Hiring a data scientist sounds like the next logical step, right? After all, if your organization is trying to become more data-driven, wouldn’t bringing in an expert be the smartest way to move forward?
Not necessarily.
In today’s fast-paced, budget-conscious environment, building a data science team from scratch can be expensive, slow, and often unnecessary—especially when there’s a smarter, faster way to unlock insights and drive impact.
At BlastPoint, we call this smarter path Upskilling Value—and it’s transforming how our partners think about customer intelligence.
The Cost of Hiring Data Experts: More Than Just a Salary
Let’s start with the numbers.
Hiring a mid-level data scientist in the U.S. typically costs between $120,000 and $180,000 per year. If you’re looking for someone with specialized experience (like customer segmentation or predictive analytics), that number climbs quickly. And if you’re in a competitive talent market? Expect bidding wars, long recruitment timelines, and sky-high compensation packages.
But the real costs go beyond salary:
- Time to hire: It can take 3–6 months to find the right candidate
- Onboarding and ramp-up: Another 1–3 months before they’re fully productive
- Tooling and infrastructure: Think licenses, data pipelines, cloud costs
- Cross-functional alignment: Analysts need time to learn your business
And even then, the insights you get are often funneled through a single gatekeeper slowing decisions, creating bottlenecks, and leaving non-technical teams in the dark.
The Alternative: Empower Your Existing Team
What if your current staff, the people who already understand your business, customers, and goals could access those same insights immediately, and act on them without waiting on a data queue?
That’s where BlastPoint comes in.
Our platform was built so non-technical teams from marketing and outreach to customer service and operations—can explore customer data, identify patterns, and launch targeted campaigns, all without a data science degree.
The result? Upskilling Value: the business impact your team generates when they’re empowered with easy-to-use, AI-powered insights.
What Does Upskilling Value Look Like?
Here’s what our partners tell us they experience when using BlastPoint instead of hiring data experts:
Cost Avoidance
By avoiding the need to hire one or more data scientists, organizations save six figures annually. BlastPoint becomes their virtual analyst—ready to deliver insights 24/7.
Time Savings
Instead of waiting weeks for reports, teams make informed decisions in real time. From identifying outreach targets to adjusting marketing strategies, everyone moves faster.
Operational Efficiency
No more silos. With a shared, intuitive platform, teams across departments can access and use data to align efforts, reduce duplication, and focus on impact.
Program Growth
With deeper, more accessible customer intelligence, organizations launch better-targeted campaigns that increase enrollment, improve retention, and boost revenue.
Upskilling Value = Business Impact Without Added Headcount
The beauty of Upskilling Value is that it doesn’t just reduce costs—it unlocks potential. It turns your current team into a data-driven force, ready to execute smarter strategies, faster. Instead of waiting for insights, they’re creating them. Instead of adding overhead, you’re adding momentum.
And most importantly, it scales. Whether you’re a utility trying to expand your assistance programs, a credit union looking to grow membership, a retailer or hospital aiming to personalize customer or patient experiences, BlastPoint meets you where you are—and helps your team move forward together.
Curious About Your Own Upskilling ROI?
To help organizations quantify the value of upskilling with BlastPoint, we built an Upskilling ROI Calculator.
With a few simple inputs, you’ll get a personalized estimate of how much your team could:
- Save by avoiding new data hires
- Gain in productivity and speed
- Grow through smarter customer engagement
Whether you’re exploring new tech, planning your next budget, or just trying to do more with the team you have, this calculator gives you a clear picture of the Upskilling Value waiting to be unlocked.