How To Build A Culture Of Analytics With Alteryx

10 strategies for promoting data-driven outcomes

Companies that embrace an end-to-end culture of analytics are agile, flexible, and able to seize business-defining opportunities before the competition spots them. That doesn’t mean they’re keeping up with every trend — they’re simply cleaning up the data in their own backyard and acting on the insights.

Your organization isn’t quite there yet. Like most companies out there, your reality looks more like …

• Information trapped in data silos
• Analysis dragged down by manual processes
• Limited time to spend generating the insights that matter
• Opportunities missed before they’re even recognized

As a data champion, you have a bigger vision. Chances are, you’re already performing modern data tasks, so you know what it would mean for your company’s future if your entire organization used a single, powerful analytics automation platform. For instance, if you’ve already started to automate repetitive processes, you’re putting analytics automation into action. Are you already accelerating time to insight by removing manual work from your tasks? That’s analytics automation, too.

Make a Name for Yourself
Start a sea of change and your bosses will remember it. Just ask the analysts at Ingersoll Rand, who revamped their traditional company’s data culture and boosted their careers in the process.

Read More

Still, pushing for a wholesale shift to the Alteryx Analytics Automation Platform may feel daunting. To enable an end-to-end analytics approach, you’ll need to convince a big group of stakeholders that there’s a strong business case for culture change — and drive home the very real cost of doing nothing at all.

Not to worry. Armed with this guide, you can build the momentum you need for buy-in across your organization. You’ll identify your stakeholders and activate your ecosystem with a great pitch tailored to each decision-maker’s needs — we’ll show you how.

“I would certainly use this guide to help craft my expansion of Alteryx to other groups in my company. It provides much-needed guidance.”
Seth Moskowitz, Sr Business Analyst, Interpublic Group

Craft Your Pitch

Think About Your Decision-Making Ecosystem

Transforming your company’s data culture will require action up and down the organization and across lines of business. You may be wondering where to start — but the path to organization-wide adoption is not always linear.

For best results, we recommend you activate your entire decision-making ecosystem by engaging three fronts simultaneously. You’re likely to encounter resistance in some spots but enthusiasm in others, and sparking that enthusiasm is what can ignite the culture change you’re looking for. Celebrate small wins — every Alteryx free trial downloaded provides actual business value and is a gateway to realizing your bigger dream.

The path to convincing each audience is different, so you’ll want to develop a strong baseline pitch that can be customized as needed.

Sell the Big Picture

As an Alteryx champion, communicating the end game clearly is your most important task, no matter which stakeholders you’re addressing. If you’ve had some great personal or departmental wins thanks to Alteryx, you’re probably thinking of sharing those and hoping they’ll light a fire. But you’ll reap bigger rewards if you think carefully about your organization’s larger goals first.

As you’re crafting your pitch, you should have a few overarching points in mind. Your mantra: Alteryx converges our three richest assets — people, processes, and data — to transform business outcomes and workforces. This is how successful companies approach analytics, and it’s the way that yields the quickest and longest-lasting results.

Your Ecosystem: The Key Trio

Your boss

Your fellow analysts

Your wider network of decision-makers

Sound Bites

What can Alteryx do for you?

• Deliver quick wins
• Democratize data
• Simplify analytics
• Automate repetitive tasks
• Make insights accessible
• Upskill your workforce
• Amplify human output
• Engage the whole organization
• Reach your full potential

Specifically, Alteryx can …

• Amplify your workforce. People empowered to explore novel technologies like Alteryx start delivering transformational outcomes — which gets them thinking about how to create even bigger wins. Building a culture of analytics creates a snowball effect and engages the power of the entire organization.
• Optimize processes. When you move past spreadsheets and manual, repetitive tasks, you’ll have time to deliver insights that allow you to think strategically about the future. And transparent and traceable processes virtually eliminate errors.
• Advance your transformation. With a single, powerful platform like Alteryx, you can democratize data and analytics by providing everyone access to information. Whether you’re running analytic workflows or simply reviewing the result from an app, you won’t need skilled specialists or gatekeepers.

Quick Wins
80%of users see measurable business value in the first 14 days of trying the platform.

