The CAB Conference was back in person last week in Boston, co-located with CustomerXCon. We had an incredible day with close to 50 CAB practitioners and leaders focused on CABs and elevating B2B customer relationships. Attendees had the opportunity to connect, share CAB strategies, and learn from CAB leaders.
Here is a recap of what each of the speakers shared, all about building effective CABs that drive innovation and customer value.
Lessons Learned in Evolving the UPS CAB Program
Strategy Managers at UPS, Hannah Lagod and Lila Best’s session on evolving the UPS CAB program highlighted the strategic focus on strengthening customer relationships through a strong Voice of the Customer (VOC) process, and improving their customer experience and quality of feedback gathered. Their CAB guides UPS’ product development (new products and enhancements), ensuring offerings align with customer needs. With a focus on digital solutions, UPS has evolved and created CABs to better serve their SMB and enterprise customers and have plans to launch a new PAB for channel partners.
Lessons learned emphasized creating a structured onboarding process and selecting and revisiting the ideal CAB member profile. Finding the right board size to foster productive feedback was a process, they landed on 10-14 CAB members. They also noted that grouping companies of similar sizes enhances relevance, output and peer learning. On meeting structure, having in-person meetings are a must, in addition to virtual meetings throughout the year. The in-person meetings boost engagement and collaboration and improve the board experience.
Creating Meaningful, Customer-Centric Experiences the Atlassian Way
Amy Berusch shared about Atlassian’s evolution toward a multi-tiered CAB model. Their Executive CAB has CIO-level members that meet in person twice yearly. Their Enterprise CAB features decision-makers who connect through four virtual meetings and one in-person meeting per region, annually.
Amy talked about what makes the Atlassian CAB program unique. Direct founder involvement is key for relationship building and driving actions and accountability. All their in-person meetings are effectively run as hybrid meetings — which is very challenging to do! And they use their tools within the CAB (like Confluence Whiteboards and Loom). CAB members interact and share feedback while using their products. Social networking activities and “intentional togetherness” enable deeper connections. In one activity, the CAB created Children’s Hospital Kits. Atlassian shows their appreciation to CAB members when they “graduate” from the CAB with a custom bobblehead gift – how fun! Atlassian has set a standard for engaging, impactful CABs that drive both company direction and customer value.
Building an Impactful Customer Advisory Board through Strategic Member Selection, by PayPal
Dr. Tiffany Raymond, Head of Global Customer Advocacy at PayPal highlighted the critical role of CAB members in the success of a CAB program. PayPal views their CAB members (a select group of top merchant executives) as more than just advisors. The CAB co-creates products and provides strategic guidance and future direction for the company. And the CAB members act as strong brand advocates.
The PayPal CAB program consists of regional and global boards. They use a horizontal board structure (diverse industries) with CAB members of the same seniority level. CAB members serve 18-24 month commitments. Elevating CAB members around the “3 Ps” (professional growth, purpose, and prestige) will in turn help elevate your own company. And creating an environment of surprise and delight for CAB members will turn CAB members into brand ambassadors. Measuring CAB success is important. PayPal measures attendance, acts of advocacy, impact on retention and revenue, and business value. Dr. Raymond said a CAB is more than a “nice to have” as it delivers lasting partnerships, open dialogue, product innovations and more.
Key Success Factors in Launching a CAB, by Stratasys
Jeff Hemenway, SVP Global Industrial Sales at Stratasys 3D Printing, spoke about the key success factors in launching a CAB. Start with clearly defining the purpose of a CAB and ensuring your organization is ready to act on feedback. If your company isn’t committed to listening and acting on feedback, don’t launch the CAB. You must also understand the planning and execution required and figure out what success looks like for your company.
Stratasys’s strategic CAB is focused on developing executive relationships, aligning on requirements for their products, creating a customer-prioritized roadmap, and accelerating customer value. Their CAB meets annually in-person and three times virtually, along with monthly sub-committee meetings. The sub-committees focus on three core initiatives and extend the reach of the CAB. The CAB member’s direct reports join the sub-committees.
Jeff highlighted five key elements for CAB success:
1/ a clear mission (the why),
2/ defined requirements (and benefits) for the company and CAB members,
3/ carefully chosen CAB members and committed company participants,
4/ first-class logistics and event execution, and
5/ a process and commitment to execute on actionable outcomes.
Highly Engaging Customer Advisory Board Meeting Agenda Sessions
CAB meetings can easily become bogged down in boring presentations and product pitches but it doesn’t have to be this way. Eyal Danon, President, Ignite Advisory Group said the most engaging CAB sessions are customer-driven and interactive. They use a variety of facilitation techniques that go beyond simple PowerPoint slides. The “80/20 Rule” is critical to success – your customers (or partners) should be talking 80% of the time at CAB meetings.
Engaging agenda formats like Shark Tank, Mission Impossible, and Design Thinking Breakouts, and Strategy Simulation Roleplay set the stage for impactful CAB meetings. And true CAB success hinges on extensive preparation. You must carefully design the meeting structure and discussion questions in advance (where do you need advice?) to ensure a customer-led approach where CAB members actively contribute.
The Power of Customer Advisory Boards
Well managed CABs drive business value and foster strong customer relationships. The CAB Conference provided attendees with insights into various CAB topics and ideas to elevate their CAB programs. Connect with other CAB practitioners at the CABorg LinkedIn group. We’re looking forward to future CAB Conferences.
Ignite Advisory Group is the leading global authority on Customer Advisory Boards and Customer-Led Boards. Ignite’s proven methodology for managing and evolving Customer Advisory Boards includes a 4-stage process, encompassing 48 deliverables and measured by 20 metrics to deliver a clear ROI. To learn more about Ignite, visit our website, read our blogs, and follow us on LinkedIn. To find out how your company can benefit from Ignite’s CAB methodology and process, contact us today.