previous article
Starting situation
Price transparency, low barriers to switching and predatory competition – these are the main challenges energy suppliers have to overcome. The retention of new and existing customers and thus preserving the most valuable asset is a critical success factor in competition. Based thereon, the strategic objective of one of the world’s largest private electricity and gas businesses, leading in Germany, thus is: Do not lose more private customers than can be won, i.e. avoid terminations by customers.
Solution approach
In order to pre-structure the project, a Customer Intelligence (CIN) Quick Check is made. Detecting the actual maturity level in the segments campaign management, analytics, reporting and customer processes as well as setting a target maturity level, in particular regarding the corresponding IT infrastructure, are among the success factors in the Quick Check.
The previously heterogeneous and decentralized IT structure causes inefficient processes and does not provide a coherent, integrated view of customers and customer behavior. Precise customer selections, addressing, analytics, forecast and reporting of customer behavior as well as reaction times are to be optimized – and mandatory for achieving the strategic objectives.
In order to implement the developed target, a customer-oriented DWH and related application tools are selected as key element for the department, corresponding to the functional b.telligent CRM reference architecture.
- A data mart as efficient data source for campaign management, reporting and analysis in existing customer management
- A campaign management solution
- A statistical analysis tool
- A reporting solution
There was an evaluation period for these solutions in the course of the project so that a valid decision in accordance with the business standards could be taken.
In the further course, the DWH has been implemented and taken into live operation; after the selection, the focus for campaign management, analysis and the reporting solution was the procurement, implementation and basic training of the employees.
Approach
Throughout the entire project, b.telligent provides substantive and coordinative support as key position between IT and department, this includes the analysis of business and campaign processes, their illustration in the course of the implementation of all tools as well as support in the agile project management.
Particular focus of the operation is on the customer-oriented data warehouse as central project element. The tasks include in particular the management and support of the developer team in UK as well as the definition and implementation of the logics in the design of the multilayered DWH which have been developed in cooperation with the customer. The implementation includes data integration, historicization, archiving and deletion concepts, rights and role concept, consideration of the data protection perspective as well as IT security across all abstraction levels and aggregation stages.
The result is a central, customer-oriented DWH integrating all operative systems. This DWH provides specifically refined data for each of the department’s application tools.
Application tools for the departments have been selected in individual evaluation processes, implemented and connected to the DWH as data source. In this process, the focus is on both the abbreviation of the individual processes for analyses, reporting and campaign management and the independence from other departments and external businesses. By means of various training measures and jointly playing through the processes, the departments have been enabled to independently perform their tasks:
- efficient, consistent, clear and quality-assured management and selection of direct marketing campaigns (campaign and mandatory communications)
- conception and implementation of reports and dashboards for existing customers and campaigns both for use by management and for the standardized evaluation of direct marketing campaigns
- development of forecast models for customer value and behavior and detailed evaluation of customer actions, customer behavior and score cards
Outlook and Learnings
The challenge of the project was in particular the parallelization of DWH development and tool implementation as well as the tight schedule and the large number of involved departments. Both has been solved by means of a close coordination and good communication.
The project was successfully mastered within schedule and budget – and seamlessly transitioned into the productive stage. The next steps include the refinement of campaign success measurement and the further optimization of campaigns, forecast and scoring as well as the refinement of the processes required for this purpose.
Callback Service