Am I ready for a CDP?

Blog

Apr 26, 2021

StellarAlgo

As with any large-scale technology solution, there are a number of factors you’re bound to consider when looking to introduce a Customer Data Platform (CDP) into your organization, including questions about when and how the platform will be implemented and used. Below, we’ve collected some of the most common questions our partners had as they entered the final stages of their decision-making. We hope this article will address any lingering questions you might have about next steps, and help you assess if you’re ready to move ahead with your own CDP implementation. If you have questions that don’t appear here, or are looking for more information, don’t hesitate to contact us to arrange an introductory call.

How do I know if I’m ready to move forward with implementing a CDP?

If you aren’t already familiar with what a CDP is, how it works, and the types of use cases it can help solve, we recommend you take a moment to review our earlier articles on this topic, including What is a CDP? and Is a CDP right for me?, which provide greater context for those considering CDP implementation. If you’ve done some research and decided that implementing a CDP would enhance your customer engagement strategy, there are a few final considerations that may help you evaluate your overall readiness:

My data is a mess – do I need to get it ‘in order’ before thinking about a CDP?

Absolutely not. We understand the instinct to cleanse your fan data before pushing it to your CDP, but your data is probably in pretty good shape already. The fear that your data isn’t ‘good enough’ will only cause you to delay activating your fans and slow your progress – one of the benefits of choosing the right CDP partner is that many helpful data health processes will be included in your implementation. As long as you have reasonable confidence in the accuracy of your source data – e.g., your ticket operations system correctly codes your various ticket types – the integration process during your CDP implementation will cleanse, reconcile, deduplicate and, where possible, de-anonymize your fan data into a unified single customer view, helping you save time and resources. On an ongoing basis, your CDP will continue to flag inaccuracies and potential issues, ensuring your fan data remains accurate, up-to-date and relevant.  

Do I need to have specific use cases in mind to move forward with a CDP?

If you’re actively considering implementing a CDP, odds are your organization has identified one or more use cases you want to address. If you’re looking to move forward with your CDP, we recommend you make us aware of at least one use case or organizational priority to provide your starting focus. At StellarAlgo, our Customer Success team works in collaboration with our partners to determine your short- and long-term goals; help you understand, interpret and action your fan data; to pinpoint target audiences and develop custom fan lists; to provide helpful ‘cheat sheets’ for common industry use cases; to help you identify and respond to emerging use cases; and more. For more on common use cases that using a CDP can help you solve, see our previous article, Is a CDP right for me?

What do I need to do to prepare for my CDP implementation?

Because your CDP is a no-code layer that’s designed to fit into your existing tech stack, there’s very little you need to do to prepare for implementation. If, like most organizations, you’re using common customer management and engagement tools, all you need to do is provide a list of the priority sources you want to integrate, along with the necessary access information – our team will run through the details during your implementation phase and will work with your technical team, where applicable, to ensure a seamless integration. As mentioned above, so long as you have a reasonable level of confidence in the accuracy of your source data, you can get down to the business of better understanding your fans.

Is a CDP a one-off project-based solution?

In simple terms, no. As with most large-scale technology implementations, integrating a CDP into your customer engagement strategy is a long-term commitment. Our partnerships are built on an organization’s desire to ul
timately change the way they work so they can better engage with and grow their audience. 
Taking a snapshot of your customer engagement in any given instance is valuable, but in isolation – without the insights provided by medium- and longer-term monitoring – can do little to help you identify risks, prepare for fluctuation, adapt to changing customer behaviors, or set sustainable goals. To do so, you need to cultivate both the close-up and wide-angle view of your fans’ behavior. That said, at StellarAlgo we offer a variety of partnership options to suit your organizations’ needs at every stage of your business, even as your needs – and those of your fans – evolve over time. For more information on customization options when implementing your CDP, contact us to set up an introductory call.

Does my team need to be especially tech-savvy to use a CDP?

While a basic level of comfort using digital tools is helpful, StellarAlgo’s CDP is designed precisely to enable business users to action their customer data and predictive insights via an intuitive, user-friendly platform. At StellarAlgo, we partner with organizations of all sizes and levels of technological sophistication: our Customer Success team works with users to provide training as your team learns to navigate your CDP; offers guidance on how to action your fan data using tailor-made use cases; and provides ongoing support to ensure you make the most of your fan data at every stage of the customer journey – and every stage of yours.

As mentioned in our previous article, Is a CDP right for me?, one of the most important criteria for those considering implementing a CDP is an organizational commitment to creating a digital-first, data-driven customer-centric culture. In today’s technology-driven world, most – if not all – organizations use some amount of data to guide their efforts, be it marketing, sales, strategy, or otherwise. An organization that truly fosters a data-driven culture is one that prioritizes using data to drive decision-making at all levels; a culture that’s built on the belief that using data effectively will add long-term value.

Already, 73% of consumers say they prefer to do business with brands that use personal information to make their experiences more relevant; using fan data to develop a better understanding of who your fans are and how they interact with your organization across multiple channels, and then activate those fans with personalized content, is but one factor – albeit significant – in fostering a data-driven culture – it takes dedication and confidence that using data will help your organization achieve long-term sustainability and reap the many benefits that come from better understanding your fans, and more. If your organization has buy-in from even a few individuals who see the value of using data to drive decision making, who will champion its use and are committed to learning how to use your CDP to support those goals, you’re on the right track.

—–

For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions page to review additional commonly-asked questions about using and implementing your CDP. If you have questions about how using a CDP could help you better understand your fans and make the most of your fan data, or would like additional information about usability, installation, support, and more, contact us to arrange an introductory call.

More fans.

Better Engagement.

Stellar Results.

Get Started