Data has become the basis for transformation in business. For small and mid sized businesses maintaining, updating, and integrating the data into an operational framework may be a challenge.
In essence digital transformation is moving from analog paper to digital scans. In a small to mid sized business the data being digitized may come from a website, a Facebook, Instagram, an email, or a sales receipt.
Employees and business owners alike are frequently focused on trying to determine which emergent technology is best their use in terms of extrapolating meaningful data. The approach is more a of a scatter gun process than a focused point of determining which data tools are best suited to their needs.
In the event that data collection and analysis tools have been selected and implemented, the data that is being collected and analyzed needs to be current and up to date. Often there is a breakdown in having useable data available for analytics.
Digital strategy’s need to be able to be the “north star” providing clear direction for how data will be used. Is the data you have able to do that? Does it provide clear guidance in relation to what needs to be done to change your business process or model? Or is the data available to you simply regurgitating the old model?
To begin having your digital strategy be impactful and effective – the data needs to be current and correctly categorized. It is not useful to have data entered incorrectly and to spend valuable internal resources and time on cleaning up old or new messes.
It may be prudent is to have current employees solving the issues or concerns of internal and external clients. Bringing in short term contractors may prove to be the most beneficial method for data clean-up. With the assistance of external resources the tracking of KPI’s becomes meaningful again in terms of the promise of the digital transformation that has been undertaken.
For assistance in updating data do be in contact.
Marie-Helene, Effective Placement & Faery Godmothers
