Data is embedded into every decision-making process, but first-party data can help channel partners to gain a competitive advantage, says Rishi Kapoor, head of WW partner sales Engineering & Solutions: Technology & Innovation Partners at Alteryx.
The EU has set ambitious targets for 2030, aiming for 75% of companies to use cloud, AI or big data, and for at least 90% of SMEs to achieve a basic level of digital intensity. To meet these goals, businesses must become more data-driven. Today, data is embedded into every decision-making process – and channel businesses aren’t exempt.
Instead of relying on third-party datasets, however, they must shift towards fully harnessing their own first-party data. Unlike third-party datasets, which provide broad market insights, first-party data allows channel partners to gain a competitive edge. Done right, this approach transforms vast amounts of disparate datasets into a lucrative 360-degree view of their customer base, enabling informed and tailored decision-making.
To leverage first-party data to its full potential, channel partners must establish a holistic view by pulling data points related to customers and competitors into an analytics automation solution. This requires collecting data from on-premises and cloud environments, such as customer interactions, feedback and support history. Channel partners can also harness website and app analytics to gather user patterns, behaviour and engagement data.
Developing a data-driven culture
However, simply gathering data isn’t enough to guarantee success. Organisations must focus on their most valuable asset: their employees. Channel partners must pair their data with a data-driven culture that prioritises data literacy and empowers employees to unlock the value of data-driven insights. Organisations should upskill employees to become data-savvy in their day-to-day roles.
Accessible tools make self-serve analytics a reality. By equipping employees with low- or no-code interface analytic solutions, businesses can extend the technology beyond IT professionals with technical or coding backgrounds. This enables any employee within the organisation to engage with data-driven solutions.
Companies should seek to understand their team’s existing roles and skillsets and develop customised learning paths tailored to their different needs. Every employee is different, but a foundational understanding of tools is a catalyst for change. Building on employees’ skills goes hand-in-hand with creating a data-driven culture, as ‘always-on’ training enables channel businesses to improve organisation-wide data literacy and confidence in using data and analytics tools. Confidence enables better decision-making and creates the ability for employees to be innovative.
This is where leadership plays a key role. Channel partners need every level of the business to buy into the idea of a data-driven culture, with executives leading the way. Executive teams should drive the shift towards data initiatives and encourage insight-sharing between business segments, providing organisation-wide access to the resources that pave the way for optimised go-to-market strategies and commercial success.
Alongside this culture, channel partners must not forget the essential level of governance required to steer data usage in the right direction and avoid ineffective implementation. Starting with focused pilot projects allows businesses to test and refine their approach before expanding initiatives across departments. Success lies in strong governance, which safeguards data accuracy and ensures any data collected is secure and usable – a key component in assuring analytics outputs remain consistent and reliable.
Building the foundations for AI
Over the past two years, enterprise AI has advanced at an extraordinary pace, prompting many channel partners to explore how they can capitalise on these innovations. The key differentiator? A data-literate workforce. Channel businesses that understand and manage data effectively are best positioned to feed high-quality inputs into AI systems and quickly harness their potential.
By implementing internal generative AI models and advanced analytics, channel partners can elevate their service offerings, utilising AI-driven insights to deliver more personalised and effective solutions to customers. Embracing AI internally not only enhances operations and but also strengthens a partner’s credibility in the market as a forward-thinking technology leader in today’s intelligence-driven landscape.
Generative AI also transforms commercial operations. With real-time, natural language access to data, teams can better understand customer behaviour, identify trends and act on opportunities, whether it’s timing outreach or recognising the ideal moment to upsell.
Staying ahead of the competition
Every channel business has the potential to unlock significant value from first-party data – and they should. The real differentiator lies in combining automated data analytics with a strong culture of data literacy. This powerful combination sets leading organisations apart from the rest.
By establishing a solid foundation for high-quality, data-driven insights, as outlined earlier, channel partners position themselves to fully leverage generative AI. The result? Enhanced performance, sharper decision-making and stronger commercial outcomes.
