Latest / Match B2B Insights / Engaging the World

Transcript

Engaging the World · Match B2B Insights

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  Welcome to Match B2B Insights, the podcast designed to bring fresh perspectives and actionable
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  strategies to businesses navigating the complexities of B2B market.
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  I am Benny Fluman, the CEO of Match B2B.
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  Today, we're diving into a fascinating shift in the B2B landscape, the transformation of
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  customer engagement.
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  Business buyers are increasingly expecting seamless, personalized experiences akin to
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  those in the B2C world.
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  This evolving expectation is pushing companies to innovate and create more meaningful interactions.
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  In this episode, we'll explore how leading companies like Monday.com and Wix are meeting
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  these demands through customer co-creation and community building strategies.
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  We'll also delve into the critical roles of mobile and omnichannel experiences, the
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  strategic use of AI and chatbots, and the importance of data protection.
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  Our discussion will highlight how building customer communities can drive advocacy and
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  loyalty.
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  At Match B2B, we believe great marketing starts with great insight, from smart data to loyal
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  clients.
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  With that philosophy in mind, our aim today is to deliver expert, data-driven insights
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  that you can apply in your own business strategies.
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  Now let's dive in as our experienced interviewer Brenda engages with me in a compelling discussion,
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  bringing you practical insights for the future of B2B engagement.
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  Alright everybody, welcome to another deep dive on Match B2B insights.
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  I'm Brenda, and I'm here with our resident B2B expert, Benny Flumen.
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  Today we're diving into something that's completely reshaping how businesses connect
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  with their customers worldwide.
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  Benny, what's got you excited about B2B customer engagement these days?
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  Thanks Brenda.
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  You know what's fascinating?
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  The line between B2B and B2C expectations has basically disappeared.
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  Business buyers today demand the same seamless, personalized experiences they get as consumers.
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  We're talking about a complete mindset shift here.
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  That's interesting, because I feel like for the longest time, B2B was this stuffy, formal
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  world of lengthy sales cycles and boring presentations.
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  You're saying that's changing?
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  Absolutely changing.
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  A recent McKinsey survey found that B2B customers are increasingly consumer-like in their purchasing
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  behavior.
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  And here's the kicker.
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  They'll readily walk away from suppliers that don't meet their experience standards.
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  It's not just about the product anymore, it's about the entire journey.
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  Okay, so if businesses need to step up their game, where are we seeing the most innovation?
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  Any particular regions or companies leading the charge?
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  Great question!
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  Israel's tech scene has been absolutely crushing it in this space.
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  Take Monday.com for example.
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  They've built this work management platform that's now used by over 225,000 customers
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  across 200 plus industries and countries.
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  But here's what makes them special.
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  They've created this community where customers actually help co-create the product experience.
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  Co-create?
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  That sounds like they're basically turning their customers into partners.
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  Exactly!
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  Monday.com actively solicits customer input on features and offers this incredibly flexible,
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  customizable platform.
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  Each client feels like the solution is tailored specifically for them.
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  The result?
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  A 112% net dollar retention rate.
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  Which means the average customer actually expands their relationship in spending over
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  time.
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  That's impressive.
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  Are we seeing this partnership approach elsewhere?
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  Oh, absolutely.
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  Look at Wix.
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  They've got over 280 million registered users in 190 countries.
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  They created this whole ecosystem with developer marketplaces and online communities where
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  users share tips and help each other.
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  It's brilliant because it reduces their support load while building loyalty at the same time.
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  So it's like they're creating these self-sustaining communities.
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  But let's talk about something practical.
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  With everyone glued to their phones these days, how important is mobile in B2B engagement?
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  Mobile is absolutely critical now.
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  Here's a stat that'll blow your mind.
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  By 2021, around 40% of total B2B sales were happening exclusively through mobile apps.
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  If your B2B experience isn't mobile friendly, you're missing a huge portion of customer
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  engagement.
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  40%?
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  That seems high for B2B transactions.
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  I know it sounds surprising, but think about it.
