- Most companies are failing to keep their data foundations in check
- Many still manually manage data across multiple platforms, HubSpot claims
- Your data needs to be highly accessible to future AI tools
New research has highlighted how fragmented and siloed data should be key considerations for companies looking to lay solid foundations before exploring AI tools.
One-third (34%) of businesses surveyed by HubSpot have already seen revenue loss due to fragmented customer data, and even fewer (31%) believe that most of their data is accessible to AI systems.
Furthermore, barely any companies (9%) trust their data enough for accurate reporting, making it near-impossible to make educated and guided decisions.
Most companies are neglecting data
Nine in 10 (92%) admit valuable insights actually sit outside of their CRM - for example across multiple spreadsheets or chats, making it both inaccessible and unstructured. To that tune, 37% acknowledge that productivity is hit by time spend reconciling scattered information.
“The organizations that will succeed are those that focus on breaking down internal silos and ensuring insights can flow freely and securely across teams,” EMEA VP of Sales and Managing Director Mark Barry explained.
At the moment, three in four (74%) still manually transfer data into CRM platforms at least weekly, and 88% of firms face at least one major challenge in AI adoption.
The clearest recommendation form HubSpot’s report is for companies to unify customer data into one source so that it can be used for advanced and AI-enhanced reporting.
Doing this will also support them in building AI-ready infrastructure, but they must also consider upcoming changes to legislation to prevent having to shift strategies later down the line. To date, 71% of UK businesses have had AI projects delayed or disrupted by GDPR or the upcoming AI Act.
“By prioritising unified, intelligent data strategies, while staying ahead of evolving regulations, businesses can turn digital disruption into a serious competitive advantage,” Barry concluded.
In an era where web traffic is falling and customer discovery is shifting to AI channels, being prepared for AI to extract meaningful insights has never been so important.
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