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Global Survey: B2B is the New B2C
The Consumerization of Enterprise Sales
November 2013

Work Redesigned:
Seizing New Opportunities in a
Changing Workplace
FLEXIBLE
PROCESSES
COLLABORATIVE
AND MOBILE

ENGAGING
EXPERIENCES
CUSTOMER
CENTRIC

1
Research & Insights

The study of 1,000 C-level executives,
business unit leaders and IT decisionmakers shows that widespread
availability of mobile and social
technologies is complicating
relationships between businesses and
their customers. As buyers are growing
more demanding, sellers must be more
flexible. Notably, Avanade found that
businesses embracing this complexity
report longer-term and more lucrative
relationships with customers.

2

Click to tweet

(business-to-business) buyers and sellers is expanding far beyond
the reach of a company’s salesforce. Similar to how consumers
purchase a car today, 61 percent of B2B buyers report third-party
sites and feedback from business partners, industry peers or
social channels as more important than conversations with a
company’s sales teams when making a purchasing decision
for their company. B2B is next in line in the consumerization
movement.

•	Technology is seen as the cause and the cure. A
Click to tweet

Not yet – even though the same
resources are available to every
consumer browsing Amazon.com.
Avanade’s latest global research
results show the “consumerization”
movement is changing how
businesses buy and sell goods.
Enterprise buyers are beginning to
mimic consumer shopping behaviors
and the value of the customer
experience is now more important
than cost in the buying process.

TWEET THIS!

•	Enterprise buyers are mimicking consumer
shopping behaviors. The relationship between B2B

sizable portion of companies are responding to technology-driven
changes in their sales process by modifying organizational roles
and making technology investments. Nearly half (45 percent)
of respondents say that IT plays a greater role in the overall
customer experience than it has in the past. Further, 40 percent
say IT contributes significantly to the strategic direction of a
company.

•	Companies can monetize customer experiences.
Click to tweet

Imagine a company is embarking on
a significant upgrade of its assembly
line equipment. Can it shop for the
equipment in an online marketplace
of third-party sellers ranked by quality
and price? Can it buy new options
directly from a company’s sales staff
or turn to real-time auctions for
refurbished ones? Is there a network
of peer customers available to review
and help configure parts – and increase
cross-selling in the process? Are there
video reviews of the equipment, links
to expert advice on social media,
and one-click access to a host of
installation and maintenance services?

The value of the customer experience surpasses cost as the top
factor in a B2B purchasing decision. Customers report they are
willing to pay up to 30 percent more for a superior experience. In
fact, more than half (56 percent) of those surveyed report paying
more for a product in the last six months because the customer
experience was better than other less expensive options.

•	Those businesses that embrace these changes are
outperforming peers. Sixty percent of companies that have
Click to tweet

Executive Summary

Key findings of
Avanade’s large-scale
research indicate the
following trends:

built new business processes and technologies to accommodate
shifts in customer interactions report increased revenue – while
60 percent also report a larger customer base and 61 percent
report a growth in customer loyalty.
Additional data, analysis and commentary from peers in the
industry are included in the following pages.
More than 50% of
buyers consult thirdparty sources before
consulting a company’s
salesforce. These
sources include thirdparty sites, feedback
from a business
partner, social channels
and conversations with
peers who already have
experience with the
product or service.

The consumerization
movement comes to
business buyers

The B2B buying process is not only
growing more complicated – it’s
following patterns first seen in
consumer shopping. Social networks
and mobile technologies are invading
the workplace and contributing
to a decentralized sales process.
Information about a company and
its products or services is available
everywhere – whether the product
is manufacturing equipment sold to
businesses or a refrigerator sold to
consumers. B2B buyers are shopping
at work like they do at home. They
are proactively informing themselves
about enterprise products and services
in wide-ranging marketplaces of peer
customers, industry experts and, of
course, salespeople.
More than half (61 percent) of buyers
consult third-party sources before
consulting a company’s salesforce.
These sources include third-party sites,
feedback from a business partner,
social channels and conversations with
peers who already have experience
with the product or service. These
sources beyond the reach of a
company’s salesforce are a factor for
89 percent of buyers when making B2B
buying decisions.
Not only are B2B customers seeking
information about products from a
wider variety of sources, they are also
communicating about their business
purchase decisions publicly. A bad
customer experience has long-term
and far reaching implications. After
purchasing a product or service for
their company, 42 percent of buyers
reviewed a company on a third-party

