Your customer database design or configuration is even more important than the functionality that it delivers

How our approach works

Start with some thinking about the future 

In an ideal world any system development in the area of Customer Management or CRM would start with the design of the underlying database. In fact, leading organisations often have a clear Target Customer Data Model to define what they are aiming to achieve years into the future. So, even if we are supporting a systems project that is well under way we would always recommend a first step of thinking through the perfect database end-point even if it can’t be delivered in the short term.

Never accepts a generic database design

This Target Data Model informs and impacts on decisions throughout the design of any customer-related database. Even with so-called off-the-shelf systems or basic cloud-based packages there is always a level of configuration that enables tailoring to be achieved to get closer to the target data model.

Navigates the maze of requirements and motivations

The input to our work comes from the business side of the client organisation, from their systems team and from the software vendors or integration partners. All three groups have valid requirements as well as constraints and wider interests. We navigate the challenge for our clients to ensure that the optimum database design or configuration is implemented to deliver today’s requirements without prejudicing the future.

Gives systems people as much detail as they want

At every stage of our input we are extremely focused on ensuring that everyone has all requirements and decisions communicated to them in a meaningful way. For the systems teams this may be simple business statements, a basic, logical data model or a detailed database design ready to be built in the relevant tools.

Enables business teams to visualise what they will get

For the business teams the communication may still be data diagrams but this can normally be enhanced with the use of clickable mock-ups to enable them to see what data would be captured and how it would be linked together. In either case the objective is clear – never let the database be a constraint to a system being able to deliver a future business requirement.