After the steering team is successfully created, the next step is to use the expertise of the steering team to document business use cases, KPIs, metrics, and more. Use cases can be across departments. For example, a use case can involve marketing, product analytics, and the UI team. So, it is essential to involve all business representatives from different business units, as well as project sponsors, project managers, and more. You may or may not involve the development team at this stage, but it is usually a good idea to involve the business analyst or the CDP product owner in these sessions.

So, how to document the business use cases, and what are the best practices for it? We will discuss that next.

The process of getting buy-in and alignment across an organization cannot be understated in importance. Having the right executives involved in the early stages of customer data use case development ensures you can develop a proof-of-concept (PoC) pilot program. So, make sure you complete the first step (creating the steering team) properly.

Here are some of the methods that can be used to get business use cases.

Schedule workshops with the larger group

Scheduling workshops with a larger group is an effective way to gather input, collaborate, and ensure alignment when documenting business use cases for CDP implementation. Initial workshop sessions are crucial for bringing alignment to the project and understanding the group’s expectations from the implementation. Different business units can discuss their pain points and explore possible resolutions. Do not restrict ideas at this stage based on budget, technical constraints, and more. Allow everyone to speak freely about their Wishlist. Further tuning can be done later. Document all the use cases that are being discussed, irrespective of their feasibility.

Keep in mind the following while scheduling and conducting workshop sessions:

  • Determine Workshop Objectives
  • Identify the key stakeholders and subject matter experts
  • Set Workshop Dates and Duration
  • Define Workshop Agenda
  • Share Pre-Workshop Materials
  • Document Workshop Outputs
  • Review and Refine
  • Communicate Progress
  • Follow-up and Action Items

Schedule workshops with individual business units

Once the workshops with the larger group are wrapped up, schedule workshops with individual business units to fine-tune requirements. One-on-one discussions with each group reveal more detailed information about their needs, which is not always revealed in a joint session. Few use cases might involve multiple teams, in which case it is advisable to invite multiple teams. You can also conduct these workshops use-case-wise where you involve teams who are going to be affected by that particular use case.

You need to create the goals of the workshop. Refer to Figure 5.5 for some ideas.

Figure 5.5: Discover session goals (Source: https://www.iteratorshq.com/blog/what-are-discovery-workshops-and-why-are-they-important/)

Some examples of business use cases that are common for a CDP implementation are as follows:

  • Personalized Marketing: CDPs enable businesses to deliver highly personalized marketing campaigns by utilizing comprehensive customer profiles.
  • Customer Segmentation: CDPs allow businesses to segment their customer base based on various criteria such as demographics, purchase history, engagement levels, and more.
  • Customer Journey Optimization: CDPs help businesses gain insights into the customer journey across different touchpoints and channels.
  • Cross-Selling and Upselling: CDPs enable businesses to identify cross-selling and upselling opportunities by analyzing customer behavior, purchase history, and preferences.
  • Customer Retention and Churn Prevention: CDPs provide valuable insights into customer behavior, allowing businesses to identify signals of potential churn.
  • Omnichannel Marketing: CDPs help businesses deliver consistent and cohesive experiences across multiple channels, such as email, social media, mobile apps, and websites.
  • Customer Analytics and Reporting: CDPs provide a comprehensive view of customer data, enabling businesses to perform in-depth analytics and generate reports.

These are some generic use cases. The business leaders in your organization will be the best people to seek specific business use cases for your company.