our top ten tips for

Getting the best out of your database

One of the most common questions we are asked is, now we have a database, how do we use it?

Here are our top ten tips for getting the best out of your database…

  1. Be clear on what you want to achieve – don”t just develop a database because everyone else has one! Be clear on your objectives.
  2. Garbage in; garbage out – make sure that the data that feeds your database is clean and accurately collected. If the data that you collect is not clearly defined, your database will be flawed from the start.
  3. Keep it current, keep it clean – your data is out of date today! A database that is not regularly fed with updates will lose its value and its usefulness.
  4. Set benchmarks and measure your progress – decide on your criteria for measuring the success of your database, take your starting position and monitor your journey.
  5. Respect your customers preferences – take Data Protection seriously, ignore it at your peril.
  6. Look for the human story behind the data – don’t see data as numbers, use it to understand the individual and their journey.
  7. Monitor the trends – understand and react to your customers behaviour.
  8. Don”t be afraid to test – let your imagination go, if you find something new, test it.
  9. Recognise the multiple roles that your customers play – Advocate, Customer, Prospect, Participator – your customers will do different things for different reasons – you need to recognise that fact.
  10. If you need help with any of these… Call in Database Vision.