enabling greater flexibility and tailored solutions.

Recognizing the critical role of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in processing vast amounts of data, Adobe is integrating its AI platform, Sensei. Developers will gain access to Adobe's in-house AI algorithms, empowering them to build sophisticated platform features.

Addressing Privacy and Compliance with GDPR

With the increasing focus on data privacy, especially with the advent of GDPR in the EU, Adobe is incorporating governance and compliance layers into its tools. Vittal emphasized the importance of safeguards, semantics, and control when centralizing customer data.

"You cannot turn all of this data into something useful without safeguards—semantics and control," he said. This involves creating a data catalog, labeling data, and associating rules for handling data based on its origin and type, ensuring compliance with various regulations.

Adobe's AI, Sensei, plays a crucial role in this process by recognizing data types and recommending labels through machine learning, thereby assisting in data cataloging and compliance.

Competing in the CX Landscape

This strategic move positions Adobe to compete directly with giants like Salesforce, which offers integrated sales, marketing, and customer service solutions powered by its AI layer, Einstein. Salesforce's recent acquisition of MuleSoft further strengthens its ability to integrate disparate enterprise systems.

Adobe's new tools and services provide an intelligent, ML-driven solution that aims to differentiate itself in the competitive customer experience (CX) market. While the term "customer experience record" might be marketing-speak, it effectively communicates Adobe's ambition to become the central nervous system for customer data and interactions.

Key Takeaways:

Unified Customer Data: Adobe aims to create a central "experience system of record" for all customer data.
Beyond CRM: Moving past traditional CRM limitations to handle dynamic customer interactions.
AI-Powered: Leveraging Adobe Sensei for data analysis, labeling, and insights.
Data Governance: Incorporating compliance and privacy features, including GDPR readiness.
Competitive Landscape: Challenging established players like Salesforce in the CX market.

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