1to1 Magazine - November/December 2008 - (Page 39) hot topics DATABASE/ANALYTICS | CUSTOMER SERVICE | SALES | MARKETING Geography Is No Match for Data Integration Managing data across geographies is complex. To help simplify the task some companies are integrating processes. Global customer data management is a complex undertaking. Mismanaging information across regions can lead to missed sales opportunities, inconsistent branding, and misinformed marketing decisions— all affecting a company’s P&L. Product, price, and customer service need to be viewed holistically to get the right offers to the right customers. But for enterprises operating in multiple countries, evaluating the financial and logistical impacts of various offers and campaigns can be nearly impossible using disparate data sets. Complications like language, privacy laws, and country-specific policies and technologies typically cause regions to keep their “If there’s a business reason for centralizing, then the customer data to themselves. privacy rules really shouldn’t get in an organization’s way. ” Arabella Hallawell, vice president of the security and privacy group at Gartner, says that the privacy rules in some countries often act as an inhibitor to integrating and managing customer data, but place.” What Office Depot did was create process commonalities she maintains that there are many ways to navigate the complexiacross all the regions in which it operates in Europe. The company is ties. For example, she recommends negotiating with data protection unifying processes, but is managing separate data environments authorities, like Safe Harbor, to learn the best ways for transferring within regions. Then, within those regions, Office Depot is unifying data. “If there’s a business reason for centralizing, then the privacy the data for brand consistency. rules really shouldn’t get in an organization’s way,” Hallawell says. One of the commonalities is a unified strategy for determining Centralizing data and creating one monster database may be the actual offers and marketing processes. “They said, ‘Here’s the first tactic executives consider when starting on strategy, here’s how we will focus on this course, but it’s unrealistic in today’s global customers,’” Eggers says. “The piece they’re operating environments because of all the able to replicate is, ‘If I’m running successful Sources of Global Data various privacy laws and differing legacy campaigns in Germany, what’s working well In a typical organization, data is divided as shown below. systems. Michele Eggers, marketing manager for in Germany that my coworkers in France can SAS, says there’s another way that doesn’t benefit from?’” 25% involve replacing legacy systems or navigating Colin Shearer, senior vice president of Structured complex privacy laws. Instead, it involves market strategy at SPSS, says he too is seeing (databases/ data stores) creating a system of unified process best pracmore companies deploy a common platform 70% tices for marketing and analytics that are shared that will create, encapsulate, and deliver 5% SemiUnstructured Unstructured (images, Web 70% across regions. processes administered by the executive level. (emails) content, videos) “Marketing departments have historically Marketing commonalities would be governed been doing the same activities, but weren’t able by a CMO, for example. “The commonality is Source: “Information Management: Better to share that information,” Eggers says. “While in the process, not the data,” he says. Information for Winning Systems,” SAS there are differences in that many of these Shearer says that multinational companies companies need to track the customer-level may be selling the same products, but each data separately, they’re starting to share the best practice strategies.” country markets differently. According to Shearer, to work effectively Eggers has been working with Office Depot on its customer data the strategy should include control and distribution from headquarintegration efforts, and explains that the company didn’t necessarily ters of tactics like analytic processes and marketing campaign best say in the beginning, “Let’s throw all the customer data into one continued on page 40 > DATABASE/ ANALYTICS www.1to1media.com November/December 2008 39 http://www.1to1media.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.