Data Integration Is Vital to Customer Experience- Valutrics

Most organizations are now using analytics and metrics in a broad range of ways to measure the impact of customer engagement, according to a recent survey from Forbes Insights and SAS. The resulting report, titled “Data Elevates the Customer Experience: New Ways of Discovering and Applying Customer Insights,” reveals that companies are now creating databases or data warehouses, for example, to integrate both internal and external sources of data throughout various, available apps and channels—taking advantage of an ever-expanding volume of customer-related digital information. As a result, survey respondents say they’re better positioned to deliver a superior customer experience. There is, however, room for improvement, as only a minority of companies integrate their data so that it is shared within all channels (including mobile ones) in real-time. “Today’s customer experience requires a combination of individualized insights, connected interactions and an agile approach to meet customers in the channel of their choosing,” according to the report. “This means more than simply doing the same things over in the new channels. It requires new ways of exploring customer trends and preferences, and being smarter about responding to these factors … Delivering a successful customer experience requires a mix of activities and competencies, from data integration to technology implementations, to training, to rethinking processes, and it doesn’t happen overnight.” Nearly 360 global senior execs took part in the research.