Question

Using a real-life experience, define how an ODS can be utilized in support of the organization’s CRM effort.

Answer 1

Solution –

The company we are discussing here is a wealth management company which caters to the customer needs for their investments and also manages certain portfolio of their clients. This company has a customer base of around forty – five thousand clients across the North American landscape. The company introduced the CRM strategy to ensure that the executive interactions are smoother and also newer business is brought in.

The total data variables that were mapped in the CRM software were around eighty – four with certain intelligent variables introduced by the team from the earlier reporting system. Now to establish a smoother and effective reporting system across the organization, a business warehouse model was applied. This proved a challenge with the traditional database and this is where operational data store was used to store data across multiple transaction departments. This allowed for integration with the operational systems and allowed for dynamic data storage. This allowed for the following advantages –

1. Consolidated data vies through integration with multiple systems
2. Allowed for application of data rules to ensure data sanity
3. It provides for consolidated repository for old data
4. Allows for integration with business intelligence tools

ODS allowed for handling simple queries on data and allowed the business warehouse to manage the complex data queries. ODS allows for user friendly aspect which allows for better utilization.