8 Signs You Need Help With Data Visualization and Analytics

Mar 31

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In the digital age, the large sums of data collected can get messy. Here are eight signs that it may be time to call in a professional...Today, a huge number of businesses rely on data collection in order to optimize customer interactions and make more informed business decisions. Large pools of data—called big data—allow companies to analyze sizable sets of numbers and, in turn, discern patterns, which can ultimately allow them to make helpful improvements, including:

Boosted productivity
Reduced waste
Increased product and service quality
Improved lead conversion

Big data analysis is being used by a wide range of industries—from healthcare to automotive to education (as well as many more)—and experts expect the process of analyzing and visualizing big data to become the norm for companies who want develop an effective digital strategy.If your company is looking to use data to its advantage, the first step is, of course, to collect the data. However, gathering numbers and information will be completely useless if you are not able to effectively understand or interpret those numbers. Luckily, there are now companies and resources that can help businesses get on top of their data visualization, and they can provide tools that make understanding data easier and implementing changes more straightforward. If you want to make sure your company is fully benefiting from the data you collect, check out to see if your company exhibits any of the following signs. If so, you might need a little extra help with data visualization and analytics.

1. You Don't Have KPIs to Measure Overall Success

One of they key points of collecting data is to determine which aspects of your business are doing well—and which are struggling. While looking at numbers is informative, it's not going to tell you much if you don't have designated KPIs (key performance indicators), which are the measures by which you can determine if you're meeting your goals (or not). In order to get the most out of big data, you'll need to set some concrete, measurable values—and then see if your data measures up.

2. Your Data Comes to You in Email Form

If the data you gather is sent in emails, there's a good chance it's hard to keep track of all the numbers you receive. Alternatively, if you rely on software to keep track of important numbers, you can visualize it all in one place—and don't have to worry about losing track of messages or attachments.

3. Leads Are Not Converting as Well as You Like

If you think you're using data to make sales, but you're not converting paying customers, you're probably not interpreting your data correctly. Big data visualization and analytics tools can help you find the weak part of your conversion process, then strengthen it.

4. Each Department's Data Is Kept Separate, and Collaboration Is Hard

At some companies, data gathering happens within each department, and it is not easily (or readily) shared. Undergoing a digital transformation and keeping an entire company's data in one place can help companies see the big picture at once, and make business decisions more quickly. This is especially important at companies where departments don't collaborate.

5. Waiting on Data Causes a Bottleneck

If all of a company's data is kept by the IT department and must be retrieved one report at a time, it can cause a bottleneck, slowing a project's process down to a near halt. Instead of relying on another source for data, analytics software and visualization tools allow everyone at a company to get the data they need, when they need it.

6. You Want to Grow Your Social Network, but Don't Know Which Posts Work

If your company's goal is to grow its social network, it's important to analyze the numbers behind which posts succeed, as well as which don't. By using the data behind posts and data visualization techniques, you can see which posts are working best for you, and can continue to capitalize on that strategy.

7. Your Data Exists in Silos

Helpful data does not exist in silos. Keeping individual data categories (such as digital analytics, marketing and sales) separate makes each data set less informative than it could be if combined with the other sets. Put all your data in one place, and you'll be able to find all the information you need in one centralized, organized spot.

8. You Don't Know Who's Checking Out Your Website

Obviously, there are lots of different people checking out your site on the web. However, you may not know the personas of those people. To better target the people who are showing interest in what you are doing, you can use analytics to tap into the right audience. This way, you'll post the right content at the right time and market to the right people.If you’re looking to take on a digital transformation, one of the best steps you can take is focusing on your big data visualization and analytics capabilities. Being able to see big data and use the information you glean from it can be one of the best effective growth strategies possible.