Data doesn’t mean much if it’s not being used across your business, and more importantly, if it’s not reliable. Data democratization—the process of making data and insights accessible to a wider range of roles within the business—is gaining popularity as employees are working remote and digital transformation is taking off.
Nine out of ten business leaders we surveyed say data democratization is more important than ever with large numbers of employees working remotely. What’s more, 86 percent of those same business leaders say that almost every employee across the business should be using data insight to improve their performance.
Despite the need for trustworthy data across the business, it’s clear that organizations still struggle to promote a data-driven culture. Once you grant your team access to data, it can be difficult to motivate them to leverage the insights effectively.
Let’s discuss what you can do to encourage data usage across your organization.
1. Address the challenges.
It’s not easy adopting new processes, and data is no different—no matter how beneficial it is. Our latest research uncovered 89 percent of companies see challenges when adopting data democratization, and yet, 99 percent of companies see benefits once data democratization is underway.
Be transparent about the difficulties your business users may face when they start to use data more. The top challenges found in our research highlight a lack of:
• Trusted data or data quality.
• Expertise in end users leveraging data insights.
• Budget and data access.
Lucky for you, there are quite a few solutions to these challenges. In the next steps, let’s dive into what you can do to overcome roadblocks.
2. Build trust in data.
One of the greatest challenges business users face once they start using data is poor data quality. Our Global data management research found that 28 percent of current customer/ prospect data is suspected to be inaccurate in some way. If your team starts leveraging inaccurate data, there is a chance that this could lead to more risky decisions.
So, how can you build trust in your data? Your answer: Data quality management. Whether you decide to integrate a new tool into your tech stack for automatic quality control checks or a batch cleanse to clean data regularly, these steps will make a significant difference when it comes to your data integrity.
3. Teach data skills.
Although highly beneficial, data democratization is a fairly new concept. This is leading to business users having a lack of expertise when using insights. The perfect fix: Teach data skills through a data literacy program. Data literacy is defined as the ability to read, write, and argue with data.
According to our research, data literacy programs are gaining popularity with half of organizations already having a program underway. That same research found that 80 percent of business leaders say a lack of data literacy hurts their ability to meet key business objectives.
4. Give real-life data examples.
Sixty-two percent of business leaders say data democratization helps with better and faster decisionmaking, according to our research report. Data democratization, data literacy, and data quality, in conjunction, give business users the ability to apply data insight to inform key business initiatives. Let’s take a look into a real-life scenario:
If your organization is looking to kickstart a customer loyalty program, data can help. Enriched consumer data can give you a better look into who your customers are and what is important to them. What’s more, valid contact data will ensure your loyalty marketing campaign will reach its intended destination—whether it’s an email, direct mail, or even a text.
Discuss real-life scenarios where data has an impact. This will show business users how trustworthy data is foundational to driving business initiatives and staying one step ahead of competition.
5. Highlight the benefits.
When it comes to encouraging data usage, your team wants to know what’s in it for them. That’s why it’s crucial you shine light on the benefits of data. Not only do business leaders know data insight helps improve individual performance, but there are several other key benefits that could streamline processes, easing your employees’ workload. For those who have data democratization underway, they see benefits like:
• Better and faster decision-making (70%)
• Improved customer experience (63%)
• Increased operational efficiency (61%)
• Better security or reduced risk (58%)
• Improved business reputation (53%)
What’s more, our recent study discovered that 87 percent of business leaders say data insight is essential to managing the customer experience and operational efficiency in a digital environment. Knowing the benefits of data democratization could peak your team’s interest and motivate them to leverage insights in their day-to-day.
Encouraging data usage across your business means building trust with your team and the quality of your data. Equipping your team with proper resources, like technology and data literacy programs, can kickstart the use of data across your business.
