Thinkmax CEO Marc Belliveau on Company Priorities, Power Platform, and Future Investments
In this Community Summit North America 2022 Executive Interview, Thinkmax CEO and President Marc Belliveau and Aaron Back, Chief Content Officer and Microsoft MVP, Dynamics Communities, discuss company priorities, how Power Platform enables Thinkmax customers and future areas of investment.
This episode is sponsored by Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 15-20, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.
Highlights
00:16 — After introducing Belliveau, Aaron asks him to define Thinkmax and his role at the company.
00:28 — Marc Belliveau is the President and CEO of Thinkmax. Thinkmax is a system integrator and a Microsoft Dynamics partner that specializes in “Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management, and Customer Engagement,” and Power Platform. The company focuses on industries such as retail and manufacturing, mostly around the consumer products area, primarily serving the United States and Canada.
01:35 — Aaron notes the “breadth of diversity” woven into what Thinkmax provides for its customers. He explains how the pandemic caused a massive disruption in personal and professional lives, and how the increasing use and reliance on technology has bled into the business world. He asks Belliveau if the conversations he has with customers have shifted, too, and asks him to describe those conversations.
03:04 — Belliveau says there definitely was a shift. “A lot of our conversations shifted to that primary conversation around how we saw an increase in that [ERP implementation].” Thinkmax customers were eager to enhance the consumer experience, relationship, and “online journey” for their customers.
04:44 — Aaron asks if Thinkmax customers, now that the ripple effect of the pandemic is slowing, are looking to re-integrate their in-store presence in addition to keeping a strong e-commerce presence.
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05:02 — “Absolutely,” says Belliveau. The initial goal goes back to creating a unified experience, he adds. Creating a “common experience” has become a focus for Thinkmax as they look to integrate customer systems into a common platform.
06:22 — How is Power Platform opening up new opportunities for Thinkmax customers? “Those who invested in putting a good, solid foundation now capitalize on those incremental improvements,” responds Belliveau.
07:35 — Belliveau is also having conversations with customers about data. Technology is amazing, but knowing how to make use of the data it provides is another critical aspect that drives business insights and value. Aaron notes this is a core area where Thinkmax is enabling customers to understand their customers.
09:14 — “We’re awash with data,” says Aaron, which highlights Belliveau’s point of ‘how do I make sense of all this data’? He asks Belliveau what is on the horizon for Thinkmax. Belliveau shares that the company is creating “a broader set of services that help customers harness that data.” Additionally, weaving artificial intelligence into its business applications is another focus for the company.
