Businesses need to consider three areas when choosing an enterprise technology platform, for evaluating an ‘integrated’ suite of products.
Users love a platform. From the seamless setup of iOS to Microsoft Office 365, services that “just work” and make it easy for users are wildly popular, and for good reason. Whether it’s a customer trying to buy from a website or a customer experience manager trying to work their CRM system, ease of use is king nowadays. However, with thousands of cloud-based apps in the market and a frenzy of M&A activity by deep-pocketed incumbents or private equity firms, it’s all too common to see an array of services cobbled together through acquisitions, branded with a name, and marketed as a platform — regardless of whether those services actually integrate effectively and provide a positive user experience. This approach is prevalent in the marketing technology space. But users know the difference. In 2020, the number of marketers looking for integrated solutions doubled compared to the previous year, no doubt in part due to the challenges the pandemic brought. As a result, legacy players known for their suites of acquired products have increasingly tried to position their offerings as a ‘platform’ to cater to these market demands. But acquiring products built on entirely different tech stacks, stitching them together in a sales presentation and calling it a platform — when all the user really has is a Frankenstein mishmash that may be powerful, but also surprisingly unwieldy — is not a platform. It’s a patchwork. Marketing leaders shouldn’t accept this. How can they hope to offer a seamless customer experience if they’re having to invest time and money just to make their own tools work smoothly? Here’s some advice on choosing an enterprise technology platform, including what to look out for in a provider when evaluating an ‘integrated’ suite of products. Firstly, it’s important to look under the cover at how the platform is built. Ideally, it’s best to look for a native platform (one that’s been built from the ground-up to fulfil a specific purpose) so you know with confidence that you’re working with just one tech stack.