Do Your Homework to Make the Business Case

At your organization, which business goals are foremost on leadership’s mind?

• Increasing revenue
• Decreasing cost
• Increasing customer satisfaction
• Decreasing risk
• Increasing efficiency

Your pitch should connect the dots between the benefits of Alteryx and the goals that drive your bosses. On a more granular level, as you customize your pitch for different stakeholders, refer to the key performance indicators (KPIs) most important to each line of business or business function. (If you don’t know what those KPIs are, don’t be afraid to ask.) Some quick examples:

• Sales: bookings, average size per sale, quote-to-close ratio, average conversion time, number of open opportunities, sales per rep
• IT: number of tickets that violate SLAs, improved data quality, greater security
• Marketing: number of qualified leads, net promoter scores, contribution to pipeline

Then ask yourself this question: How can a better analytics process help each stakeholder meet their KPIs? That’s the case you’ll have to make each time you tweak your pitch for a different audience.

The KPI Piece of Your Presentation is Critical
It’s practical and fact-based, yes — but it also strikes a deeper emotional chord because everyone you’ll be speaking to is measured against that ruler. Your bosses need to meet their KPIs to look good to their bosses. Acknowledging that gets you much closer to the goal line.

Use Hard-Hitting Real-World Examples

Support your pitch with examples of real Alteryx users who have experienced the full benefits of digital transformation. Our customer center is a comprehensive source of success stories that bolster your case no matter which industry you’re in or what problem you’re looking to solve.

7-Eleven Brings Key Insights In-House with Alteryx

This well-known convenience store chain — with nearly 70,000 stores in 17 countries — once suffered from data overload. Besides the routine challenges analysts faced bringing all their data sources together coherently, they also relied on vendors to deliver reports, creating a delay that made acting on insights nearly impossible.

7-Eleven needed a data solution that everyone could use across the organization to collect data quickly, share it externally, and perform multiple functions affordably. So they turned to Alteryx.

“We started with the standard 14-day trial for Designer to see if it could help organize our data sources,” said Director of Digital Analytics Srikanth Nayani. “After we went forward with downloading licenses, I was able to see very quickly how easy it was to follow the logic of a workflow. That level of oversight would be impossible in Excel. Now I’m able to bring all of our vendor data sources together in near-real time into one output to see what’s working and what’s not.”

100-hour vendor projects reduced to 1 hour
Read Whole Story

60% increase in efficiency
Browse Customer Center

1 year of store sales data organized in 1 hour
Explore Use Cases

Strengthen Your Case With Statistics

On the Value of a Data-Driven Culture

55% of executives agree that data analytics for decision-making is extremely important today, and 92% say it will be even more important two years from now.

Analytics Automation is used in more than 8,000 companies globally, including more than 37% of the Forbes Global 2000.

70% of respondents in a global survey said they have already received measurable value from big data initiatives.

Data-driven approaches beat industry norms by 5% to 6% — sometimes far more.

Of the companies with the highest level of analytical maturity, nearly half (48%) significantly exceeded business goals in the last 12 months.

On the Value of Alteryx

80% of users see measurable business value in the first 14 days of experiencing the Alteryx platform.

Analysts at Marketo, a marketing software company, reported saving over 250 hours each month by automating integration and data blending with Alteryx.

Indiana University’s Office of Online Education deployed Alteryx and cut the time needed for weekly reporting from four hours to 30 minutes.

Atkins, a contractor for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, used Alteryx to assess damage more accurately after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, saving tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary inspections and getting 100,000 people on a faster road to recovery.

One UK Tool Centre analyst migrated 39,000 miscategorized records for products with multiple price levels, bar codes, and warehouse stock levels in less than one week.

Make Your Story Personal

The most compelling part of your pitch will be your own before-and-after story — showing how Alteryx changed your workday and enabled you to do better analysis faster. It’s the reason you’re a champion, so absolutely let your enthusiasm shine through.

Underlying that story will be the numbers that make your case. Start gathering them now in the prep phase:

• Measure how much time you spend finding, prepping, and blending data for new and repeating analysis problems that aren’t automated.
• Don’t forget to include the time you spend recreating the wheel — that is, building information assets that may already exist but aren’t accessible to you.
• Calculate the sliver of time left over for analysis.