website. Roughly one-third (32 percent)
posted a review on social media
channels such as Facebook or LinkedIn
and nearly one in five (19 percent)
posted comments about the company
on Twitter.
This creates an ongoing cycle for
purchasing decisions. The information
posted publicly by one B2B buyer will
likely be used by a peer in another
decision. So goes the cycle. In October
2013, Forrester’s David M. Cooperstein
summarizes this trend in the
Competitive Strategy in the Age of the
Customer report: “With online reviews
and mobile web access, your customers
know more about your products, your
service, your competitors and pricing
than you do.”

Will technology replace
salespeople?

Companies recognize the dramatic
changes in the way they interact
with customers. What’s surprising
is the breadth and depth of changes
they’re making to redesign technology
priorities, business processes and
organizational roles as a result of the
evolving marketplace.
A wider variety of people in companies
are responsible for managing
relationships with customers today. The
new path a customer follows in seeking
products and ongoing support from
companies, or the “customer journey,”
requires non-sales departments,
especially IT, to play expanded roles. 83%
of businesses say departments such as
IT, marketing and manufacturing now
play larger roles in directly managing
customer experiences than they did
three years ago.

3
Research & Insights

The IT department is at the epicenter
of this changing relationship between
buyers and sellers. Nearly half (45
percent) of respondents says that
IT plays a greater role in the overall
customer experience than it has in
the past. Further, 40 percent say the IT
department contributes significantly
to the strategic direction of a company
today. According to Accenture’s High
Performers in IT: Defined by Digital
report, high performers allocate 55
percent of their IT budget to deliver
strategic business capabilities
compared to 37 percent allocations
in other organizations. That’s a far cry
from a department built to support
desktops and answer helpdesk calls.
Processes and technology investments
are also changing alongside people’s
roles. More than 80 percent of
companies have changed at least
one business process in the past
three years to better interact with
customers. Top business process
changes include:
•	Increased investment in customer
sales and support technology (44
percent)
•	Increased the number of employees
interacting with customers (40
percent)
•	Increased automation in the sales
process (32 percent)
Additionally, more than half of
companies who report making new
investments in customer sales and
support technologies are investing
in mobile devices (55 percent), social
media (54 percent) and mobile
applications (53 percent). Businesses
report that they are also looking to
their employees to use their own
personal devices, such as mobile
4

phones, to engage with potential
customers. In fact, nearly half (45
percent) of companies surveyed
expect their employees to use their
personal devices to interact with
customers during the sales process.
In Accenture’s recent report they also
concluded that high performers let
their employees use their own mobile
phones and tablets, access their own
mobile apps, and self-manage almost
70 percent of their interactions at
work, compared to just over one-third
for other organizations.
Most striking, Avanade’s research
revealed that seven out of 10
executives believe that technology
will mostly replace human interaction
with customers in the next decade.
These findings are also consistent
with Avanade’s “Work Redesigned”
study conducted in January 2013,
which showed that the majority of
businesses (71 percent) have changed
at least one business process to
better accommodate emerging work
trends like the use of mobile and
consumer technologies.

Seven out of 10
executives believe
that technology will
mostly replace human
interaction with
customers in the
next decade.
Click to tweet

Click to tweet

Enterprise buyers are
mimicking consumer
shopping behaviors.

Click to tweet

Companies can
monetize customer
experiences.

Technology is
seen as the cause
and the cure.

Click to tweet

Those businesses
that embrace
these changes are
outperforming peers.

5
Research & Insights

Avanade’s research
shows that cost is not
the top factor. Buyers
reported prioritizing
the customer
experience over the
price of a product or
service when weighing
a purchase decision.

