Just about all vendors in Silicon Valley want to copy the customer-first model that made Amazon Web Services Inc. rich. But how many deliver? What does customer-first really mean? And how can companies make sure it’s more than an empty slogan?

Katherine Kostereva (pictured), founder and chief executive officer of bpm’online Ltd. would know. Bpm’ online provides customer relations management and other customer- and sales-focused software. It was bootstrapped it 2002 in Europe and has spread out internationally since then. Kostereva attributes its success largely to its sharp focus on customers.

It was even willing to set up headquarters outside its home country in response to customer demand.

Kostereva spoke with Lisa Martin (@LisaMartinTV), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the CloudNOW “Top Women in Cloud” Innovation Awards event in Menlo Park, California. They discussed customer relationships and bpm’online’s experience living in America.

Keeping customer-communication lines open

Business was going swimmingly for bpm’online in Europe, but demand for a U.S. presence flooded the company. “We started to hear, ‘Hey guys, why don’t we know you in the United States?'” Kostereva said.

Both Garner Inc. and Forrester Research Inc. echoed customers. They pointed out bpm’online’s high ratings and asked why it was not present in the U.S. 

Three years ago, the company responded by setting up an office in Boston, Massachusetts. 

While bpm’online is a strong, established company in Europe, its move to the U.S. has been refreshing and enlivening, according to Kostereva. “We feel … like a start-up here in Boston.”

It turned out to be a great idea she would not have had without strong open communication with customers. Companies can build excellent customer relations on top of very holistic business processes, she pointed out.

“They need to have holistic processes first. And then, based on this process, they’re going to have great customer relations. I would recommend all … entrepreneurs talk more to their customers, because when you and your customers have the same vision about how to develop the company, how to develop the product, it inspires you,” Kostereva concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the CloudNOW “Top Women in Cloud” Innovation Awards event.

Photo: SiliconANGLE