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  Business buyers are people too.
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  They're checking emails, reviewing proposals, and making decisions on their phones just
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  like they do everything else.
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  Wix's mobile app sees about 44,000 downloads per day because busy entrepreneurs want to
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  manage their websites from anywhere.
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  That makes perfect sense.
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  Now I keep hearing about Omnichannel experiences.
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  Is that just a buzzword or is there something real there?
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  Oh, it's very real and absolutely essential.
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  Get this.
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  B2B customers now use an average of 10 different channels to interact with suppliers during
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  their buying process.
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  And 42% of decision makers use 11 or more distinct touch points along their journey.
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  10 channels?
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  What does that even look like in practice?
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  Think about it.
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  They might start with online research, attend a webinar, download a white paper, chat with
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  support, have email exchanges, join a demo call, maybe even visit your office.
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  The key is that over half of B2B buyers say they're likely to switch suppliers if they
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  can't get a smooth, integrated experience across all these channels.
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  So consistency is everything.
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  If I start a conversation on chat and then call your sales team, they better know what
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  we already discussed.
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  Exactly.
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  That's where companies like NiceLilteadeat come in.
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  They've built platforms that manage millions of customer interactions daily.
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  Voice, digital, AI chatbots, all on one unified system.
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  When a customer contacts you through any channel, the full context travels with them.
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  Speaking of context, let's talk about personalization.
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  With customers all over the world, how do you tailor experiences without it becoming
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  overwhelming?
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  This is where it gets really interesting.
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  72% of B2B customers expect a mostly or fully personalized experience.
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  But here's the thing.
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  Personalization in B2B goes way deeper than just inserting someone's name in an email.
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  Lay it on me.
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  What does real B2B personalization look like?
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  It's happening on two levels.
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  First, cultural personalization, language support, regional content, local business etiquette.
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  Many Israeli SaaS companies ensure their interfaces are translated into multiple languages and
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  adjust their marketing to different regions.
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  And the second level?
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  Business case personalization.
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  This means tailoring the value proposition to each client's specific industry and needs.
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  Monday.com is a perfect example again.
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  A construction company might use it for field projects while a marketing agency tracks campaigns
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  with it.
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  Same platform, completely different configurations.
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  That's smart.
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  But all this data collection and personalization, how do companies maintain trust?
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  I imagine security is a huge concern in B2B.
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  You've hit on something crucial.
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  94% of organizations believe their customers would refuse to buy from them if they didn't
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  adequately protect customer data.
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  In B2B, due diligence on security and privacy is now standard.
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  83% of software buyers require security assessments before implementing new solutions.
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  So data protection isn't just IT hygiene anymore.
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  It's a make or break factor for customer relationships.
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  Absolutely.
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  Israeli companies with their strong cybersecurity background often turn data protection into
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  a selling point.
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  They'll have dedicated trust centers online detailing their encryption practices and
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  compliance certifications.
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  It becomes part of their value proposition.
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  Now I want to shift gears and talk about something that's been exploding lately.
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  AI and chatbots and customer service.
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  Are businesses actually using these effectively?
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  Or is it still mostly hype?
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  The numbers are pretty compelling.
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  By 2024, about 60% of B2B companies were already using chatbot software.
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  The global chatbot market jumped from $2.5 billion in 2021 to over $19 billion in 2025.
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  Wow, that's massive growth.
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  But are customers actually happy with chatbots?
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  Or do they just tolerate them?
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  When done right, customers love them.
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  88% of people had at least one conversation with a chatbot in the past year.
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  In B2B, busy professionals appreciate instant responses.
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  An IT manager troubleshooting at midnight can get immediate help instead of waiting hours
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  for human support.
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  I can see the appeal.
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  What makes a good B2B chatbot versus a frustrating one?
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  The key is that hybrid approach.
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  AI handles what it's best at, then seamlessly hands off to humans for complex issues.
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  The best implementations create a support ticket with conversation context so when a
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  human agent steps in, they're already up to speed.
