OPTO Sessions: Logitech’s “Customer Fixation”

With over 20 years in sales management, James Campanini knows the importance of intelligent software — and loyal customers. 

Starting off as a sales manager at Cisco [CISCO], he served as managing director at Cisco Webex and Cloud Sales during his 17 years at the company. Next, he worked at BlueJeans Network, a videoconferencing competitor to Zoom [ZM] acquired by Verizon [VZ] during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has also worked as general manager of cloud-based machine data analytics company Sumo Logic and Head of Channels and Alliances at Amazon’s [AMZN] AWS, before moving to the hardware side of things at Logitech [LOGI]. 

Switzerland-headquartered Logitech, founded in 1981, is a pioneer in computer mouse manufacturing and design. 

Thanks to its long history and user-focused business model, the company has considerable brand recognition, at least compared to the cloud management and video conferencing firms Campanini previously worked at: “I think this is the first company my mother has actually recognized that I work for, because she’s got a very old Logitech mouse.”

From the humble mouse, the company now provides “any sort of peripheral that connects the human being to the digital world”, providing ergonomic hardware supported by advanced but simple-to-use software. 

Key Focus

Over the course of his career, Campanini admits the most important lesson he learned was to “always keep your focus on the customer”.

While most companies might start with the design and work their way toward the target end-user, having a “customer fixation” means asking: “how does a customer get the most out of technology, and what do we do to make that interface work as smoothly as possible?”

It is an approach that builds relationships, not just with customers, but also with other companies. 

As a so-called “peripheral company”, much of what Logitech does enables individuals to better access a variety of software products, making them partners rather than competitors. 

Regardless of the advantages of exclusive partnerships, sometimes “being agnostic is the right thing for the customer”. This means being able to support a wide range of software, even if that entails more work during product design. 

Campanini uses video conferencing software as an example. 

Rather than building hardware for use with a single conferencing software, the key lies in integration, to allow the hardware to give customers universal access to a range of platforms. 

“If the customer wants to use a different tool, we’re not in the right place if we’re dictating what the customer does,” Campanini explains.

This also translates into a portfolio of greater breadth. While Logitech’s importance in the realm of work is clear, Campanini points out that the company’s hardware plays a role in how people relax and socialize as well. 

“People aren’t watching television so much with their families anymore. They’re actually playing games. And we’ve got the Logitech G series mouse, steering wheels and simulation products that allow people to connect in a gaming environment.” 

Otherwise, the Ultimate Ears product line helps customers connect with music streaming services, while Logitech’s webcams help people communicate with their families or coworkers, enabling digital-human connections across the professional and personal spheres. 

Supporting Connectivity

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way the world works, studies and lives, opening up an array of newer markets for Logitech’s products. Campanini points to education as one vertical that has seen significant growth, as institutions work to develop distance learning to augment in-person programs. 

“Lecturers want to be connected to video cameras, which actually track them around the room and they can share content. So they need that ability. Educators want to use technology like iPads and other tablets to connect to their students. So we need to enable those tablets.”

Again, the customer drives the company’s pace of innovation, as Campanini explains. “We’re not inventing products and trying to find a market for them. We’re listening to customers and developing products for them.”

Often, that translates into supporting products that are already on the market, rather than developing new ones to phase out the old. “Some of our most successful products are seven to 10 years old.”

The focus then shifts to how to support new uses for existing hardware through software innovation. This way, Campanini explains, “it feels like we’re always releasing a new product.”

Digital-Human Interface

From artificial intelligence webcams to the ergonomic mouse, the philosophy of Logitech’s products boils down to a single principle: “any time a human being is interfaced into the digital world is where we’re trying to make that connection work”.

But, of course, the devil is in the details. How the bones of the human hand move to manipulate a piece of hardware, the amount of hours it is going to get used, even the demand for products made from recycled materials — all of these factors go into the process of designing a new product. 

As the way people work and play continues to develop, the company will have more room to grow. “Our growth is, I suppose, connected to the rate of change of IT in itself”, Campanini explains. And, more often than not, that involves finding out “the next way that a human being wants to interact with technology”. 

This approach seems to be an effective one. In January, Logitech announced its fourth consecutive quarter of sales growth. 

“It is always really about keeping the focus on what the customer needs,” Campanini says. “And if you’re focused exclusively on that, you’ll always work out what you can do as a business.”

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