Customer MasterPiece 4: Real-time Customer Data Hub at Merrill Lynch

Integrating customer data to achieve an integrated, well-rounded view of the customer is one of the top 10 focuses of most enterprises today. It may be needed for call centers, for sales and marketing or for risk management and governance, but Organizations are integrating customer data in one way or another. Off-the-shelf as well as home grown data HUBs are commonly used solutions that help tie together customer data, however, most of these solutions are batch oriented, normally integrating data once a day. In business today, every second counts, with customer facing teams, decision makers, knowledge workers and customers, all demanding real time processing of customer information. Still organizations, across all industry verticals, are hesitant to endeavor into real time processing of customer information? The reason being, real time customer information integration is challenging and this challenge grows exponentially with the size of the organization. Achieving real time customer integration requires integration in 3 strategic areas of an enterprise including:

1. Business – Bringing business processes and applications together
2. Information – Integrating customer data from various corners of the enterprise
3. Technology – Deploying technologies that can streamline and compress customer data integration, effectively tie customer data and expand channels for distributing customer information

This presentation will highlight challenges faced in each of the 3 areas and creative solutions for overcoming these challenges.