Businesses learn to
monetize experiences

Sure, product cost is a major factor
when making a purchasing decision,
but Avanade’s research shows that
it’s not the top factor. Buyers reported
prioritizing the customer experience
over the price of a product or service
when weighing a purchase decision.
We already know the importance of
experiences to consumers. According
to the American Express 2012 Global
Customer Service Barometer, twothirds of consumers state that they
are willing to spend more with a
company they believe provides
excellent customer service. Likewise,
they react more vocally if they have
bad experiences. Consumers are
twice more likely to share a bad
customer service experience than
they are to share a good one. As B2B
buyers increasingly mimic consumer
actions, enterprises can expect similar
behaviors from enterprise purchase
decision makers.
In fact, our research reveals that
purchasing decision makers, similar
to consumers, are paying more for
products and services in the name of a
better customer experience. In the last
six months, 56 percent of purchasing
decision makers within companies
report paying more for a product
or service because the customer
experience was better than other, less
expensive options.

6

Avanade’s global study also quantifies
how much more they’re willing to pay.
Decision-makers buying products and
services for their business are paying
on average 30 percent more for an
improved customer experience.
Walt Disney understood this principle
perfectly, saying, “Do what you do so
well that they will want to see it again
and bring their friends.” It’s no wonder
families from around the world will pay
$100 or more per person to experience
a day in Disneyland when plenty of
cheaper carnivals and fairs exist.
Companies that are making smart
changes and embracing new sales
processes to improve their customer’s
experience see similar positive results.
Those companies that have built new
business processes and technologies
to accommodate shifts in customer
interactions are experiencing:
•	 Increased customer loyalty
(61 percent)
•	 Increased revenue (60 percent)
•	 Increased customer base
(60 percent)
While not every business has
embraced these changes, more
companies are headed in this
direction. The research shows more
companies (83 percent) plan to invest
in technology aimed to improve their
customer experience in the next
year. These new findings reinforce
Avanade’s past Work Redesigned
research, which found companies that
are embracing this new style of work
are also seeing positive impacts on
sales, profits, product development
and employee satisfaction.
Views from an IT advisor

The value of a customer relationship
is no longer defined by a series of
transactions, but rather the complete
experience a seller offers a buyer at the
time of purchase and throughout their
time with the product or service. New
technologies, business processes and
information sources can lead to deeper
as well as more profitable relationships
for businesses, and more rewarding
experiences for customers.
However, not all businesses are
catching on. Our research shows that
some businesses are still ill-equipped
to handle this new customer journey
and are struggling to manage various
information sources that customers
now rely on to inform their buying
decisions. Those businesses that
have not implemented new business
processes or made investments to
support sales don’t plan to make any
changes in the near future. These
technology skeptics will miss the
boat in creating a more customercentric enterprise.
Interestingly, the higher up the
corporate ladder one is the more
positive the perception around the
buying experience a company is
providing its customers. For example,
Avanade’s research revealed that 86
percent of C-level executives believe
their customer experience is better
than that of their competitors.
However, outside of the C-suite, the
view isn’t quite as positive. 77% of
business unit leaders and 66 percent
of IT decision makers believe their
customer experience is better than
their competitors.

Keys to improving your customer
experience:
•	 Assess your current customer buying
experience and identify areas for
improvement.
•	 Anticipate future customer needs by
looking at both internal and external
data sources to predict behavior
patterns, market trends, customer
demand, etc.
•	 Create a seamless customer
experience across all channels of
communication and customer
touchpoints.
•	 Leverage new technology trends
such as mobile and social to provide
a truly unique experience for
customers and enabling self-service
across a number of channels.
•	 Empower employees with the tools,
processes and information they need
to delight customers and solve issues
proactively.

The research shows
that some businesses
are still ill-equipped
to handle this new
customer journey
and are struggling
to manage various
information sources
that customers now
rely on to inform their
buying decisions.

Survey methodology

Avanade’s survey was conducted in
October 2013 by Wakefield Research
(www.wakefieldresearch.com)
an independent research firm. It
surveyed 1,000 C-level executives,
business unit leaders and IT decision
makers, at the top companies in the
following countries: U.S., Australia,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Italy,
Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway,
Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland and the U.K. The industries
surveyed include: aerospace, defense,
telecommunication, energy, healthcare,
financial services, government, nonprofit, media, entertainment, logistics
and manufacturing.

7
We’re in an Avanade frame of mind!

About Avanade
Avanade provides business technology solutions and
managed services that connect insight, innovation and
expertise in Microsoft® technologies to help customers
realize results. Our people have helped thousands of
organizations in all industries improve business agility,
employee productivity and customer loyalty. Additional
information can be found at www.avanade.com.
©2013 Avanade Inc. All rights reserved. The Avanade
name and logo are registered trademarks in the U.S.
and other countries. Other brand and product names
are trademarks of their respective owners.

North America
Seattle
Phone +1 206 239 5600
America@avanade.com
South America
Sao Paulo
Phone +55 (11) 5188 3000
LatinAmerica@avanade.com
Africa
Pretoria
Phone +27 12 6224400
SouthAfrica@avanade.com

8

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B2B is the new B2C

  • 1. Global Survey: B2B is the New B2C The Consumerization of Enterprise Sales November 2013 Work Redesigned: Seizing New Opportunities in a Changing Workplace FLEXIBLE PROCESSES COLLABORATIVE AND MOBILE ENGAGING EXPERIENCES CUSTOMER CENTRIC 1
  • 2. Research & Insights The study of 1,000 C-level executives, business unit leaders and IT decisionmakers shows that widespread availability of mobile and social technologies is complicating relationships between businesses and their customers. As buyers are growing more demanding, sellers must be more flexible. Notably, Avanade found that businesses embracing this complexity report longer-term and more lucrative relationships with customers. 2 Click to tweet (business-to-business) buyers and sellers is expanding far beyond the reach of a company’s salesforce. Similar to how consumers purchase a car today, 61 percent of B2B buyers report third-party sites and feedback from business partners, industry peers or social channels as more important than conversations with a company’s sales teams when making a purchasing decision for their company. B2B is next in line in the consumerization movement. • Technology is seen as the cause and the cure. A Click to tweet Not yet – even though the same resources are available to every consumer browsing Amazon.com. Avanade’s latest global research results show the “consumerization” movement is changing how businesses buy and sell goods. Enterprise buyers are beginning to mimic consumer shopping behaviors and the value of the customer experience is now more important than cost in the buying process. TWEET THIS! • Enterprise buyers are mimicking consumer shopping behaviors. The relationship between B2B sizable portion of companies are responding to technology-driven changes in their sales process by modifying organizational roles and making technology investments. Nearly half (45 percent) of respondents say that IT plays a greater role in the overall customer experience than it has in the past. Further, 40 percent say IT contributes significantly to the strategic direction of a company. • Companies can monetize customer experiences. Click to tweet Imagine a company is embarking on a significant upgrade of its assembly line equipment. Can it shop for the equipment in an online marketplace of third-party sellers ranked by quality and price? Can it buy new options directly from a company’s sales staff or turn to real-time auctions for refurbished ones? Is there a network of peer customers available to review and help configure parts – and increase cross-selling in the process? Are there video reviews of the equipment, links to expert advice on social media, and one-click access to a host of installation and maintenance services? The value of the customer experience surpasses cost as the top factor in a B2B purchasing decision. Customers report they are willing to pay up to 30 percent more for a superior experience. In fact, more than half (56 percent) of those surveyed report paying more for a product in the last six months because the customer experience was better than other less expensive options. • Those businesses that embrace these changes are outperforming peers. Sixty percent of companies that have Click to tweet Executive Summary Key findings of Avanade’s large-scale research indicate the following trends: built new business processes and technologies to accommodate shifts in customer interactions report increased revenue – while 60 percent also report a larger customer base and 61 percent report a growth in customer loyalty. Additional data, analysis and commentary from peers in the industry are included in the following pages.
  • 3. More than 50% of buyers consult thirdparty sources before consulting a company’s salesforce. These sources include thirdparty sites, feedback from a business partner, social channels and conversations with peers who already have experience with the product or service. The consumerization movement comes to business buyers The B2B buying process is not only growing more complicated – it’s following patterns first seen in consumer shopping. Social networks and mobile technologies are invading the workplace and contributing to a decentralized sales process. Information about a company and its products or services is available everywhere – whether the product is manufacturing equipment sold to businesses or a refrigerator sold to consumers. B2B buyers are shopping at work like they do at home. They are proactively informing themselves about enterprise products and services in wide-ranging marketplaces of peer customers, industry experts and, of course, salespeople. More than half (61 percent) of buyers consult third-party sources before consulting a company’s salesforce. These sources include third-party