BLOG. 2 min read
It would be reasonable to assume—especially given the increasingly competitive and uncertain distribution landscape—that distribution leaders’ views would vary greatly about which initiatives will drive long-term success for their firms. After all, National Accounts and National Sales leaders must consider a plethora of external and internal factors that can really impact business outcomes. However, based on our recent surveys of National Accounts and National Sales leaders, there is a general consensus that data and technology refinement and enhanced business intelligence will be two points of focus for the majority of asset management organizations in 2023.
Source: SS&C Research, Analytics, and Consulting Productivity Insights NA Team Survey 2022
Data/Tech Refinement
Data and technology refinement was ranked as a top 5 initiative by 70% of the National Accounts and ~68% of National Sales teams surveyed. The refinement process is a crucial step in establishing a data-driven, technology-enabled organization. In order for National Accounts and National Sales teams to draw actionable insights and deliver meaningful results, the data and technology available to them must be refined to the point that both are relevant, standardized and categorized.
Source: SS&C Research, Analytics, and Consulting Productivity Insights NS Team Survey 2022
Enhanced Business Intelligence for National Accounts & National Sales Teams
Once the data and tech refinement process is set, organizations are better positioned to transform everything from data mining, process analysis, performance benchmarking and descriptive analytics to enhanced easy-to-digest reporting, refined performance measures and identifying pivotal trends that simplify management decisions. Enhanced business intelligence was ranked as a top 5 initiative by 75% of the National Accounts and ~47% of National Sales teams surveyed.
Looking Ahead
While both initiatives are important as standalones, a firm's ability to provide enhanced business intelligence for both its National Accounts and National Sales organizations is directly linked to its ability to refine the data and technology at its disposal. The relationship between these initiatives most likely contributes to why so many asset managers are prioritizing both in the new year, but it also underscores the need for a clearly defined data strategy that prioritizes their business objectives and aligns with the capabilities of their Business Intelligence, National Accounts, National Sales and even Marketing teams.
In addition to the Productivity Insights surveys noted above, read our "Closing the Customer Knowledge Gap" whitepaper, which outlines how firms can harness the wealth of increasingly available data to unlock powerful insights into their customers’ profiles, preferences and priorities.
