Best Practices for Implementing Customer Data Platform Software

Best Practices for Implementing Customer Data Platform Software

Customers today expect and demand personalized experiences from businesses. The best way of providing that personalization is with customer data. There’s a problem, though: collecting and managing data is complicated.

Between adhering to data privacy regulations and dealing with data silos, business leaders trying to extract value from customer data run into many challenges. CDP software is the solution to these issues. 

Customer data platform software helps merge first-party customer data into one centralized location. You can use a CDP to gain 360-degree views of all your customers with detailed customer profiles. Currently, only 45% of marketers have a customer data platform. Those who do are at a distinct advantage over their competitors. 

Apply these practices for scaling customer data platform software in your business. 

Best Practices for Implementing CDP on an Enterprise Level

Clarify Your Goals and Objectives Before Implementation

Implementing your customer data platform with total clarity. 

Ask yourself:

  • What are your biggest goals for the software?
  • How will you know whether you meet these goals?
  • What are your top uses cases for the CDP?
  • Do you have alignment from all stakeholders on the customer data platform?

You need a clear vision of how you will use the CDP after implementation. Reviewing your goals and objectives will get everyone on the same page. From there, you can decide on a plan for implementing your customer data platform so you meet your goals.

Understand Your Customer Data Landscape

To use a customer data platform, you must integrate it with your existing data landscape. Start by identifying your sources of customer data. For example, you may collect customer data through a CRM and website analytics. Other data sources include email software, social media channels, and customer support interactions. 

Look into each of your current customer data sources. Next, determine each source’s requirements for integrating with a customer data platform. Understanding these integration capabilities is a vital part of planning your CDP execution. 

Additionally, check for gaps in your current customer data set. You may need some essential customer data that you should set up the CDP to collect. 

Coordinate with Internal Stakeholders

The next step in the implementation process is coordinating with all your internal stakeholders. To get the most out of your CDP, you need input and support from people across your organization.  

Consider which teams will interact with the CDP once it’s in place. For example, your marketing, product, support, and engineering teams are all logical stakeholders in the project. Get together with leaders from these groups and make sure they all buy in. Collaborating with these stakeholders on decisions about the customer data platform will make implementation much smoother.  

Consider Data Privacy Regulations

Companies that collect or use customer data are responsible for following data privacy and security regulations. Two significant regulations to remember are the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) of 2018 and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Using a customer data platform will help you comply with these regulations. The CDP software gives you more visibility into where your data is and who has access to it. Both are critical components of most data privacy regulations. Even so, it would help if you looked into the data privacy rules and regulations that apply to your company. Staying current on these regulations will help you ensure you comply with implementing the new CDP. 

Train Your CDP End Users

Before expecting your team members to use a customer data platform, offer training on the software. You want them to be ready to use the platform once implementation is over. 

Make sure the training includes information such as:

  • How to look up and use customer profiles
  • How to forward data from the customer data platform
  • How to build audiences in the CDP

Depending on the CDP vendor you choose, they may provide training materials to get your team up to speed. If not, create your own training to help your end users make the most of the customer data platform. Give them some time to learn the ins and outs of the platform before they start using it regularly. 

Benefits of CDP Software

Before implementing customer data platform software, keep these benefits in mind:

  • Gain a centralized view of your data. CDPs combine all different types of customer data you collect from (ordinarily) separate systems. The combined data set offers you an up-to-date 360-degree view of your customers. 
  • Personalize for individual customers. Those customer profiles in the customer data platform help you create personalized experiences. Improve your customer relationships and retention rates with this deep personalization. 
  • Make data-driven decisions. Making informed decisions is difficult when your data is all over the place and disconnected. A customer data platform consolidates all the customer data and allows you to make better decisions for your business
  • Develop more consistent messaging. Customers interacting with different organizational departments get differing experiences and messages. CDPs will help teams within your company collaborate and deliver more consistent messaging. 

Unlock Your Customer Data with CDP Software

Customer data is an invaluable resource that can help you offer better service and stand out. CDP software will manage and organize that data for you. Instead of relying on customer data in silos, allow customer data platform software to collect and combine it in one platform. 

Using customer data platform software lets you gain unprecedented insights into your first-party customer data. You can keep all your customer data in one place and create in-depth customer profiles. The first step toward reaching that point is choosing your enterprise’s best customer data platform. Live Earth is a data streaming and analysis platform designed to help business decision-making. Contact us to learn more about the power of customer data and CDPs.

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