From data to insights: Making informed decisions for better CX

Companies are constantly working to stockpile greater amounts of consumer data, spurred on by the promise of valuable knowledge they expect to gain. However, without the right solutions and processes to transform this raw data into actionable customer insights, their investment can quickly become wasted potential, failing to generate adequate returns.

And with 73% of consumers expecting companies to understand their individual needs and preferences, a personalised customer experience has become a non-negotiable for businesses looking to generate positive engagement and accelerated revenue. But this cannot be achieved without obtaining the practical insights held within consumer data.

Uncovering data that can transform customer experience

As digital channels become an integral component of everyday life, customer journeys have grown increasingly complex. People now expect cohesive brand experiences that flow seamlessly between online and offline touchpoints and offer intelligent, informed levels of personalisation. Companies must be able to analyse large-scale consumer data and gain practical insights, as this information can then be used to inform and optimise their customers’ journey and elevate the overall customer experience.

Advanced data collection and analysis unites disconnected channels and creates a holistic, up-to-date view of customer behaviour. This can help to predict customer preferences, informing future recommendations for individual customers. Combining historical and present-day data can inform customised communications, generating opportunities for up-selling or cross-selling products and nurturing brand loyalty.

“Analytics are not just numbers on the dashboard these days,” explains Alex Pitt, Business Intelligence and Data Analyst at TSA Group, “They are a language that people can understand and interact with. So, the preparation of the data, and how it’s being processed is the important part”.

Processes that turn data into valuable insights

For businesses to reach this level of data-informed customer experience, they must develop processes to make sure that infrastructure can move data from collection to usable reports.

These processes include:

• Feedback loops: This tried-and-true strategy generates continuous improvement, ensuring analytics are refined to be fit for purpose all the time. For some companies, where user feedback is an inherent part of using the product, incorporating a data feedback loop will be simple—but others may have to use integrations or slightly intrusive requests for user feedback.  

• Qualitative analysis: Where quantitative data analysis focuses on evidence-based decision-making backed by numbers and statistics, qualitative is based on observation, capturing the nuance and context that influence the quantitative side. When implemented together, quantitative analysis will identify a pattern in the data, and then qualitative will interpret the cause of the pattern. 

• Technology: In such a digital-focused area, staying on top of current tech is a necessity—and these tools help with summarisation, classification, and categorisation. The data can be run through a model which pulls together a report and efficiently delivers the required insights. 

The untapped potential of contact centre data

There are a myriad of sources to draw on for customer behaviour data, including third-party providers, POS systems and websites. And contact centres are a particularly valuable resource, gaining a direct understanding of how businesses are perceived, as they observe customer frustrations and evolving expectations.

According to a 2024 report, the European market is paving the way towards advanced customer experience, with many businesses believing it to be a foundational component in their contact centre platforms. They look for solutions that offer analytics, omnichannel engagement, and personalisation, to elevate both the customer experience and contact centre agent retention.

In contact centres, where employees often deal with high-stress situations, the employee experience is a vital focus. And data analytics can have a transformative effect here as well, contributing data points to support training, inform agent-assist tools, and optimise workforce management. Contact centres can also implement tools that identify keywords in customer interactions so they can flag difficult conversations and ensure that team members are supported beyond the interaction.

Upcoming data-driven customer experience trends

As with any technology-focused field, industry trends progress rapidly, adapting to the evolving digital threats, innovations, and consumer expectations. Some of the data and analytics trends to keep an eye out for includes: 

• Customer journey analytics: This involves following users throughout their lifecycle with a product or service. It continuously measures customer behaviours, how they engage, convert, and tracks their satisfaction levels. By doing so, businesses can improve customer engagement while also increasing customer lifetime value, loyalty, and drive business growth.
• Predictive analytics: By analysing historic data, businesses can predict what a customer might be interested in, even before they directly express the need. Predictive analytics make it possible to anticipate the customer’s requirements and provide the relevant service, as well as predict potential issues and proactively fix them in advance.
• Data storytelling: This strategy helps companies harness data insights to enhance decision-making. Data storytelling combines data, narrative, and visuals into compelling data stories that inform key business decisions. For example: contact centres have the capability to track a wide range of metrics that can often be overwhelming. Having an interactive dashboard can help teams visualise these metrics in a clear, intuitive way, making it easier to identify trends, spot inefficiencies, and prioritise actions.

Diving deeper for game-changing customer insights

For businesses looking to gain practical guidance from their consumer data, collection and reporting are only the beginning. The key is understanding how to translate this raw data into actionable insights that will benefit customer experience.

As Alex Pitt says, “We’re trying to move away from ‘death by spreadsheets’. Highlighting the things that matter and trying to tell a real story with the data that allows the end users to focus on their core capabilities. In our case, that’s running the contact centres and making sure operations are performing well and providing customers with the best possible experience”.

TSA are Australia’s market leading specialists in CX Consultancy and Contact Centre Services. We are passionate about revolutionising the way brands connect with Australians. How? By combining our local expertise with the most sophisticated customer experience technology on earth, and delivering with an expert team of customer service consultants who know exactly how to help brands care for their customers.