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Dirk Izzo
Business Technology Solutions, ACNielsen
Case sales. Revenues. Profits. Volume to plan. Key performance metrics. Promotional execution. Pricing. Distribution. Competitive benchmarking. Seasonality. New item performance. Category dynamics. Trade planning. Demographics. Core consumer behavior.
In the world of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), there's a whole lot of data getting delivered, but the time-consuming job of picking and mastering the right software to analyze this sea of information largely rested on the user—that is until now. Recognizing the FMCG industry's business need for more users to access more granular data from more sources with greater frequency to drive fact-based decisions, ACNielsen assembled a global team of more than 60 experts who created the definitive industry platform in breathtaking time.
The challenge: simplicity
The genesis of ACNielsen Answers® began with a challenge: develop a software platform that would recognize who you are and understand your business processes, targets, tools and objectives. Provide a single interface that serves as the point of entry into data and information diagnosis within a company which is relevant to a particular role. Enable access through single log-on, across sources and applications, and maintain a consistent screen design and navigation approach to increase user productivity.
Additionally, the system would need to do more than provide insightsÑit should literally lead the user to the right solutions, explaining the why and how of a business issue along with the tactical way of addressing it, through a series of “smart text” suggestions and visual alerts. The system would use an array of graphs, charts, and text to summarize data visually and provide at-a-glance insights to problem areas. This intuitive interface would make analysis simple to understand and use.
Guide to a profitable destination
One harried brand manager compared the overwhelming amount of data and number of software options to being parachuted into an uncharted foreign country without a map. They knew what they wanted to see was somewhere, but they didn't know how to get there and didn't know who to ask for directions.
The user needs more than a map and a strategic plan. Imagine getting a personal tour guide who speaks the language, knows the topography of the land, the best routes, all the short cuts, the must-see attractions, danger zones, safe havens and unique destinations and who has the resources to pull it all together in an efficient, enjoyable, custom-tailored trip. Imagine no more. With ACNielsen Answers, intuitive solutions has arrived.
The parallax view
Insights are only insightful if they have enabled the user to dynamically change their course of action to drive volume, profit and share. ACNielsen Answers makes sure that data is germane to the user by providing role-based views that reflect specific operational interests. At log-on, the system recognizes the user's role in the organization—such as general management, sales executive, brand manager, category manager—and answers the three fundamental questions for a successful enterprise:
- What happened?
- Why did it happen?
- How do I address it?
To deliver answers that drive efficiency and bottom-line profit, you need a platform that enables one point of access. ACNielsen's global platform uses exclusive characteristic modeling to harmonize information from around the world, delivering a consistent view of the business, systematically integrating data from multiple sources and deploying appropriate applications to present an insightful, enterprise-wide perspective. From a world-wide vista, the user can narrow the aperture down to a micro-view of a single account or a store-specific observation level.
Technology alone cannot deliver the what, why and how that businesses need to drive incremental value. You need the fuel to power the solution. ACNielsen provides world-class content that allows you to understand sales, promotion, consumer, brand trends and consumer behavior. Leveraging content from multiple sources—ACNielsen Scantrack and Store Level Data, Spectra, ACNielsen Homescan Consumer Panel, TDLinx, Market Decisions, ACNielsen Modeling and Buzz Metrics, as well as proprietary client content and third-party data—the fuel is in the tank.
Solutions for the bottom line
The easiest way to understand the scope and power of ACNielsen Answers is to role play and see how the system solves a problem. Let's follow the hypothetical case of a national sales manager for a multi-billion-dollar company who wants to examine their category performance at a specific account. The instant the sales executive logs on, the system recognizes their functional area and presents a dashboard summarizing relevant key performance indicators (KPIs).
Data stored in divergent sources are unified to provide insight around each KPI. The dashboard identifies “what” data and information are relevant and provides easy access
and appropriate presentation of the information.
Understanding “why” a particular issue happens requires advanced logic and breadth of content. Thanks to exhaustive user studies, ACNielsen was able to create logic pathways that simulate the steps and sequencing of a typical user analysis. As a result, ACNielsen Answers mirrors this process, following a typical workflow in an intuitive fashion. Other by-products of intuitive navigation include more rapid system acclimation, shorter training times, quicker deployment and faster results.
To explain “why” a variance happened, ACNielsen employs advanced smart text to explain results in a straightforward manner, selecting only relevant information winnowed by an analytical engine that mines data sources, finds root causes and reveals business drivers.
Guiding you to “how” to address the issue
Linking the user to powerful applications with advanced analytics enables the user to quickly modify price, promotion, launch plans and the like. This can be activated by just one click, with no need to enter any data or change any context parameters. The smart system recognizes that this is a continuation of the same analysis, transfers the necessary data sets and employs the appropriate applications.
Power presentations
Presentation Builder represents an added feature appreciated by any executive who has ever slaved over a PowerPoint deck, tediously filling in or importing data tables to create charts and graphs. The ACNielsen Answers system will automatically populate a pre-set template with standardized data, using rules and calculations of your choosing.
Accessible via the Internet from any location, the automated solutions module creates a core presentation that can be customized to specific accounts. Less time designing presentations means more time with the customer.
Linking Web-based technology with powerful desktop tools
ACNielsen Answers leverages best-in-breed desktop tools with the web-based platform. ACNielsen applications (NITRO [Nielsen Interface to Office] and Price Evaluator) have been consistently chosen by clients for performing detailed ad-hoc analyses across their various business functions. These analytical tools as well as the new solution set are now
accessible through the ACNielsen Answers platform.
Solutions purposed for our clients' diverse businesses
The new global platform enables both web-based business users and desktop power users, putting the potential of intuitive technologies at their fingertips. No matter what the business question, no matter where the entry point, ACNielsen Answers automatically yields a single,
integrated look-and-feel across solutions.
With ACNielsen Answers, the technology team proved to be more than up to the simplicity challenge, crafting a platform that delivers all the answers, in one place, with one click,
from one log-on. All with the goal of helping customers drive volume, profit and share for their enterprise and for their customers.
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