In our previous blog posts, we discussed the processes of data ingestion and data standardization and enrichment, which are crucial for creating a unified view of customer data. In this post, we will delve into the final phase of the Customer 360 solution: data serving. This phase focuses on delivering processed and enriched data to various consumers within the organization, ensuring real-time access and maintaining data security.

Challenges Faced

1. Diverse Consumer Needs: Different departments and applications require access to customer data in various formats and structures.
2. Real-Time Access: Ensuring that data is available in real-time for applications such as CRM systems and BI reports.
3. Data Security: Maintaining the security and privacy of customer data while serving it to multiple consumers.
4. Scalability: Handling large volumes of data and ensuring that the data serving infrastructure can scale as needed.
5. Integration Complexity: Integrating the mastered data into existing systems like EDW (Enterprise Data Warehouse), CRM applications, and BI (Business Intelligence) reports.
6. Comprehensive Data Integration: Extending the Customer 360 master data with touch points across different business units, including various interactions and transactions within corporate systems.

Solution Provided by Yotta Tech Ports Inc.

Data Serving Architecture: Yotta Tech Ports Inc. implemented a robust architecture to serve the mastered data to various consumers. This architecture includes:

1. Data Warehouses and Data Lakes: Utilizing data warehouses and data lakes to store and manage large volumes of customer data. These repositories provide structured and unstructured data storage, enabling efficient data retrieval and analysis.
2. APIs: Developing APIs to facilitate real-time data access for applications such as CRM systems and front-end applications. These APIs ensure that data is readily available and can be integrated seamlessly into various systems.
3. BI Tools: Integrating BI tools to generate reports and dashboards, providing insights into customer data. These tools enable users to visualize and analyze data, supporting informed decision-making.
4. Data Security Measures: Implementing stringent data security measures to protect customer data. This includes encryption, access controls, and regular security audits to ensure data privacy and compliance with regulations.
5. Comprehensive Data Integration: Extending the Customer 360 master data to include touch points across different business units. This involves integrating various interactions and transactions within corporate systems, providing a holistic view of customer activities and behaviors.

Technical Solution: The technical solution for data serving involved several key components:

1. Informatica: Used to extract, transform, and load (ETL) data into the EDW and data lakes. Informatica workflows ensure that data is processed efficiently and accurately.
2. AWS Services: Leveraging AWS services such as AWS Lambda and AWS Glue for data processing and integration. These services provide scalability and flexibility, enabling real-time data access.
3. Custom Python Scripts: Developing custom Python scripts to handle specific data serving tasks. These scripts offer customization and control, ensuring that data is served according to the unique needs of each consumer.
4. Visualization Tools: Utilizing tools like Tableau and Power BI to create interactive dashboards and reports. These tools help users visualize data trends and patterns, supporting strategic decision-making.

Benefits to the Client

1. Enhanced Decision-Making: Improved access to customer data enables better decision-making across the organization. Departments can leverage data insights to optimize marketing campaigns, sales strategies, and customer service.
2. Improved Customer Interactions: Real-time access to customer data allows for personalized and informed customer interactions. CRM systems can provide tailored recommendations and support, enhancing the overall customer experience.
3. Increased Operational Efficiency: Automated data serving processes reduce manual effort and streamline operations. This leads to increased efficiency and productivity across the organization.
4. Scalability and Flexibility: The data serving infrastructure is designed to scale as needed, accommodating growing volumes of data and evolving business requirements.
5. Holistic Customer View: Integrating touch points across different business units provides a comprehensive view of customer interactions and transactions. This holistic approach enhances the accuracy and depth of customer insights.

Conclusion

Data serving is a critical phase in the Customer 360 solution, ensuring that mastered data is accessible, secure, and usable by various consumers within the organization. By implementing a robust data serving architecture and leveraging advanced technologies, Yotta Tech Ports Inc. enabled the client to harness the full potential of their customer data. Stay tuned for more insights and detailed discussions on our expertise in data serving and integration.

📚 This post is Part 3 of our Customer 360 Series

If you missed the first two:

1. Data Ingestion at Scale — 175+ systems, 240M+ records
2. Data Standardization & Enrichment — From raw to reliable