News in the Channel - issue #37

FIRST-PARTY DATA

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. n

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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.

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