sites, feedback from a business partner, social channels and conversations with peers who already have experience with the product or service. These sources beyond the reach of a company’s salesforce are a factor for 89 percent of buyers when making B2B buying decisions. Not only are B2B customers seeking information about products from a wider variety of sources, they are also communicating about their business purchase decisions publicly. A bad customer experience has long-term and far reaching implications. After purchasing a product or service for their company, 42 percent of buyers reviewed a company on a third-party website. Roughly one-third (32 percent) posted a review on social media channels such as Facebook or LinkedIn and nearly one in five (19 percent) posted comments about the company on Twitter. This creates an ongoing cycle for purchasing decisions. The information posted publicly by one B2B buyer will likely be used by a peer in another decision. So goes the cycle. In October 2013, Forrester’s David M. Cooperstein summarizes this trend in the Competitive Strategy in the Age of the Customer report: “With online reviews and mobile web access, your customers know more about your products, your service, your competitors and pricing than you do.” Will technology replace salespeople? Companies recognize the dramatic changes in the way they interact with customers. What’s surprising is the breadth and depth of changes they’re making to redesign technology priorities, business processes and organizational roles as a result of the evolving marketplace. A wider variety of people in companies are responsible for managing relationships with customers today. The new path a customer follows in seeking products and ongoing support from companies, or the “customer journey,” requires non-sales departments, especially IT, to play expanded roles. 83% of businesses say departments such as IT, marketing and manufacturing now play larger roles in directly managing customer experiences than they did three years ago. 3
  • 4. Research & Insights The IT department is at the epicenter of this changing relationship between buyers and sellers. Nearly half (45 percent) of respondents says that IT plays a greater role in the overall customer experience than it has in the past. Further, 40 percent say the IT department contributes significantly to the strategic direction of a company today. According to Accenture’s High Performers in IT: Defined by Digital report, high performers allocate 55 percent of their IT budget to deliver strategic business capabilities compared to 37 percent allocations in other organizations. That’s a far cry from a department built to support desktops and answer helpdesk calls. Processes and technology investments are also changing alongside people’s roles. More than 80 percent of companies have changed at least one business process in the past three years to better interact with customers. Top business process changes include: • Increased investment in customer sales and support technology (44 percent) • Increased the number of employees interacting with customers (40 percent) • Increased automation in the sales process (32 percent) Additionally, more than half of companies who report making new investments in customer sales and support technologies are investing in mobile devices (55 percent), social media (54 percent) and mobile applications (53 percent). Businesses report that they are also looking to their employees to use their own personal devices, such as mobile 4 phones, to engage with potential customers. In fact, nearly half (45 percent) of companies surveyed expect their employees to use their personal devices to interact with customers during the sales process. In Accenture’s recent report they also concluded that high performers let their employees use their own mobile phones and tablets, access their own mobile apps, and self-manage almost 70 percent of their interactions at work, compared to just over one-third for other organizations. Most striking, Avanade’s research revealed that seven out of 10 executives believe that technology will mostly replace human interaction with customers in the next decade. These findings are also consistent with Avanade’s “Work Redesigned” study conducted in January 2013, which showed that the majority of businesses (71 percent) have changed at least one business process to better accommodate emerging work trends like the use of mobile and consumer technologies. Seven out of 10 executives believe that technology will mostly replace human interaction with customers in the next decade.
  • 5. Click to tweet Click to tweet Enterprise buyers are mimicking consumer shopping behaviors. Click to tweet Companies can monetize customer experiences. Technology is seen as the cause and the cure. Click to tweet Those businesses that embrace these changes are outperforming peers. 5
