Building a Data-Driven Culture in Salesforce

Are you looking for ways to build a better data-driven culture in Salesforce, but are falling short? You’re in good company. 99% of corporate executives say establishing a data culture is important to them yet only a third have professed to have had success. Let’s dig into why success is so elusive, and ways we can help our team become part of that lucky third.
What is a data-driven culture?
When we talk about a data-driven culture, we look to see if the organization views data as a critical tool in decision-making. These are organizations using data-driven insights to create better customer experiences, improve our business efficiency, and establish a competitive advantage. Employees aren’t overly reliant on their gut feeling but lean on data to prove and augment their intuitions. A data-driven culture opens data access to create awareness and fuel collaboration. We don’t get trapped in silos or protect our data from others.
Statistics
Let’s look at a handful of statistics highlighting the challenge and opportunity of establishing a rich data culture.
• 67% of leaders are not using data for important decisions like pricing
• 58% of companies that make decisions based on data are more likely to beat revenue targets than those that don’t
• Only 35% of workers report that they have been trained in data visualization tools. 27% say they can read data outputs relevant to their role, and only 26% say they can make decisions based on data.
• Companies that add AI to their data toolkit increase revenue by an average of 30%
Staring at these statistics, it’s easy to see why so many organizations are trying to reach this holy grail through the actualization of a data-driven culture. So, what can turn the tide and help us realize that success?
Keys to a Data-Driven Culture
Sharing & Transparency
Sharing and transparency are the most important elements of building a strong data-driven culture. We should aim to get data into the hands of those who need it. We should also empower users with the tools and training to use that data. If users can build their own dashboards and reports in Salesforce, analyze the data, and use those insights to drive key decisions, we’ve truly democratized data in the organization. This also helps with employee engagement and productivity as they shift their focus to strategic rather than spending time on basic tasks that yield minimal value. We also need to help employees understand the quality of the data and how the algorithms come to their findings. When we fail to do so, employees can grow to mistrust the data they see and abandon its findings in favor of their instincts.
Power Users
We need to assemble an influential group to help drive the success of our data culture effort. This should include executives, Salesforce administrators, data engineers, developers, and other critical stakeholders to help us architect and drive adoption. It’s important to develop mission statements and establish initiative goals at the start so we define what success looks like and are aligned on how to get there. This group should be invested in verifying the data, surfacing anomalies, and embracing the role of data champions or superusers. Superusers are invaluable in this process. They help us sell this effort and become the cheerleaders and trainers to help others see the value.
Start Small
How do you show value in short order? Find a small project that will yield high-impact results quickly. It’s easy to flip skeptics to converts when we deliver results. We can also test our assumptions on a smaller scale and iterate faster. We always want to celebrate and socialize our wins. When we share successes, people want to be a part of it.
Use AI
AI is the popular buzzword these days, and it can be hype over substance in many cases. AI is great at analyzing data at scale to help us find patterns to take advantage of market opportunities faster. This is where it can help fuel our data-driven culture by fostering innovation and helping us create a separation from the competition. Based on Salesforce’s internal research, pairing AI with CRM functions helped boost key success metrics like productivity, efficiency, and revenue growth by 30%.
Remember, we are shifting the mindset of an organization. That naturally takes time. We need to go into these data culture transformations with the right expectations. It’s important to adopt an iterative approach that allows our team to learn and get better. We are never technically done. We should continue to refine by leaning into feedback loops.
This video is brought to you by Improving. We are an IT services firm located in 15 cities in North America. We'd love to talk if you need a trusted advisor to help you get the most out of your data strategy. Please reach out to us at improving.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
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