An interview with Rob Pinkerton, Senior VP Customer Experience at Oracle
It's a pleasure to speak with you about the Gen AI in CRM. Let's dive right in. Can you share with us the new features?
Rob Pinkerton: Oracle has been at the forefront of AI, particularly in the field of classic AI involving large datasets. However, the emergence of generative AI, where something entirely new is created, has everyone's attention. It feels like in the 1990s when the internet gained traction, with everyone trying to forecast its impact. The challenge for our large enterprise customers is to embrace this trend without merely chasing after fleeting trends. We're focused on a long-term approach to AI, providing accurate answers quickly.
Oracle emphasizes embedded AI, pre-built, pre-tested capabilities addressing specific tasks and workflows. In the field of service, we're excited about features such as assisted agent responses, knowledge article searches, search augmentation, customer engagement summaries, assisted guided authoring, and Field Service recommendations. The latter is particularly fast to adopt, offering real-time guidance to field service agents, especially beneficial in industries like B2B.
Moving on to marketing, can you provide examples of how AI is being implemented in this domain?
Rob Pinkerton: Marketing automation is an area witnessing rapid adoption. Our approach involves addressing the friction in marketing operations. Digital marketing teams strive for high conversion rates in small percentages, and AI can optimize various activities, from email subject line testing to form creation. However, the real excitement lies in early-stage digital marketing processes, such as market segmentation. Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) are gaining popularity, especially in B2B, allowing AI models to make recommendations on segments and buyer groups, reducing costs significantly. Additionally, our product called Guided Campaigns streamlines campaign design and execution, making it accessible to less technically sophisticated users.
For businesses looking to leverage these technologies, what is your recommendation on how to start or use these new features?
Rob Pinkerton: While there might be a sense of urgency to act, we are building AI to be native in our applications, allowing customers to benefit as new features are released regularly. We view this as a long-term trend, encouraging customers to think big and pay attention to ongoing innovations. The approach should be tailored to the specific needs of the business. For instance, customer service-oriented businesses can quickly adopt certain opportunities, while sales and marketing customers have a chance to reshape their approach to customer experience for long-term advantages.
Can you elaborate on what sets it apart from other providers in the CRM market?
Rob Pinkerton: In the CRM market, Oracle stands out due to its broad perspective on AI in customer experience, facilitated by its vertically integrated solutions. With offerings ranging from “bare metal” infrastructure to global cloud needs, back-office and front-office applications, Oracle provides a comprehensive solution. This breadth is particularly beneficial for large enterprises dealing with complex problems, giving Oracle a competitive edge in delivering a holistic and integrated architecture.
Finally, which industries or companies are the primary targets for these innovations, and how do you see the customer interaction changing from their perspective?
Rob Pinkerton: Oracle's customer base is diverse, spanning industries such as industrial manufacturing, high tech, complex service industries, financial services, healthcare, and the public sector. The common thread is the presence of complex processes and challenges. As for customer interactions, from a customer's perspective, managing an overwhelming number of software applications has become complicated. Streamlining and consolidating applications are essential for businesses to embrace new waves of innovation, like generative AI and spatial computing. Oracle aims to prepare customers for these advancements by simplifying their enterprise application architecture.
About Rob Pinkerton
Rob Pinkerton is Senior VP, Customer Experience at Oracle. With an expertise in various fields such as enterprise software, product management, and marketing, he has a strong background in leadership and has held leadership positions at companies that impact society through technology. Rob is committed to making a positive impact in the tech community and has worked for companies such as Morningstar, Cloverpop, and HelloWallet focusing on areas such as business strategy, leadership, and solution selling.
