Second, the team wanted to utilize data visualization techniques to better ... metrics, with an emphasis on providing ac
AVAYA
MEASURING AND COMMUNICATING MARKETING PERFORMANCE
GOLD AWARD
Avaya CMO Funnel Dashboard BUSINESS CHALLENGE
With the framework completed, the team moved on to the creation of the actual dashboard that would be