Big Data & Gamification: 7 great tips
Originally published in technologyadvice.com by Sarah Weinstein & Leah Carlisle
The
results of gamification are pretty
obvious− increased sales and engagement, better training, you’ve heard it all,
but one of the lesser thought results of Gamification is big data.
Looking
at each individually, you may not see how adding game elements into
traditionally non-game contexts has anything to do with large data sets.
However, with the use of Gamification to increase interactions, companies are
collecting more and more information about their users by the second.
At the
root of Gamification, it’s a solution to analyze large sets of data quickly and
react. For example, Gamification solutions can quickly divide customers into
tiers based on rewards points and create a rich list of a company’s highest
spending customers.
Collecting Customer Information
Gamifying
external communications can allow you to collect information a consumer
normally would not give in a web form. Even gamifying a simple survey has
proven to yield more results than a typical survey for market research.
With
all of these additional fields, companies are receiving more and more
information from their customers that can be used in larger contexts,
happening the same with any other are to which gamification is applied. In the end, all this information can be used to apply the perfect mechanics, aesthetics and storytelling to our player types (Check out the player types here http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/VictorManrique/20130524/193007/Gamification_Player_Types_The_TimeEngagement_Pyramid.php)
For
example, even companies like Foursquare have information such as where a user
has checked in at work or at home. Most people would never give out information
about where they live and work, but becoming the “mayor” of your own house
seems to make the idea a whole lot more appealing.
In the
majority of gamified applications, most, if not every action results in some
sort of feedback such as points, badges, quests, in-game economies, etc. Every Gamification platform whether
internal or external has hundreds of potential actions that have corresponding
results. Storing and analyzing this data can help organizations see measurable
results as well as a ROI on Gamification.
If you’re
looking for easy to understand overviews of your Gamification analytics,
popular Gamification platforms like Badgeville and Bunchball interact with
solutions such as Salesforce and Adobe’s
Marketing Cloud.
Gamification
can be highly successful in collection data, but before you implement a
gamified system of any form, make sure you have the appropriate resources to
store and analyze the data. If you are already using a CRM solution, most Gamification
providers can deliver you with a system that integrates your data seamlessly because
in the end, the big data you collect through Gamification will be useless
unless you store it, analyze it, and use it to make educated decisions about the
future of your organization.
However,
that’s not easy and according to a survey conducted by HP, less than 50% of
senior business executives indicated that they use all sources of data to
analyze and act.
So here
are 7 useful tips that can help you manage massive data and really get
something valuable out of it.
1. Focus on incremental refinement rather than massive innovation.
As you delve into
the pools of data and gain insights, do not feel obligated to make huge,
fundamental changes to your business all at once. Making smaller, more
manageable and correctable changes such as improvements in site design or
personalization can foster steady growth and productivity. Be flexible and
tweak efforts in order to see consistent results.
2. Determine goals for big data that align with business goals.
Clearly identify
and understand individual objectives for your business, such as acquiring new
customers, and iterate specific big data goals accordingly, with separate tasks
and projects. This will facilitate decisions regarding what data to use and how
to use it to advance separate goals and will help us answer the 4 critical questions of gamification design (Have a look at those 4 critical questions here: http://www.epicwinblog.net/2013/06/gamification-design-steps-4-critical.html)
Having a cohesive, well-rounded group that will
focus on this area will help to ensure that it stays a priority and that it is
done right. The team should include a dedicated executive to provide direction,
marketing strategists, web developers, capable analysts, creative employees, and
anyone else necessary to represent areas that relate to big data and the
processes it impacts.
4. Pool and integrate information from various channels.
By putting
together information from many streams, such as your website, social data, and
CRM data, you will be able to get a much more broad and useful insight into
customer behaviour and desires. This will allow you to customize and tailor
your efforts in a much more accurate, effective manner.
5. Identify and standardize best practices.
By providing real-time,
extensive insight into prospective buyer behaviour, big data can indicate what
activities, content types, and frequencies are yielding the best results. Once
you see that something is consistently working well, make it a standardized,
widely used practice.
6. Utilize tools and technologies that will work for your needs.
There are many big
data and advanced analytics tools out there, it is critical that
the tool selected will handle a business’s specific and evolving requirements
right now and in the future. These tools can be highly beneficial, but make
sure you investigate options fully before deciding which one to use.
7. Create clear data governance policies.
It is extremely important
that everybody is on the same page with rules and practices surrounding big
data, so create and communicate policies from the get-go. Include policies for
collecting, processing, and using data as well as storage and security
policies.
Big data
is far from simple; however, if a company can put it to use effectively, it can
lead to dramatic improvements. These tips can help you approach this generally
formidable task and really get something out of the immense information being
processed in our modern world.
You can find the original posts on technologyadvice.com:
- http://technologyadvice.com/7-tips-for-harnessing-big-data/
- http://technologyadvice.com/7-tips-for-harnessing-big-data/
Written by Sarah Weinstein & Leah Carlisle
Victor Manrique
@victormanriquey