Even large companies – especially highly regulated ones – are often scared to confront the gremlins in their data. Sometimes their data is in a bad state because of the ghosts of previous acquisitions. Or it might be fragmented among different worlds or systems and therefore inaccessible from the one you currently inhabit.
This might spook your organization into thinking it could take several years and millions of dollars (not to mention lots of garlic) to begin extracting customer intelligence from your data. Luckily, BlastPoint’s proprietary software can help you both assemble the skeleton that organizes your data, and then flesh it out with selected external data. And we can can help you make it useful in about the amount of time between Labor Day and Halloween.
All Pumpkin Seeds Start out Slimy
If you think your data resembles raw pumpkin seeds haunting the inside of your Jack-O-Lantern, you’re not alone. Not only do they initially exist in perpetual darkness, but even when they are exposed to light they are disorganized and bound together haphazardly with pulp and stringy fibers. They are also hard to eat – and could make you sick. You don’t really want to touch them more than you have to because they are slippery and gooey.
Before you begin devouring your pumpkin seeds, you first have to decide how you want to prepare them. Is your end goal to eat them roasted, candied, or baked in a cookie? Much like with your data, it’s important to know what you want out of it before you get started.
Organizing your Pumpkin Seeds
Once you’ve separated your seeds and organized them in a central location – maybe a baking sheet or blender – you might need to add additional ingredients to get the results you want. Your potion might be as simple as a bit of olive oil and salt for roasting. Or it might be more complex like herbs for pesto or sugar to add a candied flavor.
Unless you are a ghoulish chef yourself, you will likely want to consult an expert to help you understand the extra ingredients you will need. BlastPoint is that expert when it comes to knowing which external data to add to the internal data you already have. After all, you don’t just put seeds into an oven and find a cake 30 minutes later.
Taking your own Potion
Once you taste your first concoction, you might want to modify the ingredients in your brew to optimize your results – much like refining your combination of external and internal data to ensure your search results make the biggest impact on your customer intelligence efforts.
At the end of the process, if you do it right, your customer satisfaction scores should increase significantly. Even if that customer is just yourself, eating pumpkin cookies.
Learn more about BlastPoint’s customer intelligence solutions. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.