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In a recent episode of the Ecosystem Aces podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Alina Everett, VP of GSI & Alliances-EY & Deloitte at Qualtrics. Alina brought a wealth of knowledge and insights into the evolving landscape of global strategic partnerships, particularly within the context of Qualtrics’ rapid growth and innovation.
Alina’s experience spans across some of the biggest names in tech, including Microsoft and IBM, which has given her a unique perspective on how to drive successful partnerships at a global scale. At Qualtrics, Alina has been instrumental in shaping the company’s approach to working with Global Systems Integrators (GSIs) like EY and Deloitte, which are critical to Qualtrics’ strategy in delivering value to its customers.
Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation:
- Building on a Strong Foundation: Alina shared how her previous experience with Microsoft, particularly in managing partnerships with EY, provided a solid foundation for her role at Qualtrics. This background has helped her navigate the complexities of large-scale partnerships and drive successful outcomes.
- The Importance of Co-Innovation: At the heart of Qualtrics’ partnership strategy is co-innovation. Alina emphasized that co-building solutions with GSIs not only drives value for customers but also deepens the partnership, making it more resilient and future-proof.
- Focus on Experience Management (XM): Qualtrics’ core focus is on experience management, which extends beyond customer experience to include employee experience. Alina discussed how GSIs are helping to expand Qualtrics’ reach in this area by building specialized XM practices, particularly within industries like healthcare and financial services.
- Leveraging AI and Sentiment Analysis: One of the most exciting aspects of our discussion was around how Qualtrics is leveraging AI to enhance sentiment analysis. This technology allows companies to understand customer and employee sentiment more deeply by analyzing unstructured data from public forums and other sources, going beyond traditional survey methods.
- The Role of Marketplaces in Partner Strategy: Alina highlighted the growing importance of marketplaces in scaling partnerships. For Qualtrics, packaging joint solutions and offering them through marketplaces has become a key strategy, particularly in making it easier for GSIs to present these solutions to their clients.
Throughout the interview, Alina’s passion for partnership management was evident. She underscored the importance of listening, empathizing, and advocating both for partners and internal teams. By aligning the interests of all stakeholders, Alina has been able to drive significant growth and innovation at Qualtrics.
It was a fantastic conversation, and I’m grateful to Alina for sharing her insights on the Ecosystem Aces podcast. Whether you’re in the tech industry or any field that relies on strategic partnerships, there’s a lot to learn from Alina’s approach to building and managing these critical relationships.
#EcosystemAces #Partnerships #ExperienceManagement #Qualtrics #CoInnovation #GSIPartnerships
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Alina Everett, VP at Qualtrics: Co-Innovation and Ecosystem Strategies
In a recent episode of the Ecosystem Aces podcast hosted by Chip Rodgers, Alina Everett, VP of GSI & Alliances-EY & Deloitte at Qualtrics, shared her insights on the evolving landscape of experience management (XM) and the importance of strategic partnerships. With extensive experience in driving alliances with major consulting firms like EY and Deloitte, Everett discussed how Qualtrics leverages co-innovation to enhance customer and employee experiences.
Building a Robust Services Layer
Everett began by emphasizing the need for a robust services layer around any company aiming to thrive in the XM space. Starting with EY and later adding Deloitte, Qualtrics responded to increasing customer requests for comprehensive XM practices. These partnerships are crucial for modernizing customer interactions, incorporating AI, and customizing experiences to drive retention and reduce churn.
Co-Innovation: A Key to Success
A central theme in Everett’s discussion was co-innovation. Working closely with partners like EY and Deloitte, Qualtrics co-develops joint technology and services offerings. This approach not only enhances the core product but also integrates additional intellectual property from other independent software vendors (ISVs). For instance, collaborations with companies like WorkJam, which specializes in front-line worker technology, exemplify how Qualtrics brings added value to its customers through ecosystem partnerships.
Understanding and Meeting Customer Needs
Everett highlighted the importance of staying attuned to customer needs. By listening to customers and understanding their business use cases, Qualtrics ensures that any new technology or service has a clear market demand and offers mutual benefits. This approach prevents unnecessary investments and focuses on solutions that truly matter to customers.
Internal Advocacy and Partner Evangelism
Building a successful partnership ecosystem requires internal advocacy and evangelism. Everett described the dual role of being an evangelist within Qualtrics and understanding partner perspectives. This involves making a compelling business case to engineering teams to invest in new technologies and listening to partners to comprehend how they can leverage Qualtrics’ solutions effectively.
Differentiated Industry Solutions
GSIs like EY and Deloitte bring differentiated expertise to specific industries such as healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. They provide best practices, subject matter experts, and benchmarks that layer into Qualtrics’ technology. This collaboration results in vertical stacks of industry solutions, like EY Nexis, which support core industries with tailored offerings.
Marketplaces and Transactable Offerings
Everett also discussed the role of marketplaces in the ecosystem strategy. While fully transactable offerings have been more common in the SMB sector, GSIs often prefer packaged, easy-to-digest offerings. These serve as evangelism tools and conversation starters, providing valuable insights into customer interests and enabling private offers that address specific needs.
Advice for Success
Everett concluded with advice for aspiring ecosystem leaders: lead with listening. By putting herself in the shoes of partners and customers, she advocates effectively for their needs. This empathetic approach fosters stronger partnerships and better solutions.
Conclusion
Alina Everett’s insights on the Ecosystem Aces podcast highlight the importance of strategic alliances and co-innovation in the realm of experience management. By building robust service layers, understanding customer needs, and fostering internal and external advocacy, Qualtrics successfully integrates technology and services to drive value. Everett’s approach to partnership exemplifies how listening and collaboration can lead to transformative outcomes in the XM space.
Chip is passionate about building strong communities and ecosystems around enterprises to build excitement for the category, deliver value for customers, and grow the business. Prior to WorkSpan, Chip was with SAP for over 13 years, most recently growing the SAP Community Network to over 2 million engaged customers, partners, and developers. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago and an engineering degree from Northwestern.
