Confusion Does Not Serve Your Customer

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The bottom line is that a confused mind says no, regardless of the situation. Think about the last time that you did not understand all the available options in any given situation and how you likely responded - by not making a decision.

The same thing happens when the technology used for marketing and operations - applications, content management, digital assets (aka, martech stack) - in your enterprise becomes fragmented over time. It causes confusion, a fragmented view of your customer and siloed operational systems that do not work and play well with each other.

Even more, when you have multiple applications and technologies, you must maintain and update them. This takes time and resources and, possibly, custom code. Often, the attempt to correct for fragmented data and systems is to get yet another technology, which only perpetuates the problem - as the enterprise becomes their own software vendor and lacks agility in responding to their customers - and adds to the overall confusion.

The above images show that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to understand the martech stack over time. Not only is it challenging to even know what technologies are being used but also what value they deliver to business users. The CMO needs a unified view of the customer and their buying journey, regardless of the customers’ touchpoint with the brand. The CIO needs to ensure that all systems are integrated and sharing data in the right places within the organization. When this is not the case, confusion reigns and your customer - and the company’s bottom-line - suffers.

So what does serve your customer? A clear, focused, relevant, timely and practical response in meeting their needs and expectations of your brand and brand promise. This is where a Customer Data Platform (CDP) comes in.

To learn how a CDP can deliver a unified experience for your business, please download A Comprehensive Guide to Customer Data Platforms.

The time is now to honestly assess your organizational martech stack and agility in meeting your customers where they are in their experience with your brand. Current trends are showing that technology is accelerating enterprises’ ability to connect with customer audiences. If your organization is not making those connections in a viable, real-time way, your brand could not only be stuck in the loop of technology debt (where resources are spent in maintaining vs. getting ahead with your customer market) but, more importantly, your brand could become obsolete with your customer market.

In case you want to explore further, here are two additional resources we recommend you check out:

Simplifying the Digital Transformation
What is a CDP?

Lynn Scheurell
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