Automotive News Canada - May 2023 - 17

With connected vehicles, OEMs now have the
opportunity to engage with their customer on a
daily basis, and the only way to engage and delight
customers at scale is with automation. It's clear
how this can help increase the customer lifetime
value, but what about the vehicle's lifetime value?
OEMs and dealers don't know and can't interact
with the second or third owner of a vehicle or other
drivers within the same household. With connected
vehicles, they now have the opportunity to
create relationships via the connection to the vehicle's
telematics and improve the customer experience.
Think about all the added complexity to the
industry with the increasing number of first owners
and now subsequent owners.
Q: How do connected cars change a consumer's
ability to customize a vehicle, and how will
the consumer's experience with owning and
operating a vehicle change as connected cars
become the norm?
"
By bringing together
car and driver data,
automakers will be
able to orchestrate
consumer experiences
across marketing,
sales, commerce and
service - at scale -
and push them
right into a car's
Jajoo: Connected cars will supercharge vehicle customization,
not just during the buying process but
throughout the entire lifetime of the vehicle.
For one, cars will no longer be limited to the features and upgrades selected at a
dealership. Cars and trucks will be dynamic, instantly upgradable machines thanks
to the software, connectivity and volumes of telemetry data that a car generates.
In real time, the data coming from the car can help shape the features and change
the way you're experiencing the car itself. Your car will become as personalized
and integrated into your daily life as your iPhone is today.
Let's say you've started out on a road trip, but you don't have a trip optimization
service installed on your vehicle. To help, your automaker can see this and immediately
send a notification through your car's infotainment system to install the
service - which can point you to the best rest stops, find the best places for you
to recharge or refuel at the lowest cost, and other features that will make your
trip easier and more enjoyable. You'll even be able to do things like upgrade your
vehicle's horsepower on demand.
Q: Connected cars generate a tremendous amount of owner-specific data.
Does this data need to be protected, and is there an impending struggle
over who can use this data and for what purposes? And who ultimately
owns the data?
Jajoo: Connected cars will be computers on wheels, generating an estimated
100 petabytes of data per month, per vehicle; and it is imperative that automotive
companies make sure they are taking a values-led approach to their
customer data.
While customer data is an essential part of delivering personalized experiences,
consumers need to trust that if they hand their data over, it will be safe, used
legitimately and benefit them as well. This is exactly why at Salesforce we always
ensure we manage first-party data in a trusted way, with privacy, security and
compliance built right into our products.
Macleod: To take a step back, in the past, automakers would buy data from
external agencies to try to better understand their customers. But today, they
have a wealth of data being generated that they can harness to deliver better
customer experiences at every interaction. This data isn't just coming from connected
cars but from things like website interaction as well. With Automotive
Cloud, automakers can capture and harness all of this data not just to drive
better decision-making but to deliver personalized experiences for their customers
in the car, at the dealership, at the service center and online.
Q: In terms of importance, how will connected-car capabilities and experiences
compare to a consumer's traditional motivating purchase criteria, such
as style, performance, safety, aspiration and utility?
Macleod: With a true connected car, things like vehicle performance, utility
and safety will still be important, but they will come to be defined by
software. You'll even be able to do things like boost your car's horsepower
with an over-the-air update or make your EV growl like a muscle car with a
sound-effect add-on.
infotainment system.
- Achyut Jajoo, Salesforce
"
We will see connected-car features become more and
more important for consumers and emerge as the key
differentiators for automakers looking to stand out in
an increasingly competitive industry where electric
vehicles are standardizing performance.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
RORY MACLEOD
Area Vice-President, Sales, Manufacturing,
Automotive and Energy
Salesforce Canada
Macleod has over 25 years of experience leading digital
transformation initiatives with C-suite stakeholders
and currently leads Salesforce's national industry organization
in Canada focused on manufacturing, auto,
energy and utilities.
ACHYUT JAJOO
Senior Vice-President and General Manager,
Manufacturing and Automotive
Salesforce Canada
Jajoo has more than 20 years of software industry
experience related to manufacturing -discrete, process,
automotive and energy - with a focus on bringing
to market innovative products and solutions with global
impact. He offers a track record of general management,
product development, product marketing and collaboration to
produce excellent products and achieve customer satisfaction
while meeting and exceeding P&L goals.
Automotive News Canada - May 2023

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