The document discusses structuring a digital analytics team to improve insight generation. It argues that teams currently lack skills in both data management and interpretation. To address this, the document recommends separating resources so that some team members focus on data management skills like extraction and reporting, while others focus on advanced analytics and interpretation skills. This specialized structure allows each role to develop deep expertise that can improve the overall insight generation process.
The document discusses structuring a digital analytics team to improve insight generation. It argues that teams currently lack skills in both data management and interpretation. To address this, the document recommends separating resources so that some team members focus on data management skills like extraction and reporting, while others focus on advanced analytics and interpretation skills. This specialized structure allows each role to develop deep expertise that can improve the overall insight generation process.
Original Description:
Data analysis
Original Title
EClerx SMS Whitepaper From Data to Business Insights Distro
The document discusses structuring a digital analytics team to improve insight generation. It argues that teams currently lack skills in both data management and interpretation. To address this, the document recommends separating resources so that some team members focus on data management skills like extraction and reporting, while others focus on advanced analytics and interpretation skills. This specialized structure allows each role to develop deep expertise that can improve the overall insight generation process.
The document discusses structuring a digital analytics team to improve insight generation. It argues that teams currently lack skills in both data management and interpretation. To address this, the document recommends separating resources so that some team members focus on data management skills like extraction and reporting, while others focus on advanced analytics and interpretation skills. This specialized structure allows each role to develop deep expertise that can improve the overall insight generation process.
to Business Insights Structuring a Digital Analytics Team for Improved Insight Generation
Executive Summary
For years, the digital analytics community has hoped for the evolution of a new breed of analyst who has expertise across the full range of activities required to translate raw data into actionable insights that can drive better business decisions. The reality is that analysts either possess the deep skill in a narrow range of activities, or shallow skill in a broad range of activities. The very few analysts who possess deep skill across all required activities in the process of generating insights lack the hours in the day to adequately perform the entire end-to-end process. Digital analytics managers can overcome this bottleneck by allocating separate resources for the two types of skills required: data management and advanced analytics (data interpretation). DAVID NELSON is the Practice Lead for Digital Analytics and Competitive Intelligence at eClerx, where he works with clients to build teams and customized processes for organizations Insights Are Required, Not Just Data involved in web analytics, sales and marketing analytics, pricing, and competitive intelligence. He has over 14 years of experience supporting and Organizations are increasingly embracing a data-driven culture, and the managing analytics teams at Fortune insights that can be extracted from data are playing a greater role in 50 companies, including Intel and Dell, shaping both the strategic and tactical decisions of marketing organizations before joining eClerx. and the broader business as a whole. Although the digital analytics community has come a long way, many companies suspect that their data holds more valuable information than they are currently getting. No longer can digital analytics teams be satisfied with being just the provider of data and reports to their internal customers. Analytics teams have a clear mandate to generate insights, not just data. However, many analytics teams are not properly staffed or structured to reach this next level.
In this paper, we will examine what analysts are currently doing, what they should be doing and how teams can bridge the gap between current state and optimized future state.
Learn more at www.eclerx.com The Insight Generation Process
At the highest level, there are two basic steps to the process of using data to generate relevant insights for your organization:
1. Gathering and managing data: The ability to efficiently extract and present data in a format that makes it relevant for its users
Interpreting data: The ability to explain the significance of data within the context of an industry, 2. company and current events
Exhibit 1 shows this process in more detail and illustrates the skillsets required to convert raw data into insights that can impact and drive business decisions. Many web analytics managers will admit to having room for improvement in the interpretation steps of the insight generation process. It is our belief that the typical digital analytics organization falls short in both the data management and interpretation aspects of the process.
Exhibit 1
Strategy
and
Leadership
Implementa3on
Data
Quality
Data
Data
Management
&
Interpreta-‐ Idea3on
Insights
Influence
Extrac3on
Visualiza3on
3on
Technical
Skills
Data
Management
Skills
Interpre3ve
and
Communica3on
Skills
Learn more at www.eclerx.com Data Extraction, Management and Visualization
A disproportionate amount of analysts’ time is get recognition, so analysts aren’t motivated to enhance currently spent on data extraction, management these skills. The catch however is: and visualization, which we’ll refer to as “data management”. According to the Digital Analytics If you don’t get the data right, you won’t produce Association1 (“DAA”), analysts estimate they spend quality insights. over 50% of their time on data capture activities, and between 21% and 30% of their time on reporting and That’s not to say that no one does data management forecasting. They don’t intend (or want) to spend 70- well. Some analysts do emerge as being especially skilled 80% of their time on data management – it is simply in data management. These analysts can’t be expected more time consuming than they think it ought to be to stay in their roles for very long. Great analysts have for a couple of reasons. First, requests for data and an insatiable desire to continue to learn and master new analysis by their internal customers are constantly things – this is what makes them great analysts. Once an increasing and analysts find it difficult to say “no”. analyst feels that he has mastered a particular skill, he is Second, they are not efficient in data extraction and eager to move on to a new role with fresh opportunities visualization, which results in wasted time. to learn new skills. Ideally, he will stay within the digital analytics organization or at least at the same company. Despite the significant time spent in this area, many But analysts frequently choose to use their acquired skills or most analysts do not develop enough data to jump to another company for an opportunity that their management skills to be truly efficient. While there are current employer cannot offer them. many reasons for this, it ultimately manifests in one overarching reason: The unfortunate situation is that most analysts are not motivated to become true experts at data It doesn’t get you promoted. management and reporting, and those who do develop adequate skills are eager to move on to Business partners, and even web analytics managers, more interesting roles. don’t really care how it’s done, they just want the insights. If an analyst has a few extra hours in her The result is that most digital analytics teams have week, she will spend it on data interpretation and the relatively weak data management skills, leading to “customer facing” aspects of her job, which allow her to inefficient processes, slow response times, possible display her talents to the organization. Data preparation, data quality issues, and by extension, potentially QA and management are usually a drudgery and don’t flawed analysis.
