The Commercial Data 101 webinar introduced how commercial data can help organisations better understand business customers and support more informed sales and marketing decisions.
The questions that followed were practical. Attendees wanted to know how matching works, what can be added to a CRM, whether contact data is available, how Company360 fits and how commercial data could support activation.
That is a good sign. It means people are thinking about how to move from idea to application.
These answers are a starting point. The right approach will depend on the use case, available data, delivery method and applicable privacy, governance and compliance requirements.
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1. What is involved in matching and appending Experian data to a CRM?
A match and append process usually starts with the business goal. You may want to clean CRM records, create a single customer view, improve segmentation, assess market opportunity or prepare data for analysis. Experian can then review the available first-party data and agree a suitable matching approach. Business identifiers may help. Where they are not available, fields such as business name and address may be considered, depending on quality and consistency. Once records are matched, relevant attributes may be added based on the agreed use case.
2. What match rate should organisations expect?
Match rates should not be assumed upfront. They can vary based on the quality, completeness and consistency of the input data, the fields available for matching, the matching method and the agreed use case. The best next step is to review the available CRM data with Experian and assess what may be achievable before using a match outcome for sales, marketing or modelling activity.
3. Are contact details available for businesses?
Experian’s commercial data is primarily designed to help organisations understand, segment and prioritise businesses. Some contact-related information may be available in certain contexts, but availability can vary. If a campaign needs a particular type of contact data, the next step is to talk through the use case with Experian and confirm what is suitable.
4. How does Company360 support prospecting and account research?
Company360 can support prospecting and account research by giving users business information that may help them identify, prioritise and prepare for conversations with relevant organisations. Depending on user permissions and data available, it may help teams understand company context, business relationships, key people and other information that supports more informed sales engagement. Specific product details and market coverage should be confirmed with Experian before use in public copy.
5. Are revenue bands and employee bands actual or modelled?
Revenue and employee band information may be based on actual data where available or modelled where actual information is not available or suitable. Any use of revenue or employee bands should take the intended purpose, data source, modelling approach and known limits into account.
6. How are industry classifications used?
Industry classification can help with segmentation, market sizing, reporting and prospecting. The right level of detail depends on the business question. Some organisations may only need broad industry groups. Others may need a more detailed sub-sector view.
7. Can commercial and consumer data work together?
Some organisations serve both business and consumer markets. In those cases, commercial and consumer data may offer complementary views, subject to the right use case and compliance requirements. Any combined approach should be scoped with Experian first.
8. Can commercial data support digital activation?
Many organisations want to move from insight to activation. The availability of digital activation options can depend on the audience, channel, connection, permitted use case and compliance requirements. Experian can talk through current capabilities and future opportunities with organisations that want to consider B2B audience activation.
9. Where should organisations start?
Start with the business challenge. Do you want to find new prospects, clean up CRM data, create a single customer view, understand market opportunity, help sales teams with more informed prospect lists or understand how business customers may be connected? Once the challenge is clear, Experian can help work through the right data, matching approach, delivery method and governance considerations.
Next step
If you have a question about how commercial data could support your sales, marketing or customer insight priorities, speak with your Experian account manager or complete the client enquiry form.