The Power of Unified Data in Your Customer Experience

This is the second piece in a 2-part series, as I explore how the pandemic has dramatically altered consumer experience expectations. See part 1, here.

While the pandemic forced many brands to evolve their customer experiences, other factors like Amazon have changed the rules, too. Most digitally native companies have offered simpler and more convenient experiences online as a result, because Amazon delivered new forms of value, and customers love it. 

As a result, customer expectations continue to rise, and they now expect Amazon’s level of simplicity with every online shopping experience. What was great 5 years ago is now the baseline expectation for how things should be. 

You can no longer just sit back and just measure customer satisfaction. Customers expect more immediacy and ease, and a rich omnichannel experience. Meanwhile, many companies still have a transactional view of people, instead of doing the work necessary to find out what they really want. 

But there’s one more thing that helps the core capabilities work together in a seamless way – smart, nimble, unified customer data. Real-time insights into what customers are buying, what they are passionate about, and really understanding what their needs are. Fragmented data makes it hard to understand the customer, their context and intent. And, it’s highly likely to deliver the wrong response in the wrong channel.

Unified customer data feeds everything else. If this is not in place, it’s impossible to personalize and be relevant at every interaction. Don’t just gather the transactional data – but combine it with customer feedback and business outcomes. Most importantly, tie-in what your research shows customers want, to really understand how to better target and deliver up an amazing experience for the customer. Delivering that experience in the moment is incredible.

When Covid hit, all of our marketing ecosystems changed overnight. Our customer listening is now on steroids. You have to learn as much as you can about each individual, and the different ways you can engage with them. 

• First, we have to connect all the data we have, then we can figure out what they want so we can better interact with them 
• Next, based on this data we orchestrate interactions, and ultimately make their experience better. 
• And finally, we deliver a great customer experience. 

When your customer experience is dialed in, people want to interact with your company or brand. They want to engage with you repeatedly and will most likely share the experience with their friends.

Data-fueled customer understanding is the new post-Covid norm. That’s why we hyper-target audiences. We identify the right audience for your product or service, and then we get your message in front of that audience with engaging content, at high frequency using a combination of digital channels. Because we identify the right audience, we maximize every marketing dollar you spend. It’s people based marketing – to know, understand, and activate on customer’s passions, interests and behaviors.

It’s important to realize the digital revolution is still just beginning: More than half of total ad revenue is still in traditional media. There are $250 billion dollars annually sitting in TV and print that have yet to move over to digital. Marketers who embrace the fundamentals of customer experience, working with the most effective digital partners, stand a much better chance of winning a piece of that digital pie and enhancing customers experience.

Jason Whiting is a Strategic Advisor for Max Connect Marketing, a nationally recognized digital marketing agency that creates innovative marketing campaigns that drive real business outcomes for its clients. All campaigns are powered by Max Connect's real-time intent platform. Awarded as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in America in 2020 & ranked one of the 2020 Best Companies to Work For.

For more than 20-years, Jason has pushed the limits of advertising communications for brands like Nike, Morgan Stanley, Hulu, Target, Verizon, Coke, ESPN, Four Seasons, and Diageo to name a few. From launching some of the first commercial websites, to leading today’s ever changing, multi-channel mediums, he has been there. He creates engaging relationships between clients, their brands and customers, building teams to push innovative ideas with amazing results.