Customer data is one of the most important kinds of information that businesses can use to improve their marketing and sales. Customer data not only helps businesses make things more personal, but it also shows them how to find similar customers in the future. When businesses collect, store, and understand customer data, they no longer have to guess how to reach their customers; they know exactly what to do. therefore this article aims to discuss customer data management, software, platform, and master customer data management.
Customer Data Management
Customer data management is the process of getting, organizing, and using information about customers to learn more about them, understand them better, boost sales, and master customer loyalty. CDM is the process of keeping track of and using information about customers. It includes the tools that businesses use to collect and analyze customer data, as well as the ethics of getting customer data and the security measures for saving and accessing this information.
When we talk about managing customer data, we usually mean “first-party data,” which means data that your company collects and uses. This can be anything from information about how people use your website to information about what they bought there.
Any software that saves information about customers needs to be managed, which is where things get hard and messy. You might have three different tools that are used by three different teams to collect the same customer information in slightly different ways. The goal of customer data management is to put all of this information in a way that makes it useful for your whole business.
Master Customer Data Management
Master customer data management tries to make a unified, accurate, and stable set of identifiers and characteristics that describe a customer and can be used to connect customer data across multiple organizational silos, business processes, and units. This mastered data, which is always ‘live’ and up-to-date, can be fed into operational and analytical tools to drive business outcomes.
First, customer master data management is done by integrating customer data from all business sources so that the customer’s journey from lead to sale to service after the sale can be tracked. In order to do this, customer records from different systems need to be matched and brought together in a cluster. This gives a golden record view of the customer and a unique ID for a permanent 360-degree customer view.
Customer Data Management Software
Customer data management software is a tool that helps sales, support, and other teams keep track of what customers and prospects say and do.
A CRM, which stands for customer relationship software, often has customer tracking software built in. A customer data management tool usually works by collecting information about customers, which is then organized by a CRM along with information about how customers interact with the business.
Customer database software makes it possible for teams to see and handle all of their leads, contacts, and account information in one place. The sales and support teams need to keep track of customer analytics, such as the history and actions of each client. You could use worksheets to record information about each client by hand, but nobody wants to do that. It might not even be possible to do so because:
- It could take a lot of time and work to keep up with.
- Have data and storage limits
- It can slow down or stop machines that don’t have enough RAM.
- Don’t build security features to keep private customer information safe.
- Too much information at once and not enough ways to sort it.
- You aren’t as good at giving exact results when you use a quick search or filters.
- Don’t include data validation for more correct client records
Client database software lets you add all the information you want to remember about a client to a profile in the system. Every time you talk to that person, the conversation is written down.
Out of the many options available online, the following are the three customer data management software I recommend the most.
#1. Salesforce Service Cloud
Salesforce Service Cloud is best known as an automated customer data management software, but it is also a customer database solution with custom reports and screens that give you a full picture of your customers.
The tool can help teams keep track of customer cases, solve them, and put customers in touch with the right people who can help them. It also manages interactions and collects and saves customer information in a single place. It can be used with AppExchange apps and gives users access to four preconfigured service cloud dashboards. These dashboards let managers, agents, and other important team members look at information about how well their customer service is working and how the customer is feeling.
Salesforce Service Cloud is a good customer data management software because it lets you handle customer data, support tickets, process automation, analytics, and integrations, among other things. Salesforce Service Cloud can help businesses handle customer interactions and support processes by giving users a central place to look at analytics about customer data and find ways to make things better.
Plans for Salesforce Service Cloud start at $25 per user per month if you pay for it all at once. All Service Cloud plans come with native dashboards, and the pre-configured dashboards in AppExchange are free. This means that any business that uses the platform can get a good database software option.
#2. Capsule
Capsule CDM is cloud-based customer data management software that helps you build stronger ties with your prospects and clients. The solution has a clean interface, and your workers should be able to use most of its features quickly thanks to the detailed documentation. With this tool, you can set the order of importance for tasks and get custom alerts. Users can make daily to-do lists, leave each other notes about different contacts, and plan upcoming tasks. Because it is easy to use, Capsule CRM stands out. The CRM tool lets you filter your contacts in different ways, so you can group them by verticals, size, sale potential, service providers, and where they are in the sales process. This can help you improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and get more people to buy from you.
