Although data is a subject often addressed by marketing teams, it must nevertheless concern all of the company’s employees.
On the occasion of the entry into force of the new data protection regulation (the GDPR), we wanted to take a look at the role of data in the company and understand how it transforms work methods. To help us get a clearer picture, we asked an expert in the field, Bertrand Dosseur, Director of Marketing at’Explore, a company specializing in Data Intelligence.
“Data is everywhere”
If data transforms the organization (we will see a little later how this transformation takes place), it is because everyone in the company is involved in its creation, sometimes even without being aware of it.
“Data is everywhere. It is generated by a set of information systems, which irrigate organizations based on their own interactions with customers and prospects.
The value of the data lies in its ability to build strong customer knowledge for the company. To do this, companies are looking for data that is increasingly “structured”.
This then involves organizing the collection and exploitation of data, and cross-referencing it with third-party data (provided, for example, by companies like Explore) in order to successfully use it to build a true 360-degree customer knowledge.
“We know how difficult it is to obtain quality information on a daily basis by teams who are not necessarily in this profession. Explore really brings very high-quality data with the ability to operate within third-party information systems. As a result, we are increasingly integrated into CRM systems,”, I would like to point out Bertrand Dosseur.
The organization of the data collection, as well as its exploitation, then involves adapting the work methods within the company.
“The date is transformative”
For Bertrand Dosseur, if data transforms the company, it is primarily:
“because it involves going beyond just the data material and involves a whole set of reflections around organization, on how we will operate once we have this data available.”
Because it concerns more than just marketing services within the company and requires the cross-disciplinary involvement of several skills, the data streamlines the sharing between services by breaking down silos to enable collaboration and exchange.
It is by implementing new collaborative working modes around data that it will truly become structured and organized, and that companies will be able to exploit its true value, for example in improving the customer experience.
If data is transformative, it is also because it brings to light new professions that serve data. In the same way as the Chief Data Officers, responsible for understanding the technical and operational aspects of data and for guiding the data strategy. However, it is important not to separate the data-related competencies within the organization. As Bertrand Dosseur reminds us:
“The key is not necessarily computer-based or technical; it must also be cross-organizational.”
In fact, the role of the Chief Data Officer is to bring together all the company’s departments around big data projects, to create synergies and to multiply interactions between the different entities.
How can we successfully instill a data culture in the company?
Not all companies are yet organized around this “transformative data”, and internally not everyone feels that data concerns them. As Bertrand Dosseur explains:
“We need to help teams understand the data they can access and the importance of placing data at the center of their concerns. However, we see that there are still obstacles.”
Before organizing themselves around the implementation of new work modes, companies must first succeed in removing the obstacles from their employees. And if they still persist today, it may be because:
“because data has always been a topic that has been monopolized by IT or marketing” Bertrand Dosseur advances. “But today, it is crucial that everyone in the company understands the benefits of data to become an active participant in data collection throughout the entire life cycle of the company. Everyone must be involved in this topic.”
Because change takes time, it then seems necessary to raise awareness and provide training to all the departments involved in data in order to generate a true data culture within the company.
“There is a real need for support and awareness-raising initiatives to help dispel some fears. We cannot solely focus on the process and IT aspects. It is absolutely essential to raise the question of a shared culture of data among all the stakeholders in the company.”