Open Some Eyes
70% of an analyst’s time is spent searching for data; 44% of data workers’ time results in unsuccessful attempts.

Then …

• Measure the difference using Alteryx. (Use our ROI calculator to generate a quick and easy report.)
• Show any strategic problems you were able to tackle in the time you freed up.
• Point out any cross-departmental barriers you’ve broken down with Analytics Automation.
• Share questions you’ve dreamed up about challenges your company faces.

Keep These Pitching Tips in Mind

Know your target’s convincing style.

This is especially true for your direct manager, whose preferences you probably know well. Tilt your argument toward data, expert authority, compelling anecdotes, or the specific value props of the decision-maker, depending on what’s most likely to persuade.

Tell a good story.

Use data to build a structure for your pitch, but don’t stop there. Tap your inner storyteller to share what really excites you about Alteryx.

Don’t vent.

Emphasize the future, not the past. Stay upbeat and focused on solutions.

Touch on the emotional drivers that influence business decisions.

Close your pitch with a sense of urgency — if you can, quantify the cost of waiting to implement Analytics Automation. Chances are good your competitors are already making an investment in data to gain an edge, and fear of missing out is a powerful motivator. A simple calculation of opportunity cost can go a long way at this stage in the process.

Sound Bites
What has Alteryx given you as an analyst?

• More time
• Cleaner data
• Better questions
• Faster answers
• Smarter insights

Activate the Ecosystem

Get Your Boss On Board

Selling your manager on Alteryx can turbo-charge your culture change. This is where your personal story of time saved and progress made is likely to have the most impact, so drive it home with a great visual, like so:

The Dark Ages
Before adopting the Alteryx Analytics Automation Platform, one team spent three days every month creating a spreadsheet to estimate the airline’s fuel consumption at 150 airports. Another team spent two weeks every quarter gathering supplier-related data and then analyzing it to assess suppliers and predict future supply problems.

With Alteryx
By drastically reducing the time needed to find, prep, and blend data, the fuel consumption estimation team cut their monthly analysis time from three days to just six minutes. The vendor analysis team shortened their quarterly process even more drastically, from two weeks to six minutes.

Monthly Analysis
3 Days to 6 Minutes

Quarterly Process
2 Weeks to 6 Minutes

Your pitch to your boss should include …

• A case study that relates to your department’s KPIs or a case study that shows what an analyst can achieve with Alteryx Analytics Automation
• Smart supporting stats, including results from our ROI calculator
• A smashing visual of your personal story
• A list of strategic ideas/questions/proposals you’ve made thanks to the time saved with automation
• Winning tip: A proposal for a project that showcases the Alteryx difference — with its own KPIs and a follow-up date

See KPI Case Study
See Analytics Automation Case Study

Eight Tough Questions Your Boss Might Ask You

Proposing a paradigm shift is always going to trigger some probing questions. Think your way through them before your presentation, not during.

(We recommend brainstorming with your colleagues about potential concerns so you’ll be well prepared.) Some questions you should know how to answer:

• Why does it take you so long to gather data?
• Why can’t you trust the data you find?
• Why is most of your time spent prepping and blending?
• Why do we need a whole new system — can’t you just get faster at Excel?
• Who will be affected by this decision and how?
• What’s the business value of making the switch?
• How long will it take for us to see a return on our investment?
• What’s the impact if we don’t adopt Alteryx?

Next Steps
If your pitch lands successfully, point your boss toward the resources below
Essential Guide to Analytics Automation
See Alteryx in Action
Get Analytics Automation Buyer’s Guide

Energize Your Fellow Analysts

Pitching to your team may be the most fun you’ll have as an Alteryx champion, and creating a groundswell among analysts provides a solid support base for your efforts. But this audience doesn’t need to be pitched to so much as engaged — share your experiences, encourage them to try the platform, and get them excited with a library of resources designed to meet them wherever they are.

