Master Data Management in Practice: Achieving True Customer MDM

Introduction

The customer 360° view is not an MDM-originated concept. Its origin is from CRM systems that were specifically designed with a focus on customer management. The ultimate goal is to be able to understand the history, preferences, and buying patterns of a customer to better service them in the future, thereby increasing the probability they will be loyal and generate more revenue, directly or indirectly.

But a true 360° view can only be achieved if the data behind it is conducive for that purpose. CRM systems have remained siloed, which becomes a huge limitation when trying to clearly understand what is important to the customer and convey the proper message at every contact point throughout all stages of the purchase cycle.

Abstractly speaking, an effective 360° view requires data fitness for use as well as timely distribution and availability.

Fitness for use in this case comprises data integration, data quality, and data organization. If data is not integrated, it is practically impossible to have a complete and accurate view. That is the primary problem when data is fragmented among the multiple LOBs across the enterprise. If data is of bad quality, the resulting view will be untrustworthy. Finally, data has to be properly organized otherwise its understanding is blurry.

But it is not sufficient to have data that is well organized, highly integrated, and with great quality. It must also be available where and when it is needed. A services support person on the phone ...