Workday CCO Sheri Rhodes and SVP Lionel Liniger discuss resilient customer relationships, driven by a blend of core values, human connection, and technology.
Emma Coppin
Multimedia Content Lead, Thought Leadership and Customer Stories
Workday
Audio also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Why do some organizations thrive in the face of unprecedented change, while others struggle? The answer often comes down to one critical factor: a deep commitment to their customers. As AI continues to reshape the way we work and interact, the imperative to build resilient and lasting customer relationships has never been greater.
“Customer-centric organizations always win,” said Lionel Liniger, SVP of North America sales at Workday.
In a recent episode of the Future of Work podcast, Liniger and Sheri Rhodes, chief customer officer at Workday, discussed the essential elements for building resilient and lasting customer relationships—and laying the foundation for organizations to succeed in the long term.
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“Customer-centric organizations always win.”
In a world full of new technologies and countless choices, the importance of trust remains as strong as ever.
“How do we lean into trust as a core component of our conversation with customers?” Rhodes asked.
Customers need to be able to trust their partners to make critical decisions, she added. That trust is not merely in the technology itself, but in the human connection behind it. Relationships are built on a foundation of integrity and credibility, Rhodes noted, which is what ultimately leads to long-term customer loyalty.
The discussion underscored the importance of a company's core values as a guiding force.
Both Liniger and Rhodes agreed that a strong set of shared principles, such as integrity and a customer-first mindset, is essential to stay grounded while embracing innovation. Rather than chasing every “shiny new toy,” organizations should use their values to responsibly innovate and engage with customers.
They also agreed that customers today are not looking for a perfect, pre-packaged solution.
“They're expecting us to do it together,” Liniger said. “And that’s where the trust that we’ve built with our customers is so important, so we could go down this road together of figuring it out.”
Rhodes added, “Customers don’t necessarily want the perfect answer. They just want to know that we’re on the journey together in terms of learning.”
To navigate this dynamic environment, Rhodes proposed a three-step framework for leaders in the customer arena:
Listen: It’s all about understanding. You must actively listen to your customers’ unique problems and opportunities, and understand the specific context and challenges they face. This goes beyond hearing a customer's request; it’s about deeply understanding their needs and the environment they operate in.
Connect: Once you’ve listened, it’s your job to connect the dots. You can find patterns in what you’ve heard and link people to the best solutions—whether they’re your own, a partner’s, or a combination of different options. This helps leaders show customers “what good looks like” by making the most of collective knowledge.
Adapt: Finally, you need to build a culture of adaptability. This helps your team quickly absorb and handle change, which in turn makes it easier for your customers to adapt as well. As Rhodes said, “The quicker we adapt and change, the faster and easier it’s going to be for our customers as well.”
A central theme of the conversation was co-innovation—the idea of “building the future together with our customers.”
“AI is enabling a culture of experimentation, growth, and innovation.”
This collaborative approach moves beyond a traditional vendor-client dynamic to a true partnership. By creating open platforms for feedback, companies can ensure they are solving real-world problems and creating shared visions, fostering an environment where trust and credibility truly converge.
Rhodes highlighted how AI acts as a crucial enabler in this process, likening it to a “sous chef”. Much like a culinary assistant, can quickly gather all the necessary "ingredients" (information) and assist with the "dish" (tasks) by providing rapid responses. This frees up human employees to focus on more meaningful, value-added conversations and collaborative problem-solving with customers. As Rhodes noted, "AI is enabling a culture of experimentation, growth, and innovation."
In this new paradigm, Liniger and Rhodes agreed that AI allows companies to "pivot faster" and learn from small-scale failures, making innovation more agile and less risky by rapidly processing data and identifying insights. This ability to iterate and adapt quickly is fundamental to successful co-innovation, ensuring that solutions are continuously refined and aligned with evolving customer needs.
Ultimately, the future of resilient customer relationships hinges not on a choice between technology and human connection, but on embracing both. Business leaders should avoid thinking of this as an "either/or" scenario.
As Liniger summarized,the key is to embrace an iterative “‘and,’ not an ‘or’” approach.
“If you do both of those things, amazing things will happen,” he affirmed.
This means seamlessly integrating technological advancements like AI for continuous learning and rapid adaptation, and simultaneously staying grounded in core values and a deeply human-centric approach. By fostering this powerful synergy, companies can cultivate the truly resilient and lasting customer relationships essential for sustained success in today's dynamic world.
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