This topic is so hot – that I am dividing it into two blogs. My first blog covered an overview of the business issues and trends plus one case study. This second blog in the series will wrap up with another case study and an update regarding EMC’s commitment to Big Data.
Case Study 2 – The Power of Big Data – Adding Social Media Feeds to the Analytics
In this example, the carrier wanted to incorporate all the components of Case Study 1 plus add customer sentiment into the equation. We worked to deploy Greenplum along with a suite of analytic tools (plus a two-way interface to Twitter) in a “sandbox” environment to enable rapid development of analytics.
The most interesting aspect of this engagement was the approach we took to obtain and analyze customer sentiment. We followed the following steps:
- Build a social network in the sandbox by loading billions of Call Detail Records (CDRs)
- Obtain a cross reference of products to customers by loading extracts from legacy systems, including billing systems
- Query Twitter for any disparaging, negative comments on a carrier’s products. Using the public API, query for any tweets containing the carrier’s product names. Once tweets are obtained, analyze for frequent negative comments relating to specific products. While these are not linked to specific customers, they provide a cumulative indicator of possible negative perceptions.
- Based on Steps 1, 2 and 3, build a list of customers that
- Are linked to customers that have churned, plus
- Have products that are implicated by the sentiment analysis of tweets.
- Provide the list to the carrier’s marketing group to develop customize retention offers.
In a typical carrier, performing the steps cited above with traditional data warehouse systems could take months, if not years. Costs could approach millions of US dollars for hardware, licenses and development effort. Yet, in this case study, the client used open-source software plus commodity hardware, coupled with EMC’s Greenplum platform to develop the analytics – all at low cost and completed in weeks.
In summary, if you’re not constructing these types of next-generation analytics to unlock the power of your customer information, be very afraid—because your competitors certainly are already implementing these capabilities today!
Latin American Analytics Center
To close this blog, I wanted to update you on another significant investment that EMC is making in Big Data.
I spend a lot of my time in Latin America, directing EMC Consulting’s projects for Telecom carriers. Recently, EMC made a significant investment in Big Data research & development in Rio de Janeiro:
This investment is another example of EMC’s commitment to provide leading-edge analytics for our clients.
Next Up: Why do so many IT initiatives Fail? This blog explores 5 common reasons.
I hope you will join me and will pass on the link to your friends and networks. Please … subscribe, send me feedback, and check back next week for the next installment. If nothing else, I promise the International Travel Tips will be extremely useful!
Today’s International Travel Tip: TSA Preflight Check for Frequent Travelers
Important developments are underway to improve the screening experience for frequent travelers.
In a prior blog, I described the benefits of being a member of Global Entry – which enables you to bypass immigration checks (using an automated kiosk) when returning to the US from abroad.Now, an increasing number of airlines are participating in the TSA’s PreCheck program.
After you enter your Global Entry identification number in your airline’s profile ”Known Traveler Field,” on departure, you can access special dedicated checkpoints for expedited screening.
Credit Card companies like the American Express Platinum card will reimburse you for the membership fee to become part of the Global Entry program. Selected airlines may also reimburse their elite travelers for the costs of Global Entry.
While the number of airports that participate is currently small, this program is growing. Since it may take 4-5 weeks to complete background checks and the personal interview for Global Entry membership, I recommend you start this process – so that you can benefit from the TSA PreCheck program when it comes to your favorite airport.