Data Concierge: Driving Business Intelligence Collaboration

Data Concierge: Driving Business Intelligence Collaboration

This was first published in Dataversity.

Discerning businesses are ensuring each area of their organizations has access to performance metrics. Armed with data, their teams can accelerate decision-making, respond to client and marketplace demands and mitigate risks.

The issue is many organizations have segregated data environments. Each department often has its own data management platform that may not integrate with other systems within the company. Even when the marketing and sales departments share a CRM (customer relationship management) platform, there’s sometimes a lag in updating information or a disconnect about next steps for reaching out to sales leads and clients.

Key team members may have difficulty understanding the business intelligence that’s available on their data reports and dashboards. Some departments may not be aligned on goals or lack consistent communications to collaborate effectively.

Data Concierge Strengthening Collaborations

These business bottlenecks are scenarios where a data concierge can be the go-between for data scientists and the rest of the organization. Data analysts and engineers may have limited experience in presenting data so that it’s easily understood by non-technical team members.

A data concierge understands the technical terms used by data scientists. They can ensure the project goals and overall business objectives are clearly articulated. The data concierge will work with the data team to integrate, organize, categorize and analyze the information. They offer guidance to data analysts for interpreting the numbers and key findings.

Another crucial area where a data concierge enhances value is the big picture view of the project goals across departments. The data concierge helps to organize the stats and performance metrics and assists with data visualization.

They support the creation of executive summaries, reports and presentations. The ultimate goal is to articulate the findings to empower business decisions.

Harnessing Business Intelligence Collaboration

Data consultants offering data concierge services are all-in on collaborative business intelligence (BI). Collaborative BI combines business intelligence tools with collaboration platforms to improve decision-making across organizations.

The technique optimizes technologies and dashboards to facilitate team discussions and problem-solving. Through collaborative BI, organizations can streamline processes, increase productivity and reduce costs across the operation.

Rather than disparate systems and siloed departments, collaborative BI enhances data integration and improved cooperation with various departments and teams.

A data concierge will employ best practices to maximize collaborative BI for each data project:

1. Define goals – Identify the objectives of the project, desired outcomes and key performance indicators (KPIs) being measured.

2. Invest in business intelligence and collaboration tools – Make certain your organization has the appropriate technologies that will provide the needed KPI with communications platforms to work across teams. Real-time data analysis and discussions will be critical for success.

Partnering with a forward-thinking data consultant allows your organization access to the newest collaborative BI technologies and tools.

3. Identify stakeholders with clear roles and responsibilities – Engage team members in the planning and implementation stages. Assign day-to-day responsibilities and project management roles.

4. Prioritize data governance. Establish data governance procedures to ensure data quality. From data security, information accuracy and consistency, all stakeholders will be able to trust the integrity of the data.

5. Share company resources and insights. The chosen technologies and collaborative BI platforms must allow sharing of key insights and resources throughout the organization. Data transparency increases team connections and ignites new ideas to solve problems.

6. Support success. Regularly monitoring each project and measuring KPIs allows evaluation and opportunities to adjust and improve.

Collaborative BI has a positive impact in diverse industries. A data concierge can be instrumental in facilitating these scenarios:

• Healthcare: By streamlining data collection, healthcare providers can recognize patterns to better understand patients’ needs. Health systems can tailor programs and services to address patients’ illnesses and concerns in order to improve outcomes and healthcare quality.
• Human Resources: By analyzing workforce data, HR practitioners can support talent acquisition, employee retention and performance evaluations.
• Financial Reporting: By enhancing financial data analysis, finance leaders enable better budgeting, forecasting, expense tracking and more.
• Transportation: By collecting and analyzing data from traffic sensors, transportation professionals can help reduce congestion. They can better manage traffic flow to enhance public safety and cut travel time.
• Supply Chain Management: By monitoring inventory levels and predicting demand, supply chain leaders can expedite procurement processes.
• Education: By identifying schools and classrooms that need extra attention, educators can improve resource allocation for independent school districts, colleges, universities, training centers and more.

When businesses use data concierge services and optimize collaborative BI, they are advancing knowledge sharing and cooperation across their organizations. A data concierge can make all the difference for companies to stay ahead of marketplace trends, boost customer satisfaction, manage risks, streamline operations and, ultimately, make smarter decisions.

William Skelly is founder and CEO of Causeway Solutions, a leading provider of Acquisition Analytics and innovative data services. Bill serves as advisor with some of the nation’s most influential organizations—from grassroots public affairs efforts to U.S. Presidential campaign strategies. Causeway Solutions empowers clients to make smart, timely, data-driven decisions through real-time consumer insights to better reach target audiences. Learn more at Causeway Solutions.