The CMO's MO: Udit Agarwal weaves AI magic to boost Exotel's marketing impact

The CMO’s MO (modus operandi), spotlights some of India’s top CMOs as they share their marketing mantra, trends for the future, and what keeps them up at night. Here, we chat with the country’s leading marketers, keep the tone conversational and crisp, with questions that allow leaders to shine a light on their personalities, plans, and passions projects for the year ahead. 

In this week's edition of CMO's MO, we catch up with Udit Agarwal, vice president and global head of marketing of Exotel, who's been with the customer conversation platform for over two years. Since then, he has been steering the company’s brand strategy, launching integrated customer engagement initiatives across India and global markets. His two-decade experience at tech giants like SAP and Adobe has equipped him to drive growth and innovation at Exotel, including leveraging gen AI to maximise its marketing gains.

Scroll on to find out more.

What are the three biggest marketing challenges for your brand right now?

One of the main challenges we face at Exotel is expanding our value proposition as an artificial intelligence (AI) transformation partner for customer engagement and experience. As we continue to innovate, it's crucial to communicate our capabilities effectively to our audience.

Another challenge is driving demand in the enterprise and global market operations. We need to reach new customers, expand in the US region while also deepening relationships with existing ones.

Finally, managing cost and performance effectively through AI and technology is an ongoing challenge. We are always looking for ways to optimise our operations to deliver the best results at a sustainable cost.

What are the three biggest opportunities for your brand?

Today, a major problem is disjointed customer conversations. Customers frequently switch between communication channels, and these channels often don't communicate with each other. Enterprises must adapt to stay relevant.

At Exotel, we're using generative AI to solve this problem by building context and humanising conversations, ensuring a seamless and connected customer experience. With expanded and essential business capabilities, it is uniquely positioned to help businesses communicate with customers seamlessly and at scale, faster than ever before.

Where are you investing your marketing budgets this year?  

This year, we are significantly increasing our investment in demand generation initiatives, customer advocacy, and thought leadership. These areas are critical for driving growth and establishing our brand as a leader in the industry.

At the same time, we are optimising our budgets by using automation and AI to drive more with less. This allows us to enhance efficiency and maximise the impact of our marketing efforts without significantly increasing costs.

What’s your favourite brand campaign that you participated in or wish you had?

It has to be the ‘Shot on iPhone’. The brilliance of this campaign lies in its simplicity: showcasing stunning photos taken by everyday users. While the industry was fixated on megapixels and technical specs, Apple communicated the power of its camera through real-world examples. It beautifully highlighted the ease and quality of capturing great moments with an iPhone, making it relatable and aspirational at the same time.

Spill the C-suite strategy around gen AI and how are you using it to democratise creativity?

At Exotel, AI plays a pivotal role in our strategy, enabling us to develop products that deliver next-level, personalised, and contextual experiences for our customers' end-users. Our focus on AI ensures 24x7 service availability, enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction across all interactions.

By aggregating knowledge from diverse sources and optimising conversation responses, our strategic use of AI allows Gen AI to anticipate customer needs and enrich context in every interaction, ensuring relevance and personalisation.

This intelligent orchestration ensures accuracy and cost-effectiveness, making advanced AI capabilities accessible to enterprises of all sizes. By democratising AI, we are paving the way for a new era of customer engagement characterised by personalised, efficient, and creative interactions.

What separates your brand culture from others?

Exotel's culture stands apart by placing people at its core, guided by values like its core values—Like a friend, Outcome over output, Company first, staying true, Team sport, and Be responsive.

Our culture fosters a supportive environment where every team member is valued and empowered, driving innovation and excellence in customer experience. This people-centric focus not only defines our brand but also sets us apart by creating a workplace where collaboration, integrity, and customer-centricity thrive.

Tell us about the best piece of professional advice you ever got.

The best piece of professional advice I ever received was to break down complicated work into smaller pieces and solve them one by one; fail fast and recover faster. These principles have guided me throughout my career, helping me navigate challenges and achieve my goals.

Describe yourself as a CMO in three sentences.

I'm very hands-on and a realist who believes in people-collaboration and growing talent. I am always curious and enjoy experimenting with new things. Taking a page from ‘Leading from the Back’ by Ravi Kant, I believe in a leadership model that is uncomplicated, easy to use, and produces great results.

Tell us one personal thing about yourself that others might not know.

I love indulging in amazing food and traveling to new places. I also have a quirky fascination with medicine and Ayurveda. So, if you ever need a restaurant recommendation or want to chat about ancient healing secrets, I’m your go-to person.

Name a brand with an amazing customer experience that you really admire.

American Express; their customer service agents exhibit exceptional attention to detail, an empathetic outlook, and a customer-first approach. They make every interaction feel premium and exclusive, whether it’s providing access to luxurious airport lounges, offering personalised concierge services, or enhancing travel experiences. This dedication to high-quality service at every touchpoint sets American Express apart and ensures a consistently outstanding experience for their cardholders.

What keeps you up at night as a CMO?

As a CMO, my focus lies in simplifying our messaging and enhancing our global brand presence to establish Exotel as a leading AI transformation partner in customer engagement and experience. This involves continuously refining our communication strategy to effectively convey our value proposition. Every business conversation reinforces our commitment to revolutionising customer engagement through advanced technology and exceptional service delivery.