DIY vs Getting the Expertise: The value of learning from the experts

Published 10/17/2021

There’s growing awareness of the advantages that data can bring to maximising revenue and leveraging untapped business potential. But few organisations are actually equipped with the expertise, capacity and infrastructure to effectively understand and make good use of the data that exists within their business.

So, it raises the question: do you build that capability in-house? Or do you short-circuit potential mistakes and get there faster with external consultancy?

Given that data analytics should be viewed as a long-game, it might seem that managing your data in-house is a more convenient and cost-effective option. But building internal capability and infrastructure takes time, and can cost more in the long-term not only on operational resource, but also due to lost opportunity and the duration it takes to actually get results.

If you’re in the process of weighing up your options, the questions you really need to ask yourself are: Do you have time to wait? And do you have time to go slow with this?

In a competitive business environment, chances are you can’t afford to waste time. Here’s why bringing in the right external capability has the potential to move you forward, faster.

Internal alignment

Over the years we’ve learnt that one of the biggest roadblocks to moving forward with an effective data and analytics strategy is getting buy-in and consensus from executives and boards. Through workshops and audits, we can help educate and quickly align decision makers, and remove siloed business KPIs, to provide consensus on goals, clarity over what can be achieved, and a roadmap towards what’s possible.

Fast-track to analytics maturity

Leveraging the expertise capacity of a specialised data and analytics management consultancy gives you the immediate advantage of experience and efficiency. We’ve already learnt the lessons, honed the processes and refined the frameworks across dozens of customers to offer a level of operational efficiency that an internal team would take significantly longer to achieve. Working alongside a data partner introduces contemporary capability and new ways of working that continue to advance your business forward.

Build your own business capability

Choosing to bring in support is not to say that internal data capability isn’t something to aim for. So when you’re choosing a partner, it’s important to understand whether their business model is helping to build your own business capability, too. While we can bootstrap you towards actionable outcomes quickly, we also want to help your internal teams learn how to do what we’ve been perfecting over the years. It’s important to us to also coach and co-design new ways of working, and embed structure and efficiency that keeps your business moving forward, long-term.

Easy scalability 

We’ve set up our services so that they meet you where you’re at, and allow you to move at a rate that suits your desire and budget. Through two-week sprints you can start to gain real traction, focusing on meaningful, high-impact actions, without the need for large upfront investment. 

Access to the right skills

At a time when specialist skills within New Zealand are in tight demand, finding and retaining the right talent for in-house data management is a challenge. Getting support allows you to quickly close this skills gap, accessing top-level industry expertise that you may otherwise not have the budget to hire in-house.

The best way to understand where your investment in data and analytics capability is best spent is to first understand where you’re at. Our data audit will explore what benefits an investment in data could bring to your business, and then help you build a case for change. To book yours, or find out more about our approach, get in touch to book a free initial chat.

Team of data experts standing together

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