03 December 2020

PARTNER FEATURE

Having data at your fingertips is important, but only if it is the right data, presented clearly

Working with two of our industry’s most successful CEOs, Daksh Gupta of Marshalls and John O’Hanlon of Wayland, on last month’s Auto Retail Live webcast it was great to hear how readily they had the facts at their fingertips.

During the broadcast, they were able to quote detailed sales percentages across multiple brands and sites without a moment’s hesitation. Confirming how they were ‘on top of the data’ and that there were lessons here for everyone trying to run complex businesses in a fast changing and challenging market.

Daksh Gupta admitted Marshalls “looks at data on a day-by-day basis… in terms of enquiries, demand, conversion levels”. I wonder if you are doing the same and, if so, how useful that data really is?

Put simply: if you don’t know what’s happening in your business, how can you avoid failure, manage for success and seize potential opportunities?

But data can also bog you down and, as we get deeper into Q4 with all its implications for the motor retail business this year, it’s absolutely vital you seize your opportunities now; not wait for the data to tell you what to do.

Balancing act

So, it’s a balancing act. A clear view of business performance based on accurate, real-time data is vital to maximise potential but you don’t want to tie-up your sales team in hours of pointless number-crunching – or being diverted from their number one task, which is selling.

This is where a good business intelligence solution, such as Mazeinsight, comes in.

A key requirement is that your solution must be able to seamlessly extract raw data from multiple sources across the business and not be dependent on one particular reporting system. This is especially critical if you’re working across multiple sites or multiple brands where legacy systems might be in place.

It also important your management team get clear actionable insights from an easily understood dashboard, tailored for your business KPIs.

This vital business information can then be cascaded down through the organisation, ensuring everybody is working off the ‘same page’. And it can be made available on desktop, tablet or mobile to suit the working environment and be accessible at their fingertips.

Right solution

The right solution will enable you to harness the power of your data. It should give you a single view of performance, allowing complete end-to-end management of your business with confidence and security. And having the facts at your fingertips is always going to be the key to success.

To achieve full potential, whatever your role in the business, it’s crucial to have access to and to deal with key questions such as ‘how close to target are we today’, and have the answers available at the touch of a button.

By Tracy Ellam, commercial director, Mazepoint

Tags: Mazepoint, partner feature