Caterpillar Digital Strategy
Customer-First Digital Design.

Crafting a Unified Customer Experience and Helping Caterpillar Become a Customer-First Organization

Caterpillar has a long-standing legacy of building powerful, reliable machines that serve a wide range of industries worldwide, from construction and mining to energy and transportation. This project built upon that legacy by enhancing the machines' capabilities and intelligent connectivity and driving a broader organizational transformation toward customer-centricity.

Central to this effort was developing a role-centric view of Caterpillar’s various stakeholders. By mapping the diverse needs, behaviors, and goals of operators, fleet managers, dealers, service technicians, and other key users, the team created a comprehensive foundation for designing each digital service touchpoint. This ensured that every interface, whether in a machine's cab, on a mobile device, or within a dealer’s diagnostic system, was intuitive, purposeful, and aligned with its users' real-world tasks, challenges, and expectations. The result was a cohesive digital ecosystem framework that guided Caterpillar’s future user experience work, reinforcing the company’s reputation for reliability while setting a new standard for connected, customer-first experiences.

Role

Interaction Design Director, Client Relationship Lead

Kate: The Foreman

Kate utilizes the Fabric digital service to put the right people on the job and track job site progress. Fabric rewards Kate with performance bonuses at specific milestones and empowers her to do the same for team members as they accomplish tasks. Overall, cash flow is also easily visible.

Value for Caterpillar: Once a line of sight into financial transactions is achieved, Caterpillar has real-time visibility into aggregate demand, enabling tracking of market shifts, prioritization of investment, and offering deals, financing, and investment to help customers reach their full potential.

Rod: The Fleet Manager

Rod uses the service to tell him what is most important. It helps him take effective action and gives him choices in managing his fleet. Finally, Fabric provides progress updates regarding fleet operations and service.

Value for Caterpillar: Once Caterpillar understands what Rod values and how he thinks about the trade-offs, the company can start to offer more personalized solutions. Knowing what Fleet Managers value, Caterpillar can have more meaningful conversations that address larger business priorities.

Bo: The Technician

Fabric helps Bo prepare for a given job. It streamlines communication and handles transactions, making things like task approvals seamless

Value for Caterpillar: Once Caterpillar has both the machine and the employer’s evaluation of a technician, service and training guidance can begin. Having a line of sight into service transactions allows a better understanding of which parts have the highest demand, which can optimize our production and improve our supply chain.

Mateo: The Operator

Key moments for Mateo include setting up the perfect job, preparing for the job, and receiving seamless payment for services performed.

Value for Caterpillar: Once we connect operators to jobs, we’ll have visibility into patterns and trends in the construction market. We can also understand how machines are used to make product enhancements and deliver targeted training. Understanding financial transactions at the job site level gives us visibility into customers’ business operations.

Tommy: Dealer Salesman

Tommy’s relationship with customers grows richer through the use of Fabric. The service advises him on whom to contact, how to approach them, and what to recommend regarding Caterpillar products and services.

Value for Caterpillar: By empowering dealers and enabling more meaningful conversations, Caterpillar can strengthen its dealer distribution network. Caterpillar maintains the human touchpoint by facilitating these conversations while leveraging its best intelligence to personalize the deal.