Is Your Data Naughty or Nice?

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why... 

These famous lyrics suggest that Santa Claus may be coming to town, but if your data is naughty instead of nice, he might skip over you! Dirty data has a way of dampening holiday cheer, resulting in misdirected marketing, botched logistics, and poor decisions. But just like Santa checks his list twice, your organization needs to do the same to ensure your data remains accurate and trustworthy. 

The Perils of Naughty Data

Naughty data wreaks havoc on business processes and disrupts operations. In fact, according to Gartner, bad data costs organizations as much as $12.9 million annually. And during the holiday season, the impact can be even more pronounced. Inspired by Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, see if any of these scenarios ring true:

• Incorrect address information means Johnny’s pair of skates is delivered to the wrong house
• Inaccurate inventory data results in Susie not receiving the dolly she wants
• Misleading behavioral data leads to marketing campaigns targeting Nelly with a dolly (which she thinks is folly) instead of a storybook (which she wants instead)

When your data is inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated, it’s like navigating Santa’s sleigh on a dark, snowy night without Rudolph to guide you. You’ll make wrong turns, veer off in the wrong direction, and potentially end up down a path that is a dead end. 

Sleigh Your Business Goals with Nice Data

Nice data, on the other hand, is the gift that keeps on giving. And just like your business relies on high-quality data, Santa and his elves rely on it, too! And while the examples below are North Pole specific, their spirit also applies to the business world.

• Accurate address and weather data ensures efficient and optimized route planning for Santa’s sleigh so Santa can make it to all his stops
• Reliable behavioral data enables Santa to create his infamous naughty and nice list, ensuring no well-behaved child accidentally receives a lump of coal
• Up-to-date inventory information helps the elves to forecast production needs accurately, avoiding overproduction or shortages in the toy department

Just like the elves in Santa’s workshop, when business users have clean, reliable data they can trust, they gain confidence in their ability to make informed business decisions. High-quality data also enables your business to deliver personalized experiences, run operations smoothly, and sidestep unexpected exposures and threats. 

How to Get Your Data Off the Naughty List

Assessing your data, improving its quality, and reviewing it with end users are the first steps towards transforming your data from naughty to nice. But to do so quickly and effectively, you need the right tools. That’s where AI-native MDM can help.

AI-native MDM speeds the discovery, enrichment, and maintenance of the trustworthy data organizations need to make better decisions. Because AI-native MDM is dynamic, it enables agility and iterative development based on use cases that are important to the business. In the case of Santa’s workshop, determining if a child is naughty or nice is critical to knowing if they receive a toy – or a lump of coal. For your business, it may be as simple as knowing how many customers you have.

And rest assured, when your use cases or the data that supports them changes, AI-native MDM will adapt and scale, ensuring that the golden records it creates always reflect the most current and accurate version of your data.  

It’s also important to remember that AI alone isn’t enough to improve the quality of your data. Just as Santa relies on his elves, businesses must also rely on the human experience and expertise to review and validate the golden records AI produces. By asking users to review the data, you empower them to share valuable insight and domain expertise that corrects errors and adds context that the AI might not have considered. 

AI-native MDM is the gift you wish for all year long: AI's efficiency and scalability combined with human insights and expertise. Because when you transform your data from naughty to nice, your business can deliver holiday magic the whole year through! 

Ready to get started? Discover the AI-native MDM advantage.