According to a 2021 report, 82% of respondents stated their organization is trying to gather more customer data. However, a staggering 61% also say that making sense of this information is a significant pain point.
Your organization likely gathers and stores massive amounts of customer data. If so, then a fair amount of that data goes unutilized which means you may have wasted some information-gathering efforts.
To remedy this, we put together this quick guide to unearth hidden data. Learn how hidden data can enhance the customer support experience and what you can do to break down barriers to acting on insights.
What Is Hidden Data?
Hidden data, sometimes referred to as “siloed data,” is information that is difficult to access and apply to crucial business processes. Data silos are created when information is gathered by a particular group within your organization but cannot easily be viewed by other departments.
For instance, let’s say that your sales team collects information about prospective buyers via an online “contact us” form. Although the data is stored in your customer relationship management (CRM) software, it may not be readily available to other groups like customer support agents. Even if the data is accessible, agents may not know that it exists or where to look for it.
Leverage Hidden Data to Enhance Support
Suppose your organization can break down these data silos and find more efficient ways to utilize customer information. In that case, you can substantially enhance the support experience. Leveraging hidden data will allow you to:
Reveal Customer Pain Points: Revisiting previously submitted forms and other data you’ve already collected is a great way to step into the minds of customers. This approach will allow you to better understand the pain points they experience and how to remedy those issues. Analyzing hidden data and then using that information to adjust the service model will also enhance your brand image. It can make customer feel as though they are being heard, which will nurture feelings of loyalty and trust. In turn, this has the potential to increase the average lifetime value of these customers, a plus for any business.
Identify Preferred Channels: Analyzing hidden data is also a great way of identifying customers’ preferred communication channels. For instance, if they selected email as their preferred communication for sales-related correspondence, they likely prefer receiving support via a similar text-based option. To that end it’s vital that your organization offers omnichannel support. There is an essential distinction between omnichannel and multi-channel support, although the two terms are often used interchangeably. Multi-channel support simply means that your customers can connect with agents via more than one medium, such as email, text, or over the phone. Dedicated omnichannel support gives support agents the freedom to transition between voice and non-voice channels while also ensuring data aggregation from all touchpoints. Omnichannel support enhances data transparency and helps prevent information from being unutilized.
Redefine Your Audience: Learning to make better use of the data you collect will define your target audience more accurately. You can utilize this information to improve segmentation capabilities, which will lead to more effective marketing and customer support. Traditionally, defining audiences is a process designed to benefit sales and marketing teams. However, this information is also beneficial for support agents, as they must know who they are serving. This knowledge allows support agents to deliver better value to potentially disgruntled customers which could turn a negative product experience into a trust-building opportunity for your brand.
Related Article: Is Big Data Big? Not If You’re in Customer Support
Overcome Barriers to Data Utilization
While there are many ways to improve how your organization utilizes its data, we recommend beginning with these three proven approaches.
- Implement Omnichannel Solutions
Omnichannel communication solutions prevent the data collected from customer support interactions from being siloed or hidden. This approach will prevent consumers from having to repeat their issues to multiple support agents each time they reach out for assistance. - Establish a Centralized Data Storage Location
Your organization must establish a centralized data storage location. If you are using a modern, cloud-based CRM, then your data is already being stored in this manner. However, your CRM may not be configured optimally to meet the needs of your business.
If this is the case, then you can partner with an experienced outsourced support team that also provides CRM configuration and consulting services. Such a partner would help you get the most out of your CRM investment so that you can overcome the problem of hidden data. - Deploy Business Intelligence Technology
You should deploy leading-edge business intelligence technologies into your data management practices. However, this can be a major endeavor, which is why many organizations elect to outsource this task as well.
When you would like to follow suit, Goodbay Technologies can help. At Goodbay, we have integrated advanced analytics and business intelligence services directly into our outsourced customer support delivery model.
This approach ensures that you can leverage the power of hidden data while simultaneously providing your customers with the support they deserve. To learn more about our full suite of outsourced support services, contact Goodbay Technologies today.
