Dive Brief:
- While Workday has “traditionally targeted” chief human resources officers and CFOs, the software company is now focusing on the office of the CIO as a growth opportunity, said Aneel Bhusri, co-CEO of Workday, while speaking Tuesday during the company's Q3 2023 earnings call.
- Workday is trying to position itself as a platform that can serve as a trusted source for CIOs, especially as major digital systems combine business and IT decisions through ERP or human capital management systems. This quarter, the company released new low-code and no-code capabilities, upgrades to Workday UX and a skills-based data dashboard as a way to support IT leaders and business executives.
- “We also announced new, more personalized UX enhancements that meet every type of work [customers] use and the natural flow of their work such as mobile devices, Microsoft Teams and Slack, which helps us to address another CIO priority as they are more focused than ever on driving increased employee engagement,” Bhrusri said.
Dive Insight:
Customization was at the forefront of most of the CIO-focused additions to the software company’s capabilities, from personalized solutions to curated experiences.
One of Workday’s new features, a skills-based data dashboard, gives executives better insight into their workforce and the skills they have and need to produce more personalized experiences.
The platform's new low-code and no-code capabilities are aimed at helping CIOs and IT leaders who are grappling with turnover and skills shortages, according to the company’s statement.
Workday’s transition to targeting the office of the CIO builds on industry momentum. There is a broad economic focus on business growth via technology and digital channels, making the CIO an attractive customer.
Despite tech sector layoffs, many business leaders are optimistic about the future. Nearly three-quarters of respondents are seeing signs of recession, yet half plan to activate growth initiatives within the next two years, according to an EY report which surveyed 250 business leaders at U.S. technology companies.
