Big Data Means Big Business

Big Data is still just a buzzword for many people. Magazines and newspapers that do not cater strictly to a business audience continually need to explain what they mean when talking about the subject and the strong association with technology means that even some business leaders are still unaware of the true benefits.

But as with all technology projects and ideas, if they can be associated with actions that can improve a business, make it more efficient, deliver services faster, or create new products before competitors, then the leaders can see the advantage.

Forbes magazine recently documents a few examples that demonstrate some of the advantages. Carnival Cruises needs to plan the best way to serve passengers in much the same way as an airline does. However a cruise is a much longer journey than a flight and across all their ships and passengers, Carnival has 80 million cruise days per year. If they could just earn $1 per day extra from each passenger then that’s an immediate $80m boost to revenue.

That’s an example of how to analyse customer behaviour so products and services can be targeted more effectively. Retailers still do this with loyalty cards, although the idea of a loyalty card has been falling from fashion in recent years – customers are tired of giving away their personal data in return for very small benefits.

But data can also help to save money and improve service too. The Australian telco Telstra uses Big Data analysis on their entire network with predictive analysis so potential faults on lines, and in specific areas, can be identified before they happen. Outage time is reduced, engineers can be moved into position faster, and not only does the company save on maintenance, but the customer is happier too.

Every big business uses data today. Every business has the opportunity to analyse this data in a more effective way. There is always information available if you know how to dig deep into the data you have.