Insights

Highlights from Our First Customer Day in São Paulo, Brazil 

Author: Eduardo Mecking

Photo credit: Jim Lee, Vice President for Americas Global Partner Solutions & Sales permits the use of the above image from his presentation.

In March of 2024, we participated in the Microsoft AI Tour held at São Paulo. Just a month later, in April 2024, we partnered with Microsoft to host our first Customer Day at the Microsoft Technology Center in São Paulo. These past two months have been a whirlwind of activity, a demonstration of our close alignment with Microsoft, and a testament to our commitment to driving innovation for our customers. 

Building Strong AI Partnerships

Our first Customer Day was filled with engaging presentations and discussions led by Microsoft senior leaders, including Tania Cosentino, General Manager in Brazil, Jim Lee, Vice President for Americas Global Partner Solutions & Sales; and Chris Faig, Vice President in Solutions & Technology.   

Ray Keane, Beyondsoft’s Managing Director for the Americas, emphasized the importance of working with a strong partner to co-create AI solutions using Azure Open AI and shared how our customers rely on our global delivery network across 15 countries to rapidly bring their AI vision to reality. The sessions covered important aspects of using AI to automate routine and repetitive tasks, to enable employees to focus on more complex, strategic initiatives.  

AI Innovation and Governance 

A major highlight was a keynote address by Professor Leandro Guissoni, who shared his knowledge on the transformative impact of AI on the global economy. Professor Guissoni stressed the importance of ‘decoupling’ each stage of the operations workflow to precisely pinpoint how each stage can be solved digitally. His approach demonstrated that by breaking complex processes into their component parts, AI can solve most challenges and unlock new opportunities to think differently. He stressed the importance of close collaboration between businesses and academia to ensure that AI is developed and used responsibly and ethically. 

Professor Guissoni’s insights reminded me of the technological changes we have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic era, for example, the surge in Microsoft Teams’ usage for remote work and the increased reliance on online shopping for essential goods. AI continues to play a pivotal role in this transformation, and businesses use massive data to fine-tune their algorithms, gaining deeper insights into customer behavior and offering predictive recommendations for future actions.  

Customer dissatisfaction is a powerful propellant for technology innovation. It is an opportunity to rethink, reframe, and apply technology to ensure issues are addressed and a positive customer experience is delivered.

— Eduardo Mecking, Brazil Country Manager, Beyondsoft   

Customer Readiness

I sat down with Beyondsoft customer, Luis Coimbra from Cogna, one of the leading education groups in Brazil to understand his perspective on the importance of AI. We’ve worked in partnership with Luis and his team on an impactful, Azure based FinOps initiative to help them reach their budget goals.  

Luis continues to explore scenarios to leverage AI, particularly in identifying and predicting customer needs. He echoed Professor Guissoni’s sentiments that by analyzing customer behavior patterns and preferences, AI can anticipate potential issues, proactively offer solutions, and reduce the likelihood of customer churn. He appreciated our team for constantly upskilling AI knowledge so that we’re equipped to support his team on their AI journey.  

I don’t think of Beyondsoft as a vendor. I think of Beyondsoft as a strategic partner or an ally who can work with me to conquer the challenges, realize my IT vision, and solve business problems. I like the fact that they are evolving their skills to meet market demands.

–Luis Coimbra, Education Tech Trusted Advisor at Cogna. 

Supercharging Networking and Collaboration 

The event provided a platform for our customers to connect with a diverse group of business leaders and technology experts to engage in insightful conversations, exchange ideas, and share their experiences and challenges in implementing AI solutions. The open and collaborative atmosphere fostered cross-industry learning and the exploration of innovative solutions to real-world problems. 

The feedback we received from our customers was overwhelmingly positive and it underscores our commitment to AI as the driver of future business growth. We invite you to join us on this exciting journey as we build an AI-driven world that inspires, empowers, and transforms. 

Interested in learning more about how our AI expertise can empower you or your business? Contact us today and let us help you navigate the future, together.