In early September I attended my 11th Workday Rising, and the growth of the conference I’ve witnessed as a member of our marketing team is nothing short of remarkable. I joined Workday when it was relatively small—I was employee 695. We now have more than 16,900 employees globally, and 60 million people use our products.
Our team puts in a lot of hours at Workday Rising, and I find the occasional (and inevitable) bouts of fatigue are just as soon replaced by inspiring and even exhilarating moments from the event. So rather than sleeping in a bit the day after returning home—as any rational person would do—I found myself up early and still hopped up on adrenaline, with a strong itch to write about my experience. I flipped open my laptop and pounded out a first draft before my second cup of coffee got cold. (A few disclosures: Not every quote is likely to be exact, but very close, and this post represents my own personal views.)
So without further ado, here we go: Three memorable connections with what I’m calling the Customer, the Prospect, and the Workmate.
The Customer
It’s deep into the afternoon one day at Workday Rising, and a little caffeine boost is in order. I stop by a refreshment station where a man is replenishing hot and cold beverages.
“How are you doing today?” I ask.
“Oh, pretty good. How are you enjoying the conference?” he replies.
“It’s fantastic,” I say, tipping 2% milk into my steaming cup of joe. “I love hearing all these great stories from our customers.”
His face lights up. “You know, I’m a Workday customer! I’ll show you.”
He pulls out his mobile phone. “But first let me show you my grandkids.” Two little girls, their apple cheeks framed with glossy black curls, grin back at me. We admire them together for a few moments, his face beaming with pride.
He then holds up his phone with our Workday mobile application. “I have everything right here—I can see my payslip, everything!”
I’m struck with a moment of awareness; an important reminder: A Workday customer isn’t just the finance, human resources, or IT professional hurrying to get to the next session here at Workday Rising, or the executive telling an engaged audience how their company uses Workday.
It’s front-line workers like this person who is replenishing a refreshment area at our conference. He’s one of those 60 million Workday users—someone directly impacted by the Workday experience every day, happy to have his job tasks on his mobile phone, and by the way, a grandfather of two adorable children he loves dearly.
I smile. “Thank you for being a valued Workday customer.”
“Thank you,” he replies.