Qualtrics X4 Summit Takeaways: Strategic Leadership, Ethical AI, and Data Empowerment

If you're like me, driven to stay ahead of the curve and up to speed on the latest trends and insights shaping our industry's future, you cannot ignore what happened at the 2024 Qualtrics X4 Experience Management Summit.

Spoiler alert: The Qualtrics team announced an updated business strategy that changes the competitive landscape for many suppliers in the industry; you'll want to know about this one. This year's event was significantly more impactful than last year's. (Here's last year's recap if you're interested.)

But first, let me tell you about it, if you don't already know:

• Qualtrics brought together 10,000 of their product users and prospects, media professionals (like myself), CX industry influencers, analysts (think Forrester and IDC), and others from other walks of life. 3,400+ companies were represented. 
• A clear goal was for the Qualtrics team to share critical product updates and relevant use cases and offer user advice.
• The summit featured high-level speakers from Qualtrics, including CEO Zig Serafin, Presidents Brad Anderson and Gurdeep Pall, and Founder/Executive Chairman Ryan Smith.
• Plus, they booked some fantastic keynote speakers, such as Michelle Obama, Dwayne Wade, Lindsey Vonn, Morgan Housel, Mira Murati, the CEOs of Delta, American Express, and Hilton, and the CMO of Porsche.

Although the event was not inexpensive (to say the least), it must provide them with a high return on investment. Think about it: existing users watch product demonstrations, clients meet one-on-one to learn about previously unutilized features, and new users immerse themselves in an ideal world of possibilities generated by Qualtrics technology.

Let's dive into what I consider a big announcement:

After "inventing" the category of Experience Management, Qualtrics is recommitting one of its three pillars to strategic research. So now, in a product suite sitting alongside XM for Customer Experience (CX)™ and XM for Employee Experience (EX)™, is XM for Strategy & Research™. They are refocusing on their ability to conduct strategic research on consumer behavior, unmet needs, pain points, brand tracking, and market trends. They are also adding qualitative capabilities to their traditional quantitative survey platform. 

With AI power behind all their solutions in this suite, they'll add a research hub (a repository for research conducted outside their ecosystem), moderated user testing and live interviewing with video feedback tools, and access to their pre-screened network of client panels.

More to come on all that because while I was on-site, I had the pleasure of interviewing Qualtrics Chief Product Officer Jill Larson (responsible for the market research suite of products) alongside Karen Goldstein, the Head of Product Science, DesignXM and Brand Experience (BX). I need time to unpack that interview and shape it into something shareable. (Last year I interviewed Michel Feaster, Global Head of Product Marketing and Research CPO. If you're interested in that conversation, here's that link.)

Beyond that, let me dig into the key themes that emerged at this event.

Lead with Experience: Visionary Leadership Drives Organizational Success

One thing became crystal clear after listening to the keynote speakers: strategic leadership is the secret sauce for unlocking the full potential of experience management. In the context of experience management, strategic leadership refers to the ability to set a clear vision, align resources, and drive organizational change to deliver exceptional experiences. The keynote speakers emphasized this concept, highlighting its importance in the industry.

Zig Serafin started by reminding us that technology is just one piece of the puzzle – visionary leaders driving their companies forward with experience-first strategies. Brad Anderson echoed this sentiment with a conviction that you should place customer care at the heart of your organization and then align all efforts to deliver exceptional experiences at every turn.

Anderson also emphasized the strategic value of Qualtrics product suites, which spans their three focus areas this year: Customer Experience (CX), Employee Experience (EX), and Strategy & Research. But across each, leadership messages were coming at us:

• If you're all about CX, learn from Rober Ader, CMO at Porsche: "Be crazy about every customer touchpoint." 

• If you're in EX, learn from Ed Bastian, CEO at Delta: "If we do well with our people, they are going to do well with our customers."

• And, if you're all about Strategy & Research, learn from Brad Anderson and lean into the AI advancements that are accelerating the rate of change at all our companies: "Imagine a brain on your team that can help you solve any business challenge … "
  

The emphasis on AI in the updated business strategy underscores its growing importance in the industry and its potential to revolutionize how we conduct research and manage experiences.

Finally, the last bit of leadership advice that thematically surfaced with several speakers: Take risks without fear. But be smart about them.

Morgan Housel explained, "Risk is what is leftover when you think you've thought of everything." And Lindsey Vonn, who loves taking risks but is very calculated about what she does, shared this beautiful nugget: "If you are prepared, if you think through all the scenarios, and are making the best logical decision, then you have to take that leap." 

(I also have to share that Lindsey goes into her competitions with such self-confidence that she says, "If I crash, I know I've crashed doing my best." How's THAT for an analogy we can all take to heart? COOL, right?)

Innovate Responsibly: Prioritize Transparency and Trust in AI Integration

Speaking of risks … as we journey deeper into AI and innovation, ethical considerations have never been more crucial. 

In a pre-event media briefing, Scott Flynn, Senior Director, Product Management and one of the big brains behind Qualtrics Assist, highlighted the importance of ethical AI integration that prioritizes transparency, trust, and equity. (His takeaway message was that with Qualtrics' ethical principles guiding the way, organizations can ensure that AI-driven solutions enhance, rather than compromise, the human experience.)

Then, bring in Mira Murati, CTO at OpenAI, for a keynote interview moderated by the President of AI Strategy at Qualtrics, Gurdeep Pall … well, it became clear that our future with AI is dependent upon responsible innovation that builds trust and mitigates potential risks along the way.

Like many of you, I may be an early adopter of generative AI tools, but I also worry about those risks. I took solace in her words: "It's never going to be the case that we bring the misuse or the risks down to zero. But we should do everything we can to minimize the misuse. So, we have a team that's entirely focused on this and works with our partners across industry, government, and society to understand their capabilities and mitigate their downsides. And we also have a team that's focused on the long-range risks or catastrophic risks."

However, AI's human assistance can help us solve critical global and societal challenges. As Murati said, and I shared in a LinkedIn post, it resonated deeply: "There is so much opportunity and things that we have not figured out how to do on our own. We haven't figured out how to deal with climate change. We haven't, you know, provided free and high-quality education and healthcare to most people in the world. And this technology really has the potential to help us figure out those things."

Empower with Insights: Enrich Data for Tangible Outcomes and Continuous Improvement

At this year's X4 summit, there was a clear focus on actionability. It's what we do with our data that matters most. It may be a simple concept that Chris Nassetta, CEO at Hilton Worldwide, shared with the audience, but we need to ask, then listen, before we act.

At the helm of Qualtrics EmployeeXM Growth Strategy, Elizabeth Kampf emphasized the power of actionable insights derived from rich data sources. Surveys alone don't cut it; it's about enriching data with behavioral insights to drive tangible business outcomes and enhance experiences.

As I mentioned, I'll summarize my interviews shortly and share takeaways with our audience. But for now, strategic leadership, ethical AI, and data empowerment are key themes that should be shaping our work. 

Cheers to the journey ahead!