VistaTalks Ep - Emil D. Atanassov
On this episode of VistaTalks, host Priscilla Charles discusses many topics with Emil D. Atanassov, Vice President, Internationalization, ServiceNow. Priscillia begins the discussion congratulating Emil and ServiceNow on their recent win at the Think Global Awards. Emil comments that they are “Absolutely delighted. Essentially, we got recognized by some of our peers.” Emil has attended many Think Global Forum events and is a Forum Executive. (The Think Global Forum is a community of global individuals, including forum participants, industry experts, speakers and Forum Executives. The Think Global Forum is designed to provide insights and thought leadership in a growing number of sectors worldwide.)
 In the conversation, Emil conveys how he feels one of the pitfalls of the localization industry is that we safeguard some areas, and then we openly share a lot of others. The benefit of the Think Global Forum is that it is like-minded people getting extra reassurance that we all need to be on the right track and where we’re not on the right path actually to fix that.
“It’s an event that I would gladly take any available time that I have because it has some of the best minds in the space. In addition to that, it’s a very good discussion. I always have found those discussions to be very insightful,” Emil comments.
ServiceNow has solutions that deliver great experiences and unlock productivity for 6,900+ global enterprise customers. Emil discusses how it becomes the foundation for all digital workflows. During the conversation, Emil shares how he didn’t necessarily have a passion for languages and didn’t understand much about localization. His journey was one of those situations where it was pure chance.
We discuss the origins of ServiceNow and how it is now a foundation for digital workflows and connects people’s functions and systems across an organization and connects them across the globe. The majority of ServiceNow customers are global organizations. We touch on the reality of what ServiceNow has become and the necessity in work from home situations.
Other topics include workflows, onboarding, operational management, automation and analytical performance. Emil shares some real examples of how these services and tools are benefiting customers around the world. The episode dives deeper into language, automation, internationalization and go-to-market strategy.
Emil comments that you need to remember, without a great user experience and without delighting your customers, you’re not going to last long. He shares how the growth they have seen in ServiceNow is because the workflow is both flexible and intuitive. Something that ServiceNow demonstrated when people had to work from home.
Priscillia discusses how Emil recently joined a panel of global experts for Vistatec’s digital-first strategy. This strategy focuses on how in the ordinary course of business, digital transformation is forward-thinking. However, in today’s new normal, digital strategy is survival. Millions of people worldwide turn to digital tools and methods for work, entertainment, shopping and more. As a result, a digital strategy matters now more than ever.
Emil looks forward to seeing where the industry and where ServiceNow go over the next year and how it will be dynamic. Emil also offers practical advice for anybody that’s just starting in this industry “to put yourself in the shoes of the customer, talk to the customer, talk to your customers, customers.”
You can listen to Ep 61 of VistaTalks on Spotify.