Bridging the growing gap: how RevOps can overcome data management challenges

Data is the fuel that powers operations. Without it, organizations wouldn’t know how to go to market, which customers to target, or even what characteristics their customers share. Companies wouldn’t operate as efficiently, or compete as effectively, without data.

Data’s importance in RevOps is unquestionable. However, sourcing reliable data and keeping datasets clean is like taming a wily beast. RevOps professionals face a wide disparity between the tasks they’re entrusted with and the capabilities of their data and technology to deliver the results they need. It raises the question: Are the tools readily available to RevOps professionals enough to get the job done?

The 2024 State of RevOps Survey collected feedback from global operations professionals to answer that question and provide RevOps professionals with a reliable source of truth. Results revealed unexpected new developments that go against the historical trends we’ve comfortably trusted.

Data requirement reality check

It’s no secret that operations professionals are drowning in tumultuous seas of bad data. Around 80 percent of survey respondents reported that clean customer and prospect data is essential to their operations. Yet only nine percent confidently reported they’re “Very satisfied” with their customer and prospect data’s cleanliness. That’s not just a gap; it’s a chasm.

Updating data is a hard, never-ending cycle. Fresh data expires quickly, keeping RevOps professionals constantly hunting for reliable data sources. RevOps professionals in our study often second-guessed the reliability of their own sources of truth. Less than 45 percent of respondents felt “Somewhat” confident that the data in their systems is reliable.

The endless struggle to prove the impact

At the recent RevOps Co-ops webinar: How operationally mature are you? (And how to improve it), more than two-thirds of the 200 virtual RevOps attendees said that data attribution is a leading concern in proving impact. Attribution is a RevOps focal point because there’s no standard way to define metrics or design marketing reports. Even with the adoption of seemingly similar attribution models, discrepancies emerge because no two companies’ touchpoints are the same.

B2B sales grow increasingly non-linear, which makes attribution even more complex. Marketers also face constant pressure to justify and defend their spending. When they’re unable to tie marketing efforts to outcomes senior leadership cares about, tension builds between their CMOs and CEOs. That friction keeps marketers on edge, further hindering their ability to efficiently complete tasks due to fear of retribution.

Automation falls by the wayside

Automation is an essential tool in every RevOps professional’s toolkit. However, only half of the respondents in our survey said automating RevOps tasks is essential. Shockingly, only 15 percent said they’re satisfied with their own ability to efficiently automate tasks.

One theory behind the numbers is that RevOps professionals may simply not have enough time or the right capabilities to automate. About 49 percent of respondents said automation is a “Nice to have,” indicating that RevOps professionals want to automate processes but simply don’t have the capacity for it.

Defying expectations through unconventional means

A longstanding RevOps assumption is that B2C companies use customer data platforms (CDPs) to manage data, while B2Bs use CRMs and data warehouses instead. Our survey responses debunked that premise.

A surprising 22 percent of B2B survey respondents reported using CDPs to manage their data. Even more startling is that 70 percent of companies use a combination of B2B/B2C buying motions and don’t rely on CDPs at all. Instead, they use data warehouses to manage the growing complexity behind both buying motions.

Close your gaps and gain a competitive edge

Despite the importance of clean data and efficient automation, our survey reveals a significant disparity between reality and data requirements in RevOps. Professionals are turning toward new strategies to meet the challenges arising from ever-evolving market conditions, as data’s unpredictable nature requires it.

Are you tired of falling prey to your own data’s unpredictability? Learn how to take control of your data with powerful strategies from leading operationally mature companies. Our survey report, The 2024 operations roadmap, crunches the numbers to create digestible, bite-sized strategies from successful organizations to put you back at the front of the pack in data management.

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