Capsule CRM starts at $18 per person per month. You can get a free 30-day sample. A free plan is available for up to two users and 250 friends.
#3. NetSuite
NetSuite CRM is a customer data management software that helps you improve your sales process with marketing automation and analytics. The program is flexible, but it takes a little time to learn, especially if no one on your team knows SQL. This tool is great for keeping track of things, and it makes your lead management method clear. It keeps track of your leads and makes sure they don’t fall through the cracks along the customer path.
The reporting tools in NetSuite are good, and they give you actionable information about all of your sales efforts, from actions at the top of the sales funnel to landing pages and upsells.
NetSuite CRM will make prices for you if you ask. There is a free product tour on the app.
Customer Data Management Platform
Data management platforms (DMPs) are hubs where all of a company’s customer, public, and marketing data is stored and analyzed. DMPs help companies get the most out of the huge amounts of data they collect by studying data from different sources and putting it in a way that is easy to understand. Ad agencies, marketers, and publishers use Data management platforms to build rich, custom data sets and better target users for online advertising. DMPs get data from many places, including first-party software like CRM software, digital analytics software, and advertising technology like buyer campaign management software, publisher ad management software, and ad networks, as well as third-party data providers.
#1. Nielsen DMP
Nielsen’s important part in TV has been known for a long time. It now has a cloud solution that businesses can use to make their marketing smarter and more effective.
Nielsen’s DMP is a platform for getting media that works well and gives a full picture of how customers act by using different kinds of data. Some of the features are target segmentation, message sequencing, media planning, profiling, orchestration, frequency capping, and more.
This platform is different from other customer data management systems because it has advanced AI capabilities and a direct link to Nielsen data. Nielsen’s DMP is one of the best on the market, and it has won several awards for that.
But less experienced users may have trouble with Nielsen’s data management platform, and some say they feel forced when they sign a contract with Nielsen. Therefore, whenever you choose a customer data management platform, always look out for the pros and cons.
#2. OnAudience
Companies that use OnAudience will learn more about their audience groups, be able to create effective, focused advertising campaigns, and may be able to increase their return on investment (ROI).
OnAudience is a data management platform (DMP) that makes it easy for users to examine customer data from online profiles and automatically make reports. For example, you can make a report about the hobbies, demographics, or plans to buy from your customers.
OnAudience can help marketers combine audience characteristics based on how they want their efforts to turn out. You can share data with organizations that work with you, look at about 27 billion user profiles, and send personalized ads without breaking GDPR rules.
MarTechSeries, Mobile Marketing, MediaPost, and The Drum have all written about OnAudience. Users can also benefit from the OnAudience platform because it works well with global DSPs. This is because the company is a trusted partner of many ad tech companies and is a leader in the field.
#3. Oracle BlueKai DMP
On its website, Oracle BlueKai DMP points out five important uses for its users:
- Unify advertising data
- Build effective viewers
- Connect across gadgets
- Analyze crowds
- Activate digital marketing
Some well-known companies that use the BlueKai DMP from Oracle are Bancolombia, Kunmap, NCBA, and Mazda. BlueKai can be used by businesses in a wide range of industries and places to create a seamless user experience (UX), whether people use websites or mobile apps.
BlueKai also has other benefits, such as customer intelligence and acquisition, data activation, smart content, campaign management, personalization, and more.
Why Is Customer Data Management Important?
You can use it to boost sales. More people will tune in if you cater to their expectations. Good customer communication is essential. Businesses can use this information to better serve their clients.
What Is Customer Data Examples?
Examples of basic customer data include a contact’s name, email address, phone number, job title, and associated organizations. Basic customer data also includes demographic information like gender and income, as well as firmographic information like annual revenue and industry.
What Is the First Step in Data Management?
Data processing begins with data collection. Information is gathered from various repositories such as data lakes and data warehouses. The quality of the data obtained (and later used as information) depends on the reliability and robustness of the data sources at hand.
What Is the Main Purpose of Data Management?
Within the constraints of legislation and regulation, data management aims to assist individuals, businesses, and interconnected devices in making the most informed decisions and taking the most productive actions possible.
What Are the 4 Types of Customer Data?
Types of customer data
- Basic data.
- Interaction data.
- Behavioral data.
- Attitudinal data
Reference
#1. Segment
#2. Tamr
#3. venturebeat
#4. Zendesk