Do You Need a Customer Data Platform?

Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) are hot, and RSG evaluates the key players so you can make good choices about a potential short list and ultimate supplier.  But like any exciting new technology segment, you'll want to separate hype from reality and understand what the toolset can and cannot do before you even decide to start investigating vendors.

To help you figure out whether this technology makes sense for you, RSG has published an advisory paper for our subscribers: Do You Need a Customer Data Platform? (login required). 

Certainly you can understand the appeal of CDPs in a MarTech/CX landscape where:

  • Segmentation and Personalization have become a mainstream practice
  • Customers expect consistent engagement and interaction with you across all channels (support, service, sales, social, and so on)
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning getting integrated into customer experience platforms, with attendant needs for high-quality, clean data
  • Diverse customer and prospect data points are becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile

Historically, enterprises built custom data abstraction layers to provide a single view of core customer and prospect data.

Engagement model with no CDP
Fig 1. Engagement model with bespoke customer data integration layer
 

CDPs are part of a broader architectural revolution that's moving customer-focused services lower in yours stack. In a nutshell, the architecture looks like this:

RSG Omnichannel Stack Reference Model
Fig 2. RSG's Omnichannel Stack Reference Model. Note especially the critical services in the core "Enterprise Foundation" layer.

RSG's advisory paper takes a deep look at CDPs: what they are, how they are different from DMPs or CRMs, and why you might need one.  If your firm is not yet a subscriber, reach out to explore how you can get access.

 

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Webinar: Composable CDPs - Myths and Realities

Register to learn what composability really means in a CDP context and how to distinguish vendor fluff from genuine opportunities. Come away with some conclusions that might surprise you!