Solving the Skills Gap
Traditionally, the entire insight generation process has We should work towards an organization that has data been performed by a single analyst. For any incoming management and reporting experts working closely request, a single person would be responsible for the with true analysts with expertise in interpreting data. entire end-to-end process: Organizations must be proactive in building true • define the scope of the analysis expertise in data management. This involves hiring, • identify the required KPIs and data training and retaining data management professionals • set up and implement the tags (if necessary) who can offer expertise across all required analytics • extract the data platforms and tools used by an organization. They • create the reports and visualizations should also be process experts who can build • provide interpretation and insights appropriate automation mechanisms to improve both (if there’s time) the efficiency of report generation as well as the quality of the data. A key realization of some more advanced To create an environment where true expertise can analytics organizations is that the skills and functions be developed in both data management and data of data management lend themselves nicely to interpretation, these activities should be decoupled. outsourcing this work to third party solution providers.
Learn more at www.eclerx.com If the time–consuming aspects of data management who attempt to understand the business they are and reporting are provided by separate analysts, we analyzing, but they are marketing experts who know can change our approach to interpreting data and how to use data to gain valuable insights to inform influencing our business partners. We no longer business decisions. need to treat interpretation and communication as an afterthought to a data gathering exercise. Instead, By hiring for the right skills and giving analysts ample it will be the primary job of our senior analysts, who time to study the business (by shielding them from should be hired and trained on the basis of their ability the time consuming data management work), to understand the business, interpret data, generate companies will experience a breakthrough in the insights, and communicate those insights at all levels generation of insights. in the organization. They are no longer digital analysts
The Benefits of Outsourcing Your Data Management
Some of the largest analytics organizations globally Higher Job Satisfaction, Lower Team Attrition and have leveraged eClerx to take on the “heavy lifting” Simplicity of Operations of data management, enabling a transition of their • Internal analysts are generally unhappy digital analytics team to one that focuses on providing performing ongoing reporting and data meaningful insights. Our clients highlight the following management activities – greatly reducing this reasons for incorporating eClerx into their web component of their job naturally increases job analytics programs. satisfaction, company loyalty and retention Advanced Skills in Data Management, Automation, and Data Quality Processes • Reduced management time focused on hiring and training resources • Access to industry–leading practices in data management, automation, and process • Significant decrease in the amount of time improvements managers spend on reporting–related issues. Increased time on expanding the scope and • A continuous QA process, leads to increased capabilities of the web analytics team confidence in data quality and the insights that result Improved Continuity of Service • In–house analysts generally are not motivated • Streamlined processing and automation of to sufficiently document their processes, which reporting and data visualization leads to more presents considerable risk to the business if robust data which is easily accessed by all they leave their role stakeholders
Internal Analysts Are Freed to Focus on • As a service provider with strict SLAs, eClerx Advanced Analytics produces robust process documentation and cross–training to ensure there are no • By transitioning from highly manual and disruptions, even if there is attrition on our inefficient reporting processes to eClerx’s team, which has the added benefit of providing streamlined and automated process, in- continuity to our clients’ operations through house analysts are freed from their most time transition periods. consuming activities
• Internal analysts use their increased bandwidth
to focus on advanced, strategic activities that leverage the skills they were actually hired for: advanced analytics, data interpretation, insight generation, and partnering with key stakeholders to translate insights into action
When digital analytics teams are in the early stages of their maturation, they often have no choice but to expect their analysts to perform every function in the analytics process – analytics groups often start with a single person. However, as the team grows and the organization matures, it is wise to carefully consider the unique skills that are necessary to perform each step in the insight generation process.
Optimization of processes often requires specialization, and web analytics is no exception. Web analytics managers should focus on building the key expertise in advanced analytics and interpretation in-house, and consider outsourcing data management to a third party with the skills and motivation to provide world class processes and expertise.
Decoupling data management from data interpretation will allow digital analytics managers to increase their organization’s skill at performing both, resulting in an increase in the quantity and quality of insights generated.
Citations & References
(1) 2012 Web Analyst Job Task Analysis Report, Digital Analytics Association
About eClerx eClerx is the leading knowledge process outsourcing company providing middle and back office operational support, data management and analytics solutions to sales and marketing organizations. eClerx’s focus on the burgeoning digital marketing universe ensures we deliver confidence, value and rigor to more than 50 Fortune 500 and Internet Retailer 500 scale companies globally. eClerx provides its clients with expertise in consulting, process workflows, automation and improvement to help reduce costs and correct long-standing process inefficiencies. With corporate offices in New York, London, Silicon Valley, Austin, Chicago, Dublin and Singapore, eClerx employs over 5,500 professionals across five delivery centers worldwide. For more information, visit, www.eclerx.com/sms.
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