Interview: Yuki Sakamoto, Panasonic

• Features

• 23/12/2019

Yuki Sakamoto, general manager of Panasonic System Solutions Asia Pacific, talks in detail about the manufacturer’s aims to be a ‘technology partner’ and build long-term relationships with its clients.

Companies are always looking to improve their level of service for clients and Panasonic is no different. Yuki Sakamoto, general manager for the entertainment solutions group at Panasonic System Solutions Asia Pacific, looks after a range of B2B products such as projectors, flat panels, professional broadcast cameras, videoconferencing and more. He details the drive to improve customer engagement with regards to his purview: “We want to get closer to our customers. We want to have that extra engagement and to be of greater service to them and we want to become a technology partner for our clients. Our aim is to have long-term relationships and to be responsible for the business of our clients. We want to grow our business with theirs and do our part.”

Together with this aim, there is recognition at Panasonic that becoming a ‘technology partner’ for a client is not an easily accomplished task. Sakamoto says: “While Panasonic is a big company, we are not big or broad enough to be able to do everything for everyone. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. You have to start somewhere.”

To achieve its goal, Panasonic is transforming its approach on two fronts. Regarding its internal evolution, Sakamoto says: “One of the things we are concentrating on is our organisational structure along with our business divisions. When I started at Panasonic, about 20 years ago, there were close to 100 separate divisions and everything was siloed and this approach has its advantages. But over the last few years, the number of divisions has drastically reduced to less than 40. This is in pursuit of engaging more deeply with our customers.”

According to Sakamoto, the merging of divisions allows Panasonic to have greater horizontal flexibility, allowing more open communication between teams.

Panasonic is also expanding its external approach related to third-party collaboration. Sakamoto says: “If we want to be a technology partner for our client, this means that we cannot say no when our customers come to us with their technology requirements just because we don’t have the right products. We need to be able to bring those products into our line-up and try and fit them in.”

He continues: “Integration is something we have to consider because customers are expecting and demanding it. We have to make sure that if we are proposing technology then we are also delivering it and not just selling it. Just because we don’t make a certain product does not mean that we won’t provide it and don’t care about it. We will integrate as best as we can because all products, ours and third-party, need to work together.”

According to Sakamoto, engaging Panasonic as a technology partner leads to positive outcomes: “When customers partner with us they can expect a certain level of professionalism. The benefit of going with Panasonic is that we are responsible. Not just for our products but for the entire technology setup. So, it isn’t about the products anymore. The integration and the service we provide are part of the long-term commitment Panasonic is making to its customers.”

He concludes: “We want to engage with our customers at the start of their projects so that we can not only offer them the services and products that we have now, but also propose to them the technology we can provide down the road. We want to make sure that we are focusing on building relationships rather than one-off transactions. At the same time, relationships come with responsibilities. You have to be present for your clients and Panasonic’s approach to the business is changing to better serve our clients.