How Data Analytics Can Help You Understand Your Customers 

Unlocking customer insights using data analytics has become imperative for successful business operations. After all, how can you effectively serve your customers if you don’t know their needs?  This article offers advice from eight experts on how to use data to your advantage. Discover how they fine-tuned their tactics to stay ahead in a competitive market.

1. Utilize heatmaps for redesign.  If you want to know how customers experience your website, heatmaps are the best way to gather that data.  The tools can inform you where on your website visitors hovered and clicked predominantly.
2. Launch a referral program.  Net Promoter Score is another effective way to collect customers’ opinions about your business. Take it from Mira Nathalea, the chief marketing officer for SoftwareHow, a software development company “When we analyzed our NPS, it became evident that, despite that many customers were satisfied with the product, there was a significant gap in how often they recommended it to others.”  Nathalea continues, “With the help of this insight, we built a referral program, offering customers incentives if they recommended the product to friends or colleagues who might find it useful.
3. Track weekend leads for better conversion.  It can be helpful to know when your customers are most active and likely to purchase. Ravi VC, the founder of business advisory service GoGLOBAL101, says, “We began tracking inbound organic leads by each day of the week, and correlated them with customer responses.”  VC elaborates, “The data revealed a consistent spike in leads during weekends. When we responded to these weekend leads within the same week, subsequent week responses increased, and we received higher, more serious intent from these customers compared to weekday leads.”
4. Refine features based on user needs.  By analyzing customer feedback, reviews, and other data sources, you can better understand your customers’ needs and behaviors to improve retention. According to Jovana Kandic, the head of product management at CAKE.com, a California-based software development company, a significant strategic insight involved the adoption rates of billing and invoicing features.
5. Analyze data to improve patient care.  In a field like healthcare, data analytics is a vital tool for improving patient care. “For example, analyzing appointment data revealed a high rate of missed follow-up visits among diabetic patients,” says Max Burchett, Jr., chief information officer at Oklahoma City Indian Clinic.  Burchett, Jr. explains, “Upon further investigation, we found that transportation challenges, long waiting times, and rigid scheduling were significant barriers. To address this, we introduced flexible scheduling with evening and weekend slots and expanded telehealth options for those with mobility or transportation issues. These changes led to fewer missed appointments, better continuity of care, and improved patient outcomes, with more patients meeting glucose-management goals.”
6. Identify repeat purchases.  Data can reveal trends that challenge your assumptions. Abbas Abidi, the co-founder of online visa service LeSo, says that they initially thought they wouldn’t have frequent repeat purchases because people wouldn’t need more than one visa per year, but this was not the case.  “We noticed that customers were coming back for visas to other countries, particularly those offering longer validity periods, such as the U.K. or U.S. 10-year visas,” says Abidi. “Our data revealed that we were achieving an almost two-visas-per-customer metric when we actively focused on pitching the right deals and SKUs to our existing customers. 
7. Tailor messaging for personalization.  Collecting data from first- and third-party sources, along with behavioral insights, can help you offer personalized recommendations to your customers. “By understanding customers’ habits, we’re able to offer products like solar, batteries, and upgrades at the ideal time in their buying journey, maximizing engagement and conversion,” says Matt Zothner, the founder and CEO of Currents, a clean energy advisory company.
8. Leverage data for successful rebranding.  One of the most challenging undertakings for a business is rebranding, but data can be your compass. For Kate Smiley-Rodgers, the Global Brand Director for GE HealthCare, leveraging data analytics was instrumental in rebranding a 100-year legacy.  “We had to dive deep into data across both long-standing and new audiences to truly grasp where the brand stood and determine how we could position the business for future growth,” says Smiley-Rodgers. “We then took this data-driven insight and crafted a strategy that brought the brand’s transformation to life both internally and externally. The outcome? A successful rebranding of GE HealthCare from an industrial company into a healthcare technology provider.”

2 key takeaways from the article

1. Unlocking customer insights using data analytics has become imperative for successful business operations. After all, how can you effectively serve your customers if you don’t know their needs?  
2. Advice from eight experts on how to use data to your advantage. Discover how they fine-tuned their tactics to stay ahead in a competitive market.  These advice are:  utilize heatmaps for redesign to know the part the part of the webpage your customers are spending time, Launch a referral program, track weekend leads for better conversion, refine features based on user needs, analyze data to improve patient care, identify repeat purchases, tailor messaging for personalization, and leverage data for successful rebranding.