This is an interesting article published by Tech Target that debates the need for integrated customer data perspectives when engaging in digital multi-marketing and the need for strict data security policies. The practitioner views that feature in the article paint a clear picture of the challenges of harvesting a single view from so many near-real-time sources of customer data.
What it doesn't do is offer any suggestions or solutions to the issues that marketers face. it would be tickity boo if all of the customer data being harvested was in the same format and came pre-cleansed of all the silly things that people type into computers (particularly in fields marketed 'email address'!!) - but for most marketers, the big challenge is to obtain as a starting point a single view of their customers.
Creating a single version of the truth when it comes to customer records is still not childs play though there are a number of new technologies available today to create a single view of customer data from the many and various data sources. While I will purposely not to mention any specific vendor names, these are the essential tools that in my opinion every digital marketer needs.
You will need a tool for:
Data Harvesting
The first task is to source customer-related data from where it exists. This includes contact centre, contact management systemsm showroom systems, email marketing systems, web sources and mobile marketing systems - not forgetting the financial/ERP and other various internal service delivery systems that exist.
Gathering data can come in the form of direct two-way integration with data sources, or it can be more of a 'push' process from the source system; either a web-service, times event, API or CSV template upload.
Data Cleansing
The next task is to cleanse the data that's been gathered. This data will probably require transformation and normalisation (getting the right data into the right fields and formats).
De-Duping
De-duping is that fun task of highlighting duplicate records and then working out what to do with them. Good systems can turn this process into an automated set of rules to avoid busy marketing administrators from having to perform the de-duping task manually further downstream in the process.
Data Quarantining
There are two forms of quarantining: one is a macro set of rules that does the majoriity of the data cleaning and formatting while the other is a manual quarantine which means database managers can elect to assign records that aren't quite right into a quarantine area so they can be re-checked and re-published at a later time. Good quarantining systems will support automated workflows to build task lists and have this work scheduled.
Flattening
Flattening is a process step that takes the various sources of data and moulds the content into a single customer record that takes the best bits of all of the various data sources. Good flattening systems will use sophisticated rules engines to work out which source of data is the most accurate and systems can be configured to establish how to deal with duplicate field entries and that sort of thing.
Mashup/Composite Data Views
When your customer record is complete you still need a way of viewing and sharing the information. The is where mashup and 'situational applications' come in. These apps create an easily adapted user interface with which to access the composite customer record you've created. The advantage of situational applications platforms is they can be adapted without coding or entering into a big IT project which means you can constantly adapt them to suit your needs (unlike traditional IT).
Once you've god the best of your customer data into a single record that can be accessed by the business you are well on the way to having an effective marketing and relationship management system It means that you can from this point accurately analyze and understand customer patterns and behaviours, exectuive marketing campaigns without the risk of over or undermarketing to customers - and you can provide front-line staff across the business with the knowledge they need to interact with customers in a professional way because they start every dialogue with the most up-to-date information.
And thanks to all of these new toys, many marketers will be able to avoid those late nights of manual data crunching on spreadsheets - which is good given that we're fast approaching the Christmas holidays and most of us would rather be someplace else!
I.