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  Makes sense.
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  Now, before we wrap up, I want to talk about something that match B2B sees a lot in our
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  consulting work.
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  The power of customer communities.
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  How important is building advocacy?
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  Community building has become absolutely strategic.
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  Here's a stat that shows why 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a
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  trusted review or recommendation.
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  When you nurture a community of advocates, you essentially have a volunteer sales force
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  operating through genuine enthusiasm.
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  And I imagine peer recommendations carry way more weight than sales pitches.
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  Exactly right.
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  Only 53% to 57% of B2B buyers rely on peer recommendations when making purchasing decisions.
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  And get this, only 4% of buyers trust information from a vendor's sales rep while 60% feel
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  more confident after consulting peers or reading reviews.
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  That's a dramatic shift in trust.
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  So how do companies build these communities effectively?
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  The best approaches involve hosting user groups, organizing customer summits, and creating
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  formal advocacy programs.
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  Companies identify their power users and give them platforms to share their success stories.
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  It creates this virtuous cycle.
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  The more you engage your advocates, the more authentic marketing they generate.
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  Which brings in new customers who could become the next advocates.
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  I love that cycle.
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  So Benny, as we look toward the future, what trends should B2B companies be preparing for?
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  AI integration is going to get much deeper.
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  We're talking about AI that acts like a co-pilot throughout the entire customer life cycle,
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  predicting needs before they even manifest.
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  Hyper personalization will become the norm, with content tailored down to individual account
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  personas.
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  What about the human element?
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  Will all this technology make relationships less important?
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  Actually, I think it'll make authentic relationships more important than ever.
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  Purpose-driven engagement and trust will move to the forefront.
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  Customers will increasingly prefer partners whose values align with theirs.
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  It's not just about efficiency anymore.
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  It's about meaningful partnerships.
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  That resonates with what we see at Match B2B too.
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  Companies that focus purely on features and forget the human connection struggle to build
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  lasting relationships.
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  Exactly.
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  And here's something interesting.
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  The convergence of B2B and B2C experiences will continue.
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  We're already seeing B2B companies using gamification, influencer marketing, and experiential events.
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  At the end of the day, B2B customers are humans driven by emotion and psychology as much as
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  logic.
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  The key takeaway is that successful B2B engagement in today's global market requires understanding
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  that your business customers are still people with human needs and expectations.
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  Perfectly said, Brenda.
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  Whether it's through mobile-first design, omnichannel consistency, thoughtful personalization, or
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  building genuine communities, the companies winning today are those that remember the
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  human behind every business decision.
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  This has been such an insightful conversation, Benny.
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  For our listeners who want to dive deeper into these strategies, remember that Match
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  B2B specializes in helping companies implement exactly these kinds of customer engagement
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  transformations.
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  And the beautiful thing about these strategies is that they're scalable.
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  Whether you're a startup or an established enterprise, focusing on genuine customer relationships
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  and seamless experiences will set you apart in any market.
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  So maybe you can apply some of these insights in your own customer engagement strategy.
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  Just by examining your current touch points, are they truly integrated?
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  Are you building community among your customers?
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  Are you protecting their trust while personalizing their experience?
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  Those are great questions to ask.
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  The companies that answer them honestly and act on the insights will be the ones engaging
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  successfully with customers around the world.
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  Thanks for tuning in to Match B2B Insights, everyone.
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  We love diving deep into the strategies that are reshaping B2B relationships.
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  Until next time, keep engaging, keep innovating, and keep putting your customers at the center
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  of everything you do.
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  And that brings us to the end of today's podcast.
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  We explored the evolving landscape of B2B customer engagement, emphasizing the need
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  for seamless personalized experiences and the strategic use of AI.
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  Companies like Monday.com and Wix are setting the pace with innovative approaches in customer
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  co-creation and community building.
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  Thank you for joining me on Match B2B Insights.
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  Until next time, this is Benny Fluman, reminding you that in the world of sales, the mind
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  matters just as much as the market.
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  Good luck and happy selling.