The smooth transition of data between departments is essential to the success of any business. But if your organisation uses apps and software that don’t talk to each other, then data cannot be easily passed from one department to another. Technology silos like this can cause a headache for your business. From errors and duplicate records to disjointed analytics and lack of team alignment, silos create inefficient systems which could potentially annoy your customers and fatigue your staff.
Selecting and implementing the right software for your business can transform your operational systems. Choose the right tools and you’ll see immediate benefits in productivity and sales. Let’s explore how HubSpot’s powerful CRM platform can help you join up your systems and eliminate the issues of siloed tech.
How dismantling data silos will benefit your business
1. Enable collaborative working
The average team uses six approaches to support collaboration and at least four different communication tools (source: HCM Technology). When teams use disparate systems to collect data, they are less likely to share information and data cannot be easily accessed by other departments. This disjointed approach makes it impossible to see the bigger picture so decisions are not aligned to wider business goals, building frustration and destroying trust between teams.
As a system for storing your customer data, HubSpot provides a powerful way to automate processes and enable a seamless transition of vital business information. It eliminates any potential for friction typically associated with siloed technology and enables a smooth flow of data across departments. The end result is a transparent way of working that builds trust and camaraderie between teams and enables a collaborative approach to your business operations.
2. Deliver a better customer experience
Businesses that use disjointed tools and systems don’t get the full picture of their customer profiles. As a result of data silos, 69% of companies are unable to provide a comprehensive, single customer view (source: DNB). Perhaps you rely on different apps for your email marketing, SMS messaging, data management and reporting – when your platforms don’t talk to one another, it’s impossible to track buyer behaviour and preferences. This means your sales, marketing and support teams lack the insight they need to deliver a personalised response to customer queries.
With HubSpot you can use native tools already built-in, or integrate third-party apps to centralise your sales and marketing functions. With your CRM at the centre of your software stack, you can connect all your other business tools in the same hub. That way, it’s possible to build a profile of your customers based on their preferences as well as their most common queries and gripes.
We onboarded a long-standing e-commerce client onto HubsSpot and streamlined their multiple apps into one system. Previously they had used Zendesk and Calendly, amongst other tools, to manage their customer service tickets and appointment booking. Now with HubSpot calendar booking and their entire customer service function managed within the CRM, they can serve customised content to prospects based on their browser behaviour and preferences. The consolidation of customer data and seamless user journey has helped our client grow their online sales by 18% over the last 12 months.
3. Grow your business
Eliminating technology silos provides opportunities for teams to share data seamlessly across business functions. The bigger picture approach to dealing with customer queries means you can provide the right information to customers at the right time in their journey, no matter what department you work in.
This in turn will build trust in your brand and remove any doubt about your business integrity which could otherwise result from a siloed approach to dealing with customer queries. It means that prospects will trust you to deliver a good service and be loyal to your brand over the competition, resulting in more conversions and faster business growth.
We helped a leading online country clothing outfitter to streamline their customer service by replacing all their apps with HubSpot functionality to deliver an enhanced service at each touchpoint. With smart lists for improved segmentation, automated follow-ups and dynamic content based on user preferences, our client has maintained a healthy conversion rate in the post-pandemic period when other similar e-commerce businesses have struggled due to the reopening of physical retail stores.
4. Stop duplicating work
When teams work in silos, they are unaware of existing solutions to problems which can result in duplicated efforts to get to the bottom of repeated issues. It can also lead to inconsistent decision-making that can harm your public profile.
Get your entire organisation using centralised apps and software so they have access to cross-functional knowledge sharing. This will help them diagnose and fix problems more quickly and provide a wider understanding of organisational expertise which staff can leverage at the right moment to drive efficiencies in the way they handle and respond to customers. It will reduce the potential for work to be duplicated, make your teams more efficient and save your business money.
With HubSpot you can create playbooks to document centralised processes so that everyone understands, and can contribute to, your ways of working. When staff are involved in the design of systems and processes, it makes them feel valued and will motivate them to succeed.
5. Provide more accurate analytics & reporting
Another benefit of reducing technology silos is that when you remove the barriers to seamless data transition, you gain a centralised hub of information from different teams and departments. The result is a highly powerful pool of data that drives better decision-making and shapes your long-term growth strategy.
HubSpot reporting provides everyone with access to the same data where they can view custom analytics dashboards as well as monitor customer satisfaction levels and team performance. With sophisticated analytics at this level, you can quickly produce insightful reports for presentation at team and board level meetings.
6. Avoid compliance issues
When data is stored on different systems and tools such as spreadsheets, it is more difficult for management teams to apply consistent security protocols. This makes it easy for hackers and malicious cyber criminals to detect weaknesses in your network and steal or exploit your data. A centralised data storage system will enable you to implement robust security measures, reduce your risk of a data breach and help you be more compliant with privacy and protection laws.
7. Save money & be more productive
When your tech systems don’t talk to one another, data sharing becomes really cumbersome and requires a greater volume of email comms and admin tasks to pass that data on to colleagues. According to HCM technology, managers say their teams lose as many as 20 hours a month when they rely on tools that aren’t integrated or centralised across the organisation.
With HubSpot, your sales, marketing, operations and customer services teams can share information within one single platform. It means there are fewer admin tasks to complete so teams become more productive, saving time and leading to cost-saving efficiencies.
Teams can also comment on tasks and create alerts and notifications for colleagues in other departments. There are options to automate tasks, reducing the need for intervention and the risk of human error. This will simplify the lives of your customer service teams and improve employee satisfaction and retention.
Get expert help today
Siloed technology can be harmful to your business. Are you struggling to align your teams because your IT systems don’t talk to one another? HubSpot enables seamless systems and quick transfer of data between teams. We can help you integrate all your apps into one platform to make your business run more efficiently. Book a meeting today to get the conversation started.
