What could Aunt Emma at the corner shop do better today to improve her 360 degree customer view?

Thanks to modern CRM systems, she could not only store personal preferences, but also analyze purchase histories, send automated reminders for recurring purchases and offer individual discounts. In addition, it could use omnichannel strategies – i.e. linking online and offline experiences to offer customers the best service at all times.

What role do artificial intelligence and automation play in the 360 degree customer view?

AI and automation enable even more precise analysis of customer data. This allows purchase patterns to be identified, predictions to be made and tailored recommendations to be provided. In addition, chatbots and automated services can process customer enquiries more quickly and efficiently.

How can a 360 degree customer view be reconciled with data protection and GDPR?

Transparency and data security are essential. Companies must actively inform customers about data usage and obtain their consent. In addition, only relevant data should be stored and protected by modern security measures to prevent misuse.

Do only large companies need a 360 degree view of their customers?

No, small and medium-sized companies also benefit from it. For smaller companies in particular, a personalized approach to customers can make all the difference in a competitive environment. Even simple CRM systems help to optimize customer relationships.

What mistakes do companies often make when implementing a 360 degree customer view?

Common mistakes include unstructured data, poor integration between departments, and an overly technology-centric approach. Even the best 360 degree customer view is useless if employees don't know how to use the data effectively.

How quickly can a company build a 360 degree view of its customers?

That depends on the starting point. Those who already collect customer data and have integrated systems in place can see results relatively quickly. If there is no data strategy in place, it will take longer. It is important to proceed step by step and involve employees at an early stage. And above all, don't be put off by the potential scope of the project. ‘Think big, start small’ should be the motto.

How does the 360 degree customer view change the customer experience?

Customers experience a more personal and seamless interaction with the company. They receive relevant offers at the right time, don't have to explain their concerns multiple times, and benefit from better service – whether online, in-store or on the phone. This strengthens customer loyalty and increases satisfaction.

Achieving a 360 degree customer view

Markets are highly dynamic and highly competitive. A targeted customer approach is crucial for competition.

This is where companies very often fail. They lack a holistic view of their customers. This requires a reliable, consolidated and, above all, centralized database with a 360 degree customer view and golden records. Many struggle with this.

Realized 360 degree customer view with Aunt Emma

In the old days, as some of us may still remember, you used to buy practically all your goods from the shop around the corner. People knew Aunt Emma, and the owner in turn knew her customers in detail. And made use of this holistic knowledge, for example by addressing them by name, for pre-arranged purchases or perhaps for product recommendations. It was also possible to ‘have someone write to you’ as an early form of sales financing.

Of course, the number of Aunt Emma's customers and business partners was manageable. Due to the lack of computers, she memorized everything. Companies in the digital, globalized economy, on the other hand, have to deal with an atomistic market structure. In some cases, they have to process millions of master data records. These are often scattered across different data sources.

But the point is to transfer the basic mechanisms of Aunt Emma as a benchmark into a scalable process model.

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"With a consolidated view across all relevant touchpoints, your customer data becomes target group-specific knowledge."

Sebastian Krebs, Head of Customer Success at Uniserv

"With a consolidated view across all relevant touchpoints, your customer data becomes target group-specific knowledge."

Sebastian Krebs, Head of Customer Success at Uniserv

Advantages of a 360 degree customer view

With its holistic approach to customer data management, Uniserv creates the conditions for a standardized, complete and up-to-date view of all customer data, across all touchpoints and interactions. This increases the productivity of companies. With the Master Data Hub, all data is combined and quality-assured across all channels, functional areas, applications and databases. In global and large enterprises, Uniserv can be used to centralize and consolidate all data available throughout the company, e.g. across national companies or branches. A fully integrated 360 degree customer view is created on the basis of golden records.

Our experienced consultants will also help you to understand your customer data processes and gain a comprehensive picture. This enables companies to increase the efficiency of their marketing campaigns and sales initiatives and create added value for the entire organization. Customer communication and customer satisfaction improve. This is because all campaigns and initiatives are now value-adding because they are data-driven and based on comprehensive knowledge about each individual customer. With a 360 degree customer view, companies can utilize the full potential of their customers, particularly through cross-departmental campaigns and better collaboration. This better insight has comprehensive and far-reaching benefits that lead to a reduction in effort and costs:

How do companies realize that they lack a 360 degree customer view?

Many companies face major challenges when dealing with their customers. These problems are often spread across different departments and each department tries to do its best for the customer. A shared overall view of all customer information can help with many issues. Companies should therefore keep a watchful eye out for any symptoms of a lack of a 360 degree customer view:

360° customer view: Your Starter Guide

The ‘corner shop principle’ - it has never been as valuable as it is today! Want to bet? Because what Aunt Emma instinctively mastered on a small scale - the 360 degree view of each individual customer - you need to implement digitally today. As the key to personalisation in customer experience management within the customer journey.

In our Starter Guide ‘360° customer view’, you will learn how to utilise the full sales and earnings potential of consolidated customer data:

Why should companies create their 360 degree customer view with Uniserv?

Because we at Uniserv are customer data experts. We have already worked with countless customers to develop their 360 degree customer view for good customer relationships. In doing so, we have helped these customers from a wide range of industries to achieve greater impact in their competitive environment, a better customer experience and more efficient processes based on golden records.

Because data is our business. It has been in our DNA since our company was founded over 50 years ago. And we know exactly what scattered data and information mean from many projects. That's why we have the expertise needed to extract data from a wide variety of sources, transform it into the target data model, match it and merge it. Because consolidated data is the key to a 360 degree customer view. That's what you can expect from us: