This is the second entry in a six-part blog series about achieving digital excellence. Here, we focus on getting to know your customers better by making data-driven decisions.

How well do you know your customers?

Today, it’s easier than ever to track online habits, produce surveys, and provide forums where customers’ opinions and experiences are viewable to the masses.

But are you tracking the right movements? Asking the right questions? Identifying the key issues to resolve?

Consider these questions:

• How do your best members or customers spend their time online?
• Where do they go and how do they behave online?
• In what ways do they interact with your association and what are the expectations?
• What information is most important to them?
• What information do they need to make decisions?
• How can you provide information through content, social media, and real-time support?
• Where are your customers most likely to find this information online?
• Are your competitors providing it?

Without a common view of customers, it is extremely difficult to accomplish advanced customer engagement techniques such as personalized service or location-based marketing. It’s tough to gain a good understanding of the customer when customer data is spread across many systems.

So put your customer experience at the center of your digital transformation. Part of digital transformation is transforming the business experience. This includes uncovering bottlenecks and issues with your members caused by limits from old technologies, and then determine how to resolve them. Evaluate your progress or current standing with:

• Semantic website and personalization
• Social CRM
• Integrated strategies for the website, mobile, social and cloud computing
• Technology partners, and complete elimination of DIY systems
• Systems delivering actionable information
• C-level planning and execution
• Collaborative and customer-focused IT support

Want to ensure you are delivering the right products, services, messages and experiences that delight your customers? Then, make the commitment to never stop learning from your customers—and from data.

Check out the first blog in the series, focusing on how to create a digital strategy.

Up next: Focus your efforts through a clear roadmap of activities and goals.