  • 6. Research & Insights Avanade’s research shows that cost is not the top factor. Buyers reported prioritizing the customer experience over the price of a product or service when weighing a purchase decision. Businesses learn to monetize experiences Sure, product cost is a major factor when making a purchasing decision, but Avanade’s research shows that it’s not the top factor. Buyers reported prioritizing the customer experience over the price of a product or service when weighing a purchase decision. We already know the importance of experiences to consumers. According to the American Express 2012 Global Customer Service Barometer, twothirds of consumers state that they are willing to spend more with a company they believe provides excellent customer service. Likewise, they react more vocally if they have bad experiences. Consumers are twice more likely to share a bad customer service experience than they are to share a good one. As B2B buyers increasingly mimic consumer actions, enterprises can expect similar behaviors from enterprise purchase decision makers. In fact, our research reveals that purchasing decision makers, similar to consumers, are paying more for products and services in the name of a better customer experience. In the last six months, 56 percent of purchasing decision makers within companies report paying more for a product or service because the customer experience was better than other, less expensive options. 6 Avanade’s global study also quantifies how much more they’re willing to pay. Decision-makers buying products and services for their business are paying on average 30 percent more for an improved customer experience. Walt Disney understood this principle perfectly, saying, “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” It’s no wonder families from around the world will pay $100 or more per person to experience a day in Disneyland when plenty of cheaper carnivals and fairs exist. Companies that are making smart changes and embracing new sales processes to improve their customer’s experience see similar positive results. Those companies that have built new business processes and technologies to accommodate shifts in customer interactions are experiencing: • Increased customer loyalty (61 percent) • Increased revenue (60 percent) • Increased customer base (60 percent) While not every business has embraced these changes, more companies are headed in this direction. The research shows more companies (83 percent) plan to invest in technology aimed to improve their customer experience in the next year. These new findings reinforce Avanade’s past Work Redesigned research, which found companies that are embracing this new style of work are also seeing positive impacts on sales, profits, product development and employee satisfaction.
  • 7. Views from an IT advisor The value of a customer relationship is no longer defined by a series of transactions, but rather the complete experience a seller offers a buyer at the time of purchase and throughout their time with the product or service. New technologies, business processes and information sources can lead to deeper as well as more profitable relationships for businesses, and more rewarding experiences for customers. However, not all businesses are catching on. Our research shows that some businesses are still ill-equipped to handle this new customer journey and are struggling to manage various information sources that customers now rely on to inform their buying decisions. Those businesses that have not implemented new business processes or made investments to support sales don’t plan to make any changes in the near future. These technology skeptics will miss the boat in creating a more customercentric enterprise. Interestingly, the higher up the corporate ladder one is the more positive the perception around the buying experience a company is providing its customers. For example, Avanade’s research revealed that 86 percent of C-level executives believe their customer experience is better than that of their competitors. However, outside of the C-suite, the view isn’t quite as positive. 77% of business unit leaders and 66 percent of IT decision makers believe their customer experience is better than their competitors. Keys to improving your customer experience: • Assess your current customer buying experience and identify areas for improvement. • Anticipate future customer needs by looking at both internal and external data sources to predict behavior patterns, market trends, customer demand, etc. • Create a seamless customer experience across all channels of communication and customer touchpoints. • Leverage new technology trends such as mobile and social to provide a truly unique experience for customers and enabling self-service across a number of channels. • Empower employees with the tools, processes and information they need to delight customers and solve issues proactively. The research shows that some businesses are still ill-equipped to handle this new customer journey and are struggling to manage various information sources that customers now rely on to inform their buying decisions. Survey methodology Avanade’s survey was conducted in October 2013 by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) an independent research firm. It surveyed 1,000 C-level executives, business unit leaders and IT decision makers, at the top companies in the following countries: U.S., Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. The industries surveyed include: aerospace, defense, telecommunication, energy, healthcare, financial services, government, nonprofit, media, entertainment, logistics and manufacturing. 7
  • 8. We’re in an Avanade frame of mind! About Avanade Avanade provides business technology solutions and managed services that connect insight, innovation and expertise in Microsoft® technologies to help customers realize results. Our people have helped thousands of organizations in all industries improve business agility, employee productivity and customer loyalty. Additional information can be found at www.avanade.com. ©2013 Avanade Inc. All rights reserved. The Avanade name and logo are registered trademarks in the U.S. and other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. North America Seattle Phone +1 206 239 5600 America@avanade.com South America Sao Paulo Phone +55 (11) 5188 3000 LatinAmerica@avanade.com Africa Pretoria Phone +27 12 6224400 SouthAfrica@avanade.com 8