Allowing marketers to get more hands on with their marketing, without using code, is a game changer, said CX Lavender founder Will Lavender.
His comments follow the launch of his new business, CXTX, which allows marketers to create 'agency-quality' marketing in-house.
CX Lavender was one of the first agencies in Australia to reposition around customer experience (CX), in 2015, and forward-thinking Lavender says he's confident the new venture and move to give marketers more control, is the next big market shift.
Speaking to AdNews, Lavender, who has run the agency for more than 20 years, said he saw an opportunity in the market for the software, and stressed it needed to be a separate entity to CX Lavender, because CXTX isn't a typical agency service.
“It’s more logical to provide bespoke software with a bespoke software company,” Lavender said.
“CXTX empowers marketers with access to software that makes it easier for them to manage some of the complex technology side of CX and CRM.”
The new business is led by CX Lavender partner and head of technology Clint Bauer, supported by Lavender, and is made up of 10 technologists.
It's first tool, 'no_code', allows marketers to go from the design phase to the publishing phase without the need for a technical developer, making it easier and more time efficient.
“It makes marketers’ lives easier because it cuts out one of the three steps in the digital creation process,” Lavender said.
“That step is the coding step. It enables the user to easily design digital assets and once they press the no_code button, there is no need for any technical developer to do any coding at all.
Lavender added that it’s not simply the time-saving aspect of the software that will shake-up the process for marketers, but also its “pervasive” nature.
“The no coding step is a game changer, but so it the ease of creation, the fact that there is an in-built workflow so you can get approvals and comments from anywhere, and the fact that it fits seamlessly with your other technologies.”
Last year Salesforce pushed its ‘clicks not code’ positioning, stating that it democratises education for in-demand technical skills.
“What excites me about low-code and no-code development is the ability to remove or reduce the barrier to entry,” Salesforce EVP and GM of trailhead and developer relations Sarah Franklin said at the time.
“It essentially lays out a welcome mat to everyone that says, 'you don’t have to know it all - you just have to want to learn'."
Lavender said it will continue to roll out new tools over the next six months with capabilities to create all forms of digital content, digital display and out of home advertising.
CXTX is focusing on reaching clients in Australia and News Zealand, before targeting the US and UK.
The business already has a blue-chip financial client using the new tool, which integrates with all major marketing automation platforms such as Salesforce, IBM Watson and Adobe Marketing Cloud.
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