The Analyst’s Pocket Guide to Alteryx
Help your team envision a world beyond spreadsheets
Read How

Enable those using Alteryx for the first time
Alteryx Interactive Academy

Kick-off success early in the Alteryx process
Alteryx Success Center

Connect new people to the Alteryx community
Visit the Community

Help analysts already familiar with Alteryx advance their skills
Alteryx Intelligence Suite

Watch the Series
Why Alteryx for Spreadsheet Users
Watch Now

Meet the Alteryx Tools
Watch Now

“Ever since that first use case, I’ve been a huge fan of Alteryx. In fact, the other day when I showed one of our internal analysts a newly completed workflow, they were so impressed that they got their own team Alteryx licenses. There’s just something contagious about it.”
— Jay Caplan, Sr Business Analytics Manager, Coca Cola

Get Other Stakeholders Involved Early

Other line-of-business leaders and even your executive suite can be allies in the drive for digital transformation, so don’t wait to engage them. You may find support in surprising places — and those who are tougher to convince will be less likely to sabotage your efforts if they’re included from the start. Tailor your pitches to decision-makers’ unique needs; show them how Alteryx can help them achieve their goals; and point them to the next step on the path.

Line-of-Business Leader
Care-Abouts: Making good decisions, automating repetitive tasks

Critical Read: The Essential Guide to Analytics Automation

Next Step: Take a test drive

Sound Bites:

• Data-driven decisions
• Forward-looking insights
• Advanced analytics
• Business breakthroughs

IT
Care-Abouts: Protecting sensitive information, dealing with backlog, balancing access and control in the IT structure

Critical Read: Alteryx Alteryx Server Overview Whitepaper and Alteryx for IT

Next Step: Check out a product demo

Sound Bites:

• Improved visibility
• Unprecedented security
• Full automation
• Scalable governance

Executive Leadership
Care-Abouts: Driving top-line growth, realizing bottom-line returns, mitigating business risk, fostering a data-driven culture, accelerating decision-making

Critical Read: Alteryx The Essential Guide to Analytics Automation

Next Step: Get in touch

Sound Bites:

• Data-driven growth
• Culture of analytics
• Insights-driven business
• Organizational alignment

“I’m often sharing the trial license link to other teams and offering myself and my team as coaches to help others learn Alteryx.”
— Jamie Beason, Analytics And Productivity Leader Ingersoll Rand

Be a Touchstone

Your first pitch for Alteryx Analytics Automation is just the beginning of the journey toward becoming a data-driven enterprise, so plan to stay visible and be your organization’s source of truth. Whenever and wherever you can, measure value, spot opportunities, and share wins — and become a little bit of a hero in the process.

• Report on your personal project and your performance on KPIs not just to your boss but to other stakeholders.
• Offer to coach other departments on achieving their goals.
• Strike up a conversation with company leaders about how other global brands are blazing a trail with Analytics Automation, and direct them to customer stories that will resonate.
• Follow up with your colleagues to see how their free trials are going, or offer to help. Were they able to save time? Do more analysis? Pull in data easily from different sources? Are they interested in learning through a starter kit?
• Get teammates plugged into the Alteryx Community so they can share questions and get feedback from others who have had success.

Once you provide the starting nudges, Alteryx has a way of creating momentum. And we’re here to support you any way we can. You can always ask our sales team a question at any time on the web or by phone: 1-888-836-4274.

Customer Stories

Alteryx Community

Starter Kits

Contact Us

Reach Out to Other Champions

We know the challenges of bringing a company fully into the 21st century, so we’ve created resources to connect you with others on the same journey. Join our ACE Program, learn more about our Innovator Program, share your experiences on our forums, and get advice from data champions who’ve been through the process.

“Data literacy is no longer a skill required by few; it is required by most, and being able to understand and use data at all levels is critical to businesses being successful.”
— Andy Uttley, Consulting Manager Javelin Group

Innovator Program

Alteryx powers analytics for all by providing our leading Analytics Automation Platform. Alteryx delivers easy end-to-end automation of data engineering, analytics, reporting, machine learning, and data science processes, enabling enterprises everywhere to democratize data analytics across their organizations for a broad range of use cases. More than 8,000 customers globally rely on Alteryx to deliver high-impact business outcomes. To learn more, visit Alteryx.com.