Welcome to Part 2 of our 3-part series, "From Silos to Synergy: 360° Customer View via Data Integration."
If you missed Part 1, here is the Link: Data Integration - Part 1.
In this series, we explore high-level concepts of data silos, integration, and work through a real-world integration example.
Our goal is to help small and mid-sized businesses get more comfortable with integration concepts to create a more connected, efficient organization.
So, what does a dragonfly have to do with technology?
Their compound eyes and panoramic vision ensure they see everything in their environment.
Similarly, achieving a 360-degree view of customer data means that you can have a complete picture of customer interactions, history, and preferences.
This invaluable knowledge can give you a significant advantage over your competitors and be a catalyst for sustained business growth.
Using the fictional small business, Northwind Group, as our guide, we’ll dive into common integration challenges faced by companies like yours. We’ll then walk you through a straightforward, 4-step process designed to reduce data silos and seamlessly integrate your data.
Here is a quick summary of Northwind Group:
Attribute | Description |
Company Name | Northwind Group |
Industry | Software as a Service (SaaS) |
Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, USA |
Founded | 2010 |
Annual Revenue | $44 Million |
Number of Employees | 125 |
Primary Products/Services | Leading Cloud-based portal software for managing a client onboarding experience |
Customer Base | 3,000+ small to mid-sized businesses across North America |
Key Markets | Technology, Higher Education, Financial Services |
Revenue Distribution | - 70% Software Subscriptions |
- 20% Professional Services (Implementation, Training, Support) | |
- 10% Custom Development | |
Sales Channels | Direct Sales (60%), Channel Partners (30%), Online Sales (10%) |
CRM System | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales |
Accounting System | QuickBooks Online |
Average Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) | $50,000 |
Annual Customer Churn Rate | 8% |
Net Promoter Score (NPS) | 72 |
Leveraging Built-in Integrations
For a new client like Northwind Group, we will start our integration journey with the built-in Microsoft integrations – exploring how these built-in integrations could provide value.
Often, the barrier to utilizing these built-in integrations is due to missing simple configuration, end-user training, or process/technical misalignment.
Microsoft has made configuration simple; everything is point-and-click.
Yes, you do need to understand the settings and the options; however, this can be easily researched using Microsoft documentation found on Microsoft Learn.
End-user training is straightforward. Once you have configured the integration, you can walk through a 30-60-minute training session with your team to demonstrate the functionality and answer questions.
For bonus points, record the training and make it available to your users on demand for future reference.
Process/technical misalignment is normally the bigger issue, but it is a business conversation rather than a technical investment.
For example, if your business doesn’t control where customer files are stored, then activating SharePoint integration without a corresponding change in the business process will give you very little benefit.
After we complete the initial work with Northwind Group, we see that we are chipping away at the data silos as illustrated below:
Unified CRM: Consolidate Sales & Marketing
For Marketing Automation in a small business start-up, cheap and easy is the name of the game.
It is what all small businesses do; however, this will only get you so far.
Marketing Automation tools like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, and many others have a solid place in the market, however when you find a team member spending a good chunk of time manually shuttling information between your CRM system, and your Marketing Automation system it is time to consider a change.
In Northwind Group, we had Mike, a seasoned Marketing resource, manually trying to keep their CRM and Marketing systems in sync.
He was constantly importing lists from CRM into the marketing system, then after the marketing outreach he would export results (subscribes, unsubscribe, changes) from marketing back into CRM. Necessary, but not the best use of his time.
This process would take approximately 8 hours per week, approximately 20% of his time. Was it worth it?
A quick cost calculation based on his total compensation of $100k per year ($75 base compensation + overhead & benefits) showed that the business was spending $20,000 per year for Mike to do this manual integration and it still fell short on several fronts, including:
Sales & Marketing were disconnected
Slower lead hand-off to sales
Duplication of efforts and data silos
Inaccurate reporting and analytics
Lower revenue due to inefficiency
It was time for a change!
Good news, this was something that wouldn’t be too hard to accomplish and wouldn’t break the bank.
Several different marketing solutions would be added on to Dynamics 365 Sales, already pre-integrated, and would accomplish everything (and more …) compared to a stand-alone solution.
See the diagram below:
Now, after combining Sales and Marketing systems into a single system, Sales and Marketing teams (and related data) can act as one – a unified team.
Let’s step through the numbers:
Current Cost:
Annual Software Cost: $2,000
Mike’s “Manual” Integration Cost: $20,000
Total Annual Cost: $22,000
Future Cost:
One-time Implementation Cost: $6,500 (Investment)
Annual Software Cost: $12,000
Integration Cost: $0
Total Annual Cost: $18,500
ROI:
Total Cost of Investment: $6,500
Current Annual Cost: $22,000
Future Annual Cost: $12,000
Annual Savings ($22,000 - $12,000): $10,000
Return on Investment (ROI) can be calculated as ROI = (Annual Savings / Total Cost of Investment) x 100, which, for our example, ROI = $10,000 / $6,500 = 153% with an approximate payback period of 7.8 months.
Turns out it was a good investment!
Unlocking Synergy: A Path to Seamless Data Integration
This article continues our journey toward achieving a 360-degree customer view through data integration.
Using the example of Northwind Group, we explore practical steps for overcoming common integration challenges faced by small and mid-sized businesses.
We discussed the use of built-in Microsoft integrations.
These native tools offer a cost-effective and straightforward way to start breaking down data silos without the need for complex technical setups. With simple point-and-click configuration, end-user training, and process alignment, built-in integrations offer immediate value by connecting critical business systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SharePoint.
These integrations improve visibility across departments, reduce the need for custom development, and allow for more informed decision-making.
We also discuss the benefits of consolidating marketing and sales systems into a unified platform. By integrating these functions, businesses can eliminate inefficient manual processes, enhance team communication, and ensure data flows seamlessly from lead generation to sales execution.
Northwind Group, for example, was able to reduce marketing labor costs by automating previously manual tasks while simultaneously improving:
lead hand-offs
data accuracy
reporting capabilities
and more…
This shift improves internal efficiency and accelerates revenue growth by enabling quicker, more coordinated responses to customer needs.
Looking ahead to Part 3 of this series, we will dive into the world of Cloud Integration Platforms (IPaaS), provide actionable next steps, and explore how third-party tools can further enhance your integration strategy.
It can be quite a journey, but believe me, you will love it when you get there.
About Ryan Redmond:
Ryan Redmond is the founder of Optrua, specializing in CRM and business process optimization. Ryan channeled his passion for efficiency from lessons learned in the Navy to his work today.
He helps businesses streamline technology to improve employee and customer experiences and empower teams to work smarter, not harder, without unnecessary overhead.
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.
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