3 Steps RevOps Should Follow to Boost Data-driven Decision Making

“The role of Revenue Operations is really hard to pin down. I like to think of it like defragging a hard drive,” Kanako Tone, Principal at KTone RevOps Consulting observed, “All these pieces of your GTM are in different places and throughout an average day, you’re just trying to get those pieces closer together, whether that’s provisioning access or setting up new processes.”

One of the major problems, she continued to say, was that most people think of various goals and responsibilities of RevOps (supporting the revenue team, improving efficiency, etc) purely in terms of technology.

While this is 100% a hugely important part of RevOps, oftentimes the softer skills of collaborating with other departments taking a back seat. We’ve talked at length about the reason that slacking on collaboration can have a huge effect on revenue generation. 

In this post, we’ll cover three ways RevOps can help drive collaboration by focusing on the softer skills around the technology they’re managing — especially as it pertains to driving better decision-making.

So without further adieu, let’s get collaborating.

Establish a reporting process

Obviously, before you do anything, you’ve got to get a state of the state. Analytics and reporting are a huge part of RevOps’ responsibilities. When it comes to reporting, there’s usually one of two problems:

There are 0 reporting processes

In this case, you’ve got a blank slate. You can figure out what your organization's business objectives are, what metrics accurately project meeting those goals, and then you can dive into the details about reporting cadence, decision-making process, etc.

This is usually the case for very, very early-stage organizations. What is more likely to happen is the following.

There are already reporting processes in place but efficacy is questionable

More commonly, there might be some reporting already in place. But, if you have reason to believe they are ineffective, there are couple of things to take care of including:

Understand the ‘why” behind the metric: Don’t just build metrics and reporting because someone says so. To make your reporting process more effective, each functional leader needs a clear/concise understanding of WHAT metrics need to be measured and therefore managed. 

Establish a benchmark: It’s a bit of a chicken/egg scenario but understanding your trends over time is vital. Industry benchmarks can help guide you to a ballpark figure but the best thing you can do is the hardest thing: wait and see from your own data.

Make the insights actionable: absolutely nobody these days can complain about a lack of data. What’s more important is having data that your team can actually do something about. 

Whatever you do, “don’t just create some shiny reports and dashboards, and leave it at that,” Kanako said, “The worst thing you can do is let stakeholders just say ‘wow look at Kanako’s beautiful dashboard!’, then proceed to close the tab and go on with their month.”

It’s vital that you ensure that the people engaging with reporting understand the why behind the reporting otherwise it’s just a bunch of numbers on a chart. 

At the start, it’s likely that you’re going to be pulling this information from multiple different systems. Once you’ve got the groundwork done, it’s time to increase the efficiency of your reporting process.

Agree on your Single Source of Truth (SSOT)

In any organization, every team is likely to have its own source of truth. 

While the concept of a Single Source of Truth (SSOT) implies that no other system should be used, this notion can be somewhat unrealistic. For instance, revenue teams often rely on Salesforce as their primary system, while finance teams and other departments might utilize different tools.

The key to successful collaboration between departments lies in trust. Not trusting your colleagues (because if you don’t, well, maybe it’s time to find a new org). What we mean here is building organizational trust in data.

All parties must agree on the accuracy and consistency of the data being used is crucial for effective decision-making and cross-functional alignment. By consolidating data and focusing on small wins, organizations can gradually improve data quality and build trust among teams. 

One way to foster trust and collaboration is the implementation of a centralized location for data storage and access. 

You don’t necessarily need to have everything in a single, solitary system (though that’d be ideal) but at the very least, data should not be spread across too many applications, interfaces, and spreadsheets.

This enables teams to share and verify information more easily, streamlines workflows and reduces discrepancies. 

While it may not be possible to fix every issue at once, prioritizing incremental improvements can help bridge the gap between departments and create a more cohesive collaboration as you’re trying to build toward a more robust data-driven decision-making process.

Create a “Set the Goal” meeting

Let’s get this out of the way.  

Obviously, nobody wants to add yet another meeting onto their slate. However, there are some situations that simply can’t be tackled with Slack messages and email.

Once you’ve got your data squared away, it’s important that you're consistently setting common goals. That way, teams can better understand their individual roles and responsibilities, as well as how their efforts contribute to the overall success of the organization. 

By setting up weekly "set the goal" meetings you can address challenges and promote collaboration among teams during a clear timeframe. 

There are a few key rules this meeting should follow. Including:

One focus - Establishing an objective for each meeting ensures that it stays on track toward tackling the project that’s discussed.

Clear leadership - While all team members should feel empowered to speak, there should still be one key leader and decision-maker for the meeting. Otherwise, you’re at risk for constant digressions, meandering conversations, and little action.

Accountability - Before breaking, who is responsible for what by when should be clearly outlined and emailed to every member that's involved.

For example, if a recurring issue involves customers not paying invoices. The appropriate team leads or representatives should use these meetings to devise strategies, assign responsibilities, and monitor the effectiveness of their interventions. 

Ultimately, having a more effective conversation around data will enhance organizational performance and customer satisfaction.

Closing thoughts

Aligning revenue teams with the rest of the organization is a critical non-technical priority for revenue operations teams. 

This alignment ensures that the whole org is working together cohesively towards shared objectives and driving revenue growth. 

To achieve this, revenue operations teams must establish common goals, facilitate regular communication and collaboration among these teams, and promote a culture of information sharing. 

By breaking down silos and fostering cross-functional cooperation, organizations can create a unified approach to customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction. 

Ultimately, this alignment leads to more efficient processes, better decision-making, and best of all, improved overall performance, contributing significantly to the organization's success.

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