NetApp

OVERVIEW

In 1993, NetApp shipped their first data storage system. The network appliance was designed to clean up infrastructure sprawl. The simple design instantly became a hit, leaving their competition in the dust.

More than 20 years later, NetApp is still about delivering innovation that gives their customers an advantage over their competitors. From the edge of the universe with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, to the edge of human endurance in Formula One auto racing, they are on the cutting edge. And they plan to stay there.

NetApp’s customers benefit from their open collaboration with other technology leaders to create the specific solutions they need. It’s paramount to their continued success. But how do they stay on top? How do they continue to develop deeper relationships with their key customers to help drive their growth?

CHALLENGE

NetApp needed to bring their most important customers into the fold as they forged future strategies, developed new offerings, and tweaked older services. They had an established base of loyal customers that would were eager to help NetApp refine its processes and also to act as a sounding board as they developed a roadmap for the future. NetApp knew it needed to create a customer advisory board program that would be focused on customer success, but with internal resources at a premium, they didn’t have the capacity or the expertise required. They needed a partner not just with the event management and logistics experience, but expertise across the full spectrum advisory board consulting.

Enter Lightspeed. Our advisory board managed service practice made us the perfect choice to build NetApp’s Customer Success Advisory Board (CSAB) from the ground up.

“The value of CSAB is bringing the future direction to light via our clients our top customer’s business needs,” says Senior Director, Customer & Partner Advocacy. “But it’s also about creating individual relationships with customers and board members. By having board member engagement on an executive level, it deepens the relationship and creates the opportunity for one-on-one connection rather than going through several layers internally.”

SOLUTION

First, we set about laying the foundation with NetApp to ensure we had a clear strategy, realistic budget, and leadership engagement for the advisory board planning. Then we focused on recruiting the top NetApp customers, the “must-have” board members that would help drive the engagement. Finally, we focused on the board meeting itself, choosing an intimate setting so that CSAB board members felt at comfortable and encouraged to engage in open, frank discussion.

From there, we took on the advisory board logistics:

• Transportation – We got everyone where they needed to be. On time and without interruption.
• Lodging – The perfect accommodations are integral to a successful advisory board meeting. We made sure the board members had the sweetest digs.
• New member on-boarding – We met individually with each customer to go through an overview of the advisory board strategy, outline expectations of NetApp and of board members, and garner commitments to serve.
• Pre-work packaging – We provided a pre-work package with a detailed agenda, thoughtful session abstracts, and specific advisory board discussion points that where delivered to board members in advance of the meeting.
• Speaker coaching – Good advisory board sessions are about dialogue, not presenting. We worked with session leads to ditch their old presentation crutches that they’d recited at every conference in favor of engaging dialogue starting approaches.
• Session prep meetings – Ever been to an advisory board meeting where crickets and tumbleweeds followed every question? That’s because no one took the time to provide the advisory board members an advanced preparation package to help board members come prepared to speak to every question in that comes their way.
• Executive briefings – We created two – one for NetApp executives and one for the board members.

All of this and a myriad of other tasks are integral to successfully planning, developing and executing an advisory board program.