It’s always rewarding to be in a position to help a well-known brand overcome hurdles that are holding them back from reaching their goals, and that is exactly what we’ve been able to do at Volkswagen. Not long after I came to Veriday in 2019, I was given the opportunity, as the Senior Account Executive for the U.S., to take responsibility for Veriday’s relationship with Volkswagen since the team we work with there is based in Michigan.
It was pretty clear from the outset that they were looking to optimize their use of the Liferay platform, which had been underutilized and a little unpredictable, so the first order of action was to understand how they were currently using the platform in order to help them stabilize and full use of the platform by adapting technologies to fit their context better. Once we had a full understanding of how they were already using the platform, we were able to key in on the functionality of the Liferay platform in order for them to get a more robust level of performance from its many capabilities. My experience with the platform, and resources that can support it were an important foundation to building trust with the client, and also effectively and efficiently addressing Volkswagen’s need to understand whether they were using it correctly and getting the most they can out of it.
Building effective client relationships always starts with small engagement around how we can help address a specific problem, and we build from there. Although stabilizing the platform was their urgent need, there was a lot more that we could help them achieve. A lot of companies are coming around to the idea that tech triage is not a sustainable model any more than the ER is a good primary care doctor. Veriday provides the consistent checkups and preventative tech care that Volkswagen needs to maintain their digital health long term. To do this, we need to know them well. Just because Volkswagen is a huge company doesn’t mean that they are exempt from working within margins. To help them achieve their digital goals and get the most out of their investment in Liferay, we needed to learn what the departments we work with are responsible for, what their budgets look like, and how they work with each other. Building a foundation for digital transformation often comes down to relationships. To do that at Volkswagen required helping them identify and create internal advocates to help them secure the resources they need to execute effectively.
Our relationship with Volkswagen is a perfect example of how companies don’t always need grandiose solutions, but sustained relationships with dedicated partners who are committed to helping them solve problems and working with them over the long haul to add and adapt sustainable technology solutions. In the current business climate, small wins that build momentum for the customer, can grow into huge successes. We aim to grow our practices within companies of all sizes, and provide our expertise in multitudes of project areas and scopes. Consistency is key. We need to understand the business domain and complex ecosystems that underlie it, and the technology solutions will be delivered as a product of that fundamental understanding of the company and its goals. That is really what we’ve done well at Veriday: not only knowing the tech, but working to understand our client’s business as well as they do. As Nelson Mandela famously said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done,” and Veriday’s approach has always been to work with our clients to achieve the impossible.
Maintaining Ties – Our Longstanding Partnership with Best Buy
