Autora: Lorena Sánchez Osorio
This past week, I had a meeting with a company that reminded me of the importance of a clear data policy for customer service.
I needed maintenance for a service contracted with the company and ended up speaking with 5 advisors from different areas, all of whom asked me the same questions. I had to tell my story 5 times, and my state of calm diminished as the advisors passed by, ending up in a state of complaint and deep frustration with the company. This made me sit down and think about what I could do to have a #goodlifewithdata. Here is the development of my conclusion:
The data integration is one of the most important reasons to implement a data project in an organization. I'll explain it to you with a simple example: imagine that in your company, each department speaks a different language. Sales speaks English, Purchasing only speaks French, and the Production department speaks Spanish. How difficult would it be for the leader to request Production and Purchasing to fulfill the order that Sales closed? If our organization has interdisciplinary teams that seek to work in harmony between departments, what language do they communicate in? How do I ensure the correct flow of communication? I need intermediaries that could affect the speed of communication, right?
Now, the language of business should be data. Data gives me an objective answer to the questions we ask from the different areas and allows us to integrate the organization into a common strategic objective. Do we speak the same data language? To find out the answer, I invite you to take a report from another area. Could you read this report without any problem, without having context? If your answer is negative, we are not speaking the same data language and we are missing important messages within our communication.
What about the maintenance company and the data in my case? If the information were aligned across departments, I wouldn't have to repeat my case. Everyone would be informed about my situation, and we wouldn't need 5 advisors for a reassuring response. My perception of the company would be of proper customer management, and I would have ended my call feeling satisfied with the service provided. Focusing on customer service and having my hold message say, 'Your call is very important to us,' is not enough to make the customer feel special or, at the very least, respected within the company. Good service means consistency, empathy with time and emotions, and, of course, proper management of customer data and requests.
Once again, we can see that the GOOD LIFE OF DATA is within reach of all companies, and we are all impacted positively or negatively by policies regarding data management and integration. Data cuts across the organization; it is not exclusively managed by technology departments. When we start to understand data as assets that generate profitability through digital transformation, we will see a universe of implementation possibilities.
Long live the data!
Reflections on the Importance of a Clear Data Policy