Nailing Data Basics Rivals the Allure of AI—and Other Surprising Takeaways from Customers Down Under

The dust has settled on the recent Domo Connections Tour in Australia. For those who may not know, the Connections Tour is one of Domo’s key customer events (the other being Domopalooza), where executives and technical staff share the latest Domo strategy and product updates in a roadshow format. This year, for the first time, the Connections Tour was extended to include Sydney and Melbourne, representing Domo Asia-Pacific and the local Domo customer community. 

Let’s dive right into it, with my top five observations about the event—and what they mean for customers everywhere! 

Five takeaways from the Domo Connections Tour in Sydney and Melbourne

1. Asia-Pacific is not North America. 

For US-based companies, it’s easy for leadership to lose sight of what’s happening in other parts of the world. Local Domo staff always represent our customers strongly. However, there’s nothing like global executives hearing it firsthand to understand direct feedback and unique needs.

It’s illuminating for executives (and technical staff) to learn that Australian customers have complex, sophisticated Domo use cases, while operating in very different regulatory environments. Regardless, innovation is alive and well in Asia-Pacific, and we continue to challenge Domo’s product capabilities! 

2. AI rules.  

No surprise to anyone, AI remains the hottest topic on the planet, and customers were hungry to learn about Domo’s AI strategy and emerging product features. Our mature, agnostic approach to generative AI and model management capability resonated with Australian enterprise customers as they look beyond “wait and see” proofs-of-concept, and towards meaningful AI applications in the new year. 

3. Data matters. 

AI also shone a harsh light on data quality, revealing biases and gaps in Australian data sources—ones that were previously hidden by existing analytical regimes. A pervasive theme across both Connections Tour cities was customer recognition of this issue, along with increased focus on ensuring accurate and relevant data capture. Likewise, customers expected that this “fresh lens” on data would impact the insights gleaned from traditional analytics, as higher-quality data and models were fed back into the respective data sources and platforms. 

4. The fundamentals never change. 

As boring as this takeaway might sound, it also quickly became obvious that Australian customers, much like their global counterparts, grapple daily with the fundamentals of governance and data management. Mature enterprises in Australia have the same concerns around complexity, operating costs, and business relevance that have always been part of the data and analytics industry. Despite the allure of AI, there’s still a strong desire for the ease-of-use, efficiency, and business impact that Domo delivers. 

5. Customers love Domo. 

One piece of feedback that is consistent across all Connections Tour events worldwide is customers’ love of the product. In contrast to many other software platforms, people genuinely enjoy using the product and find that Domo brings real value to the work they are doing. That’s not to say there aren’t challenges along the way, nor room for Domo to improve. However, when starting from a position of user acceptance and enthusiasm, you can much more easily focus on solving the actual business problem. As the Connections Tour has proven, there are plenty of Domo enthusiasts “down under.” 

Based on the success of this year’s Connections Tour in Australia, it’s safe to say we’ll be back next year. Customers have really appreciated the direct connection to Domo executives and product specialists, and these events allow us to fully understand what our customers want—and, most importantly, why. If the positive feedback from customers is any guide, we’re also going to need bigger venues! 

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