Why Your Business Needs a Unified Customer View System

Tap Data

·October 19, 2023

·8 min read

Introduction

In today's business landscape, customer satisfaction is more important than ever. With the rise of digital channels, customers have more options than ever before and can easily switch to a competitor if they are not satisfied. This is where a unified customer view system comes in. A unified customer view system allows businesses to build a complete view of their customers' information from multiple channels. By having a 360-degree view of their customers, businesses can provide personalized services, improve customer service experience, and locate customers with potential product or additional purchase needs.

One of the leading solutions in this space is Tapdata. Tapdata collects data from various systems, standardizes different data structures, provides standard APIs, analyzes customer data, and presents customer data and analysis results. With Tapdata, businesses can gain insights into their customers' behavior and preferences that were previously impossible to obtain. These insights can be used to tailor marketing messages to individual customers or segments of customers.

In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of having a unified customer view system and how Tapdata can help businesses build one. We will also look at success cases where Tapdata has been used to improve customer experiences and increase revenue. Additionally, we will discuss the challenges that businesses face when building a unified customer view system and what the future holds for this technology.

Benefits of a Unified Customer View System

A unified customer view system offers several benefits to businesses. One of the most significant advantages is personalization of customer service. By understanding customer preferences, businesses can provide tailored recommendations and build customer loyalty. For instance, if a business knows that a particular customer prefers eco-friendly products, it can recommend such products to the customer. This not only makes the customer feel valued but also increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Another benefit of a unified customer view system is improved customer service experience. Customers expect quick and efficient service across all channels, be it online or offline. A unified system ensures that customers receive consistent service across all channels and reduces wait times. For example, if a customer contacts support through social media and then calls the support center for follow-up, the agent handling the call will have access to all previous interactions with the customer on social media. This helps in faster issue resolution and increases overall satisfaction.

A unified customer view system also helps businesses locate customers with potential product or additional purchase needs. By analyzing data from multiple sources, such as purchase history, browsing behavior, and social media activity, businesses can identify cross-selling and upselling opportunities. For instance, if a business notices that a particular customer has been browsing for shoes online, it can recommend matching accessories or offer discounts on related products. Targeted marketing campaigns based on this data can lead to increased revenue for businesses.

How Tapdata Helps Build a Unified Customer View System

Tapdata is a powerful tool that can help businesses build a unified customer view system. By collecting data from various systems, Tapdata can provide a complete view of customer information from multiple channels. This means that businesses can get a better understanding of their customers and provide personalized services that improve the customer service experience.

One of the key features of Tapdata is its ability to standardize different data structures. This means that businesses no longer need to worry about the inconsistencies that arise when dealing with data from multiple sources. With Tapdata, all data is standardized, making it easier to analyze and use.

In addition to standardizing data structures, Tapdata also provides standard APIs. These APIs make it easy for businesses to integrate their existing systems with Tapdata. This means that businesses can continue using their existing tools while still benefiting from the power of Tapdata.

Another important feature of Tapdata is its ability to analyze customer data. With advanced analytics capabilities, Tapdata can help businesses identify patterns in customer behavior and preferences. This information can then be used to create targeted marketing campaigns or identify customers with potential product or additional purchase needs.

Finally, Tapdata makes it easy for businesses to present customer data and analysis results. With customizable dashboards and reports, businesses can quickly and easily access the information they need to make informed decisions.

Success Cases

Several businesses have successfully implemented a unified customer view system to improve their customer service and personalize their experiences. One such example is the UK-based retailer, John Lewis. The company used customer data collected from various sources, including in-store purchases, online orders, and social media interactions, to create a comprehensive view of each customer. This allowed them to provide personalized recommendations and targeted marketing campaigns that resulted in increased sales and customer loyalty.

Another success story is that of the American airline JetBlue. By implementing a unified customer view system, JetBlue was able to provide its customers with a seamless experience across all touchpoints. They could track passenger preferences and behavior patterns to anticipate their needs and offer personalized services like onboard snacks or seat upgrades. This resulted in higher levels of satisfaction among customers and improved brand loyalty.

In the healthcare industry, Kaiser Permanente used a unified customer view system to improve patient care by providing doctors with access to real-time patient data from multiple sources. This helped physicians make better-informed decisions about treatment plans and improve patient outcomes.

Challenges of Building a Unified Customer View System

Building a unified customer view system can be a challenging task for any business. One of the most significant challenges is data privacy concerns. Companies must comply with various regulations and protect sensitive customer information while collecting and analyzing data. Ensuring data security is also crucial to maintain customer trust and prevent data breaches.

Another challenge is the integration of legacy systems. Many companies have multiple systems that store customer information, making it difficult to standardize different data structures and migrate data from one system to another. Compatibility issues can arise when integrating these systems, requiring additional resources and time to resolve.

Data quality and accuracy are also essential challenges that businesses face when building a unified customer view system. Data cleansing and normalization are necessary to eliminate errors, duplicates, and inconsistencies in the data collected from various sources. Data validation and verification processes ensure that the data is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. Effective data governance and management practices help maintain high-quality data over time.

Finally, costs and resources are significant challenges for businesses when building a unified customer view system. Investment in technology infrastructure is required to collect, store, analyze, and present customer data effectively. Hiring skilled professionals who can manage the system's complexity is also necessary for success. Maintenance and updates require ongoing investment in resources to keep the system running smoothly.

In summary, building a unified customer view system requires overcoming several challenges related to data privacy concerns, integration of legacy systems, data quality and accuracy, costs, and resources. However, with the right tools like Tapdata in place and proper planning strategies implemented by experts in this field; businesses can build an effective unified customer view system that delivers personalized services while improving their customers' overall experience with their brand.

The Future of Unified Customer View Systems

As technology continues to advance, the future of unified customer view systems looks promising. With the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning, these systems will be able to analyze customer data in real-time and provide personalized experiences on a whole new level. Additionally, the integration with Internet of Things (IoT) will allow for even more data collection from various sources, providing a complete picture of the customer journey. Enhanced data visualization and reporting will also make it easier for businesses to understand their customers' needs and preferences.

However, as with any technology, there are also potential challenges that come with building a unified customer view system. One challenge is ensuring the security and privacy of customer data, especially with stricter regulations such as GDPR and CCPA being enforced. Another challenge is integrating multiple data sources into one system while maintaining data accuracy and consistency. It will be important for businesses to work closely with their IT teams or third-party providers to address these challenges.

In conclusion, a unified customer view system can provide numerous benefits for businesses in terms of improving customer service, personalization, and identifying potential sales opportunities. Tapdata offers a solution that can help build such a system by collecting data from various sources, standardizing different data structures, analyzing customer data, and presenting results in an easy-to-understand format. As technology continues to evolve, the future of unified customer view systems looks bright with advancements in AI/ML, IoT integration, and enhanced data visualization/reporting. However, it is important for businesses to also consider potential challenges when implementing such systems to ensure the security and accuracy of customer data.