Top Solutions to Overcome the 5 Biggest Challenges in Customer Journey Analytics

Why is it that we need to complicate everything? I mean, the customer journey isn’t rocket science, so why are there so many blogs around it?

While not rocket science, a customer journey isn’t as straightforward as you might think. I mean, think about your last purchase that wasn’t impulsive.

It’s a whole different beast; companies need to figure out what’s causing friction to eliminate it, and thus, the search begins.

In this blog, we’re breaking down three of the biggest challenges and how you could solve them.

Starting with: Data Silos…

1- Data Silos

As an analytics company, the amount of data silos that we see companies struggle with is rather concerning. Here is why…

Let’s take an e-commerce business as an example. If they have a website, then sell products through a platform or a custom solution that has its database.

And if they live in the digital world, they probably have social media accounts like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook (maybe?).

Don’t forget email marketing and SMS, too. All of these have their own data and analytics.

Now, try to make sense of all these data. Nothing makes sense, and the data is very fragmented, making it look like you have too much or too little.

Which in turn leads to incomplete insights and misinformed decision-making.

Here are two solutions that come to mind:

• CDP

A customer data platform is a perfect solution for this issue, as it just works as a central hub for collecting all the data.

It gives you a unified customer view as it integrates multiple data sources into one single source of information.

It also helps you ensure that the data quality and accuracy are on point simply because you can cross-examine data if there is any discrepancy.

With AI’s help, predictive analysis and segmentation are on another level now, as you don’t have to rely on yourself to find new segments or build predictions.

• Encouraging Interdepartmental Collaboration

Foster a culture that promotes interdepartmental collaboration. As more data flows between the departments, building customer journey analytics becomes much more manageable and makes more sense.

This solution could work if your company is relatively small, but you’ll be overwhelmed and overrun if you have many customers.

But interdepartmental collaboration allows the company to align its strategies around a unified set of data and goals, reducing the impact of data silos.

2- Lack of Data

On the other hand, your issue might be not having enough data to give you a clear idea of what your customers’ journeys look like, and most of your decisions would be based on assumptions.

And data, as you may know or not know, isn’t just the numbers you can track easily, like purchases and traffic on Google Analytics.

You have to track customers’ interactions on 3rd party platforms like social media and send data layer parameters to build robust and insightful data reports.

It’s not as easy as it seems, simply because you’re not taking things out but adding things in.

So here are the top 3 solutions that could help you get over the challenge of not having data

• Data Enrichment

You’re probably gathering some data, even if they’re fundamental. You collect these data types because they’re important and you know it.

The next step would be to consult with an external party specializing in analytics on which data should be collected, which makes sense and helps you grow your business by making informed decisions.

• Proxy Metrics

When direct data is unavailable, use proxy metrics to gain insight into customer behavior.

Sometimes, you need to know your customers outside of a dashboard, so doing some interviews could be helpful.

• Incremental Data Collection

You should approach data collection as a step-by-step process. You won’t be able to collect everything from the get-go, and that’s not the goal.

So, like we say in our podcast, ‘The Digital Disruption Podcast’, make small changes that accumulate to give you a significant effect.

3- Data Privacy and Compliance

Data privacy has been at the forefront of every country’s regulation since the GDPR and CCPA were passed in 2018, and businesses have been feeling the heat since then.

The EDPB fined Meta 1.2 Billion Euros in 2023 after a lengthy investigation into how Meta ‘Facebook previously’ abused EU citizens’ data knowingly.

The fine, which set a new record, was imposed because the personal data of European users was transferred to the United States without sufficient data protection measures. This landmark event marks a major development in data protection regulations.

The same year, Amazon was hit with a 746 million euro fine.

In May 2018, 10,000 people filed a complaint against Amazon through La Quadrature du Net, a French privacy rights organization established to promote and defend fundamental freedoms in the digital age.

As a result of the CNPD’s investigation into how Amazon processes its customers’ personal information, it found infringements regarding the system Amazon uses to target its advertising to consumers without their consent.

As an SMB or even a big enterprise, you must keep up with all the new updates and regulations released frequently unless you want to be fined. 

The solutions are incredibly straightforward. You need to do the following.

• Adhering to Global Privacy Standards

You’ll need to stay on top of your game when it comes to global privacy standards; any updates that happen and you’re not aware of could be a hazard for you.

Staying up with the news isn’t really an issue, as all updates get a lot of media attention when they get applied.

You can also subscribe to privacy- and analytics-focused newsletters sharing information with subscribers.

We’re planning on launching our own analytics-focused newsletter to share all sorts of updates with the people.

• Incorporating Privacy by Design in Analytics

While trying to predict changes in the digital landscape is impossible, we can take precautions to help mitigate any surprises that might happen.

In a previous blog, our Senior Director of Digital Transformation wrote a blog about composable tech and how it could play a role in future-proofing your business.

You can always work with a partner who knows analytics like the back of their hand just to make your life much easier.

At e-CENS, we’ve been doing that for our clients for tens of years, so we’re well-versed. If you get frustrated and overwhelmed, we can help you out.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that navigating the customer journey is not an easy task.

The presence of data silos presents a formidable challenge, yet it also offers an opportunity for businesses to innovate and improve. 

We can transform disparate data points into a cohesive narrative by implementing integrated data systems and advanced analytics. 

This enables us to make well-informed strategic decisions that enhance the customer experience at every touchpoint. 

Thus, while the intricacies of the customer journey may be complex, they are not insurmountable. With the right tools and approaches, we can demystify the process and deliver measurable value to both the business and its customers. 

Embracing this challenge is necessary and a step towards achieving excellence in an increasingly competitive landscape.

If you find yourself lost or struggling with processing data and turning it into actionable insights, contact us!

From Google Analytics to building reports that drive revenue-driven decisions, we’ve been on the frontline of data and analytics for a while now.

Big corporations like Apmex, Kendo Brands, and Google trust us to handle anything related to data that they might need.