Michael Maoz[1] is the senior vice president of Innovation Strategy at Salesforce[2]. He's one of the world's foremost CRM[3], Customer Experience (CX), and Customer Engagement Management (CEM) experts. Maoz was one of the creators of the CRM space and a member of the first global CRM software company. He joined Salesforce from Gartner, Inc., where he was a founder of the CRM practice and held positions as research vice president, distinguished analyst, and Gartner fellow.
Maoz regularly writes[4] about business, leadership, and innovation industry tends. Today, Maoz is actively collaborating with CEOs and senior executives of the biggest and fastest-growing companies around the globe, guiding and learning from digital business transformation trailblazers. I asked Maoz to share his thoughts on customer service, digital transformation, and the business landscape in the post-pandemic and the new normal.
Michael, before joining Salesforce, you had a 20-year career at Gartner and, among many other activities, you authored the Magic Quadrant for the Customer Engagement Center ("CEC"). Why is it called the Customer Engagement Center?
Michael Maoz: I really look forward to the Gartner Magic Quadrants. This year's Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center[5] was no exception. Maybe a small exception, as the "CEC MQ" was something I created, so it's a bit like how a parent waits for a call from a son or daughter. It had been called the Customer Service Contact Center Magic Quadrant for many years. I made the change in names because the word 'contact' seemed an inadequate word for what many of us envisioned as the future of great service.
The word 'contact' means 'one surface touching another,' or one entity reaching another. A contact lens sits