In Conversation: 6 Minutes with Sachin Shah

Adopting agile methodologies and embracing innovation is key for growth — not only for ambitious organisations in the tech sector, but well beyond our space too. With a team of skilled, highly-experienced engineers underpinning every project, we’re proud to play such a crucial role behind-the-scenes.

But it’s not just Adroit Cloud Consulting’s own professionals who inspire us. We’re endlessly fuelled by a whole host of other forward-thinking companies and individuals too! Keen to highlight the breadth and depth of talent that surrounds us, we’re excited to be spotlighting these one-by-one, in our new series.

Up first, it’s Sachin Shah, senior director of technology at NPSx, by Bain and Company. Over to you, Sachin…

Tell us a little bit more about NPSx, and the part you play in driving progress in the tech sector:

NPSx is very much a digital venture, rather than a standalone product. That’s because we’re constantly augmenting our service offerings. Building an accessible platform for growth-hungry professionals who are keen to embed customer-centricity, our mission is to empower leaders to improve customer love and loyalty, and drive accelerated growth.

Across all of our Bain & Company-backed products, the objective is to reach individuals as well as the enterprises, and help them prove their maturity — empowered by training programmes, community support, accreditations, and valuable insight via Kinetics AI.

If you had to sum up your expertise in three words or phrases, what would they be?

‘Architecture built for the future’, ‘making things happen’, and ‘strategic focus with actions for an immediate progress’.

What has been the biggest milestone moment for your organisation so far?

There’s quite a few! Seeing NPSx launch to market and then gain traction in its second year has been a major milestone, as well as launching a further three products in such a short period of time. Not only this, but continually augmenting each one too — listening to customers’ needs, and pivoting product and technical direction and priority to suit the market requirements.

For CX training and certification, having an individual course model where customers are able to purchase based on their bespoke CX requirements has been a truly rewarding experience, leading to the subscription-based model we operate today. This not only offers a lower entry point and greater level of accessibility, but has been essential in driving such a focused and empowered community too.

And what exciting opportunities are on the horizon for NPSx?

We’re always looking for new ways to augment our proposition and deliver greater value for our customers. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that we have an ambitious roadmap set out for 2023 and beyond. We can’t tease too much, but there’s an enhanced focus on cybersecurity, and plenty of partnerships in the pipeline too.

More recently, we are applying generative AI to our products, and are offering a free consultation for CX leaders to show how they can leverage generative AI for their customer experience practice!

What’s the most common mistake organisations make when it comes to the customer experience?

Not utilising data enough. There are so many untapped insights available at our fingertips, and these are key to understanding the customer journey — so why are so many people failing to feed them into their own CX roadmaps?

Organisations are often extremely keen to gather their net promoter score (NPS) and use it in their marketing arsenal — particularly if it’s in the top percentile. But when it comes to drilling down into the details to help drive that figure higher, progress is severely lacking. That’s where platforms like NPSx Accreditation, Roadmap and Kinetics AI come in.

And how has this landscape evolved over the past few years?

It’s no secret that AI is the direction of travel, which is what our Kinetics AI platform majors on. Utilising strategic analytics and machine learning technology built on NPSx’s deep expertise on customer experience, it enables CX and business leaders to understand the value of customer initiatives, evaluate the maturity of their own organisation, and drive greater opportunities across the board. There are equally innovative, yet different, applications of AI across the tech space, but we’re proud to be making waves in our own way.

Finish the sentence. The most overlooked challenge in the tech sector right now is:

Diverse resourcing and workforces. The way tech is going, there are always going to be persistent challenges to tackle, but navigating such an always-on climate will largely centre around building inclusive cultures that foster engagement and collaboration.

Which organisation has been inspiring you the most recently, and why?

There are so many trailblazers right now, so it’s difficult to pinpoint just one!

You’ve been working with Adroit since 2022. Why is collaboration with the likes of Adroit so important for organisations like yours?

For a tech startup, particularly in the earliest days, it’s important to balance a naturally smaller budget with a level of speed and flexibility to move with market demands — rather than having a focus ‘locked in’. As well as supporting from a cost and skills perspective, it is therefore essential that external supports — such as contractors — have an equally malleable capacity too.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are growing in importance for many workplaces across the globe. But at both Adroit and Bain, it has long been part of the corporate fabric. Can you tell us a little bit about your organisation’s approach to the topic, and why progress is so critical to the business?

Manny Maceda, Bain & Company’s CEO, is very much a champion of diversity — with these values trickling down to digital ventures like NPSx and its employees, and helping our firms, our clients, and our people achieve extraordinary, enduring results.

While some consider diversity, equity, and inclusion a smaller piece of the human resources puzzle, the scope is far broader — with successful programmes embedded in everyday behaviours, processes, and business practices. Our leadership team is not diverse by chance, but through hyper-awareness and action to help improve the workplace environment — increasing retention rates, reducing employee turnover, and boosting customer satisfaction.

It’s a complex topic, but we’re always adding to the narrative. You can read more about our thoughts, here.

Finally, what’s the biggest learning you’ve picked up throughout your career to-date?

Having the right team is the most important element of driving a successful product, service, and workplace culture. Looking after that team isn’t always easy, but it certainly pays dividends.

If you want to learn more about NPSx, head over to the company’s website. And don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, if you’re keen to see who’s next in the hotseat.