3 winning data strategies for human-centric organizations

Today, there is unprecedented demand for high-quality data, research and experience feedback. For leaders of Experience and Insights teams, this is a transformative opportunity.

Those who succeed will operate at the strategic heart of their organizations. They will help drive innovation, customer retention, acquisition, and growth. And they will be at the forefront of a global trend toward more human-centric business practices.

But to deliver on this promise, leaders will need to overcome the challenges of dubious, disconnected and dehumanized data.

Read: Your Data Investments Aren’t Delivering – Three Reasons Why

At Forsta, we see the most dynamic and forward-thinking organizations embrace Human Experience to meet these challenges. Here are three of the key strategies they adopt.

Clear data

HX insights are built on first-party and zero-party trusted data.

First-party data is behavioural: on-site, in-app, purchase history, account activity. Sources include CRM systems, web analytics or sales data.

Zero-party data is intentionally and proactively shared by a customer: experience feedback, personal profile, purchase intentions. Sources include customer and market surveys, contact centre interactions and attributable reviews.

Trusted feedback, behavioural and contextual data is the foundation layer for Human Experience insights. When you know where your data comes from, you can make more confident decisions with it.

Disconnected data

Yes, Experience and Research teams have more data than ever.

But how much of it is readily available – in a usable format – without battling another department for it?

These days it’s less about who owns the customer and more about who owns the customer data.

Technical, organisational and cultural silos all limit the effectiveness of data strategies.

We may design compelling PowerPoint models that take customers on Journeys, across Channels and through Funnels; but the reality is often a mess of disconnected systems, departmental wrangles and delays.

For many organisations, the Single View of the Customer is a distant dream. The reality is a kaleidoscope of fragmented, partial views; plenty of frustration; and huge inefficiencies when trying to put the picture back together again.

Connected data

The most effective organisations break down data silos to combine HX data sources into a single view.

Open integration layers, data lakes and granular security protocols are used to integrate HX data:

• between different departments: CRM, CX, Customer Insights, Digital, UX, Analytics
• across source types: customer / non-customer surveys, behavioural data, social / reviews, contact centre feedback
• across formats: structured / unstructured; text, image and video; large and small datasets.

Connecting different perspectives builds a more complete view; enables more powerful and predictive analytics; and helps develop products and services designed around people.

Human-centered data

Positive human experiences are underpinned by empathy and understanding.

Qualitative insights – combined with large-scale data – reveal the texture, stories and emotions that help deliver these experiences.

Video discussions, individual interviews, group interactions, smartphone diaries: this is what gives data a human face and heart.

Only by understanding the whole person do we see the whole picture. We make data work so much better when we humanise it.

Driving value from data with human experience insights

The most successful companies know the value of understanding both the pattern and the person. They take the 30,000 ft perspective and zoom in to see up close and personal from 3 ft.

They combine massively quantitative data with rich human insight on a deep qualitative level.

At Forsta we call this approach Human Experience, or HX.

Human Experience (HX) unites the disciplines of Customer and Employee Experience with Market Research, Customer Insights and Behavioral Analytics.

It builds on the principles of Human-Centered Design by combining deep insights at the individual level with broad observation and feedback from large populations. Download this white paper to find out how you can take advantage of Human Experience.