The propagation of AI embedded into business software has done wonders for data collection and analysis. Companies who may not have had analytics capabilities at all suddenly find themselves awash with data points from which to derive meaning. However, it's been quickly proven that access to more data doesn't necessarily equate to better data, or even that it will be usable, at all.
The same can be said about the analytics software itself. Many vendors are starting to fold self-service analytics functionality into existing offerings or putting them front-and-center in new technology, meaning companies of all sizes can now theoretically benefit from the insights the software can provide. It can be used by anyone at an organization, so it stands to reason that everyone will easily optimize their own processes, right?
It's not that easy, as companies are realizing they may not have anyone on staff capable of interpreting the analytics output for the particulars of their organization, even if others can theoretically pull up a dashboard. Coupled with an industry shortage of data scientists, the circumstances seem to dictate that most analytics software will fall by the wayside.
More users does not necessarily equate to better users. Yet, self-service analytics and business intelligence software holds the potential to reduce company costs, improve time-management, and increase employee productivity when it comes to big-picture, bottom line-enhancing tasks. The trick is to get it in the hands of the right people, in the right way, and ensure it's simple enough for anyone to operate it to its fullest extent.
While it's true that introducing analytics software to an organization is best done by a dedicated, trained employee, it's likely those in the trenches will have a better sense of what they need.
A few years ago, Sparex, a UK-based distributor of agricultural machine parts, maximized its analytics software by offering it first to precisely those individuals. At the time, the company needed to level up its data-collection efforts, as it was no longer enough to consolidate 18 different data sets collected from its 18 subsidiary companies, spread throughout the world and each running its own unique system. This was resulting in too many inconsistencies and inaccuracies, and the company no longer wanted to interrupt important meetings just to consolidate data.
Zoho Analytics was inserted into Sparex's workflow as an intermediary, receiving a daily upload of 15 million rows of data, collected across the system. This fed into a centralized dashboard, where the company's new "Data Quality Analyst" employee could slice-and-dice the data into charts, graphs, and reports, consolidated into automatic emails sent to key internal stakeholders.
The process included non-data scientists, as well. In the past, those outside the department had to submit formal requests for custom reports -- these came in at a rate of at least one to two per hour, Sparex says -- which overloaded data specialist employees and took them away from higher-profile tasks. The new analytics software enabled anyone to create a dashboard for themselves, and the number of requests received by Sparex's Data Quality Analyst reduced to one to two per week. In fact, the software was so effective that the role of Data Quality Analyst itself became obsolete, freeing up the employee to focus on future initiatives rather than consolidating previously collected data.
Ultimately, Sparex learned that all employees, data scientists and the data-illterate alike, wanted valuable analytics data in order to improve their work. The problem wasn't that the data didn't exist, but rather that access was behind a gatekeeper until new software democratized the process without fully eliminating the old way of doing things -- at least not yet.
Some companies have found success by configuring analytics software specifically so many of its employees don't need to use it to benefit from its projections and calculations.
Consider Aqua Group, an enterprise-sized, India-based manufacturer of motors and pumps. A few years ago, the company included 1,300 client systems connected to its data center and wanted to take advantage of this wealth of information pouring in. Ideally, insights and recommendations from data analysis could be shared quickly with anyone at the organization, but particularly the sales folks themselves who are deeply ingrained into day-to-day operations. Still, human resources, inventory management, and security teams stood to benefit from what the software would garner. The company also needed to find internal champions to help with dashboard optimization, and answer pressing questions that might block adoption.
The software Aqua Group quickly realized that it wasn't necessary for every employee to search the analytics on their own. Instead, the information was embedded into dashboards commonly used by employees, ensuring they would be working with the most up-to-date data at any given point without so much as raising an additional finger.
These dashboards also included the ability to run complex calculations instantly, enabling employees to determine their own KPIs and plan for upcoming trends. The information was secure, as well, because the software offered the ability to limit access by individual and present, with pinpoint accuracy, only what each person needed to know.
Aqua Group immediately noticed the changes. Collaboration increased across the board once information became available to everyone who needed it, and that information could be easily represented visually in a variety of ways.
Aqua Group succeeded by empowering key individuals to create order from chaos while simplifying things for other employees by presenting only the order, not the chaos from which it originated, empowering individuals to improve productivity and become more engaged with the company.
To get the most out of analytics software, here's what to consider:
As for who requires access to analytics, companies can consider not only what someone's responsibilities are today, but where they might end up. Preliminary access can help an individual discover a strength they didn't know they had, so long as they don't feel overwhelmed by a cumbersome piece of software and help them configure their own plan for growth within a company. It's in this way that analytics software not only consolidates information on operations and customers, but has an impact on coworkers, as well.
