Tyler Elm, Global Solution Manager, SDOX, Market Strategy & Business Development at CHARTWATER shares how technology providers encourage the adoption of ‘proven innovations’ and what can early adopters do to mitigate risk.

Read the full transcript below:

Waveney Metcalfe: 
Hi, I’m Waveney Metcalfe, the partnerships manager for the World Water-Tech Innovation Summit taking place in London this February, the 25th and 26th. I’m delighted to be joined by Tyler Elm, the global solution manager for SDOX technology, market strategy and business development at CHARTWATER.
Welcome, Tyler.


Tyler Elm: 
Hi Waveney, It’s a pleasure.


Waveney Metcalfe: 
It’s great to be speaking to you ahead of the summit, just a few questions. So, let’s dive in.
So, in a risk averse and compliance-focused sector, how are providers of innovative solutions collaborating with pragmatic buyers and innovation departments to mitigate perceived risk?


Tyler Elm: 
So, I would say that from what I’ve seen, the most successful solution providers are going beyond the technology innovation…and really focus on the fit of that technology to an application. so realise that. early [stage] solution providers are usually very enthusiastic when it comes to new technology, and often they’re trying to sell that technology to other technology enthusiasts.

Whereas the main market is a little different. The value of the innovation is not in the technology itself, but the business outcomes that come from that… the value that’s created.
My advice would be to really focus on an application that creates the most value and then continue to innovate that offering in terms of how that solution is presented to the customer. For example, 20 years ago, when we first came out with an innovation, we designed it for a permanent installation, whereas soon we innovated the technology-fit such that we focused on the solution’s fit to that application. We went to containerised versions, for example, to make it more portable, less of a commitment for the customer. And I think the other part of it is the commercial-fit.

So again, you have the technology, continue to innovate on that technology and how it fits with your target application, and then look beyond that to your commercial-fit.

How do you innovate the customer experience and how it’s offered to the customer? All those things can mitigate perceived-risk of doing something differently. We really have to tailor to that risk-averse, ‘operational pragmatist’. When they’re adopting something, it just has to work. So again, innovate beyond the actual technology to its solution-fit and then the commercial-fit.


Waveney Metcalfe: 
Perfect. Thank you. And, what can early adopters of technologies do to mitigate risk?


Tyler Elm: 
Well, when we say ‘early adopters’, what I’m gonna target, or apply that phrase to: you’re in the main market; you are managing a facility. So, you’re not really an ‘early adopter’, but you may be looking for a new solution.
And, we tend to look for solutions amongst our peers.
We’re pragmatists –  your operating facility. It has to work. So when we’re looking for new solutions, we typically look to what our peers have adopted and those peers are usually within the same industry or within the same geographic market segment.
And my recommendation would be to look beyond your existing market segment, your existing peers to expand your reference cases.
So for example, if you have issues with wet spills, for example, polluting rivers.
Don’t just look at what your peers in the UK are doing. I’m sure that other people around the world have the same issue. What are people in the US doing? What are people in Brazil doing? What are people in India doing? So, expand your peer group to beyond the local geographic market. If you’re in the municipal industry, look at meat processors. They have very strong waste. What are they doing? You know stuff like that.


Waveney Metcalfe: 
Makes sense. Brilliant. Well, that’s. That’s all the questions that we have today. So, thank you so much for your time. Tyler. We can’t wait to hear more from you at the summit.

And for our audiences watching and attending the summit, don’t miss out Tyler’s presentation on de-risking solution adoption across market segments, and a round table on Day 2 on solutions adoption at the World Water Tech Innovation Summit on February 25th and 26th.
Thank you.

Tyler Elm: 
Pleasure.

ChartWater is a Platinum Partner at this year’s World Water-Tech Innovation Summit. Meet Tyler and the ChartWater at the summit in London and join his presentation on  ‘De-Risking Solution Adoption Across Market Segments’ at 16.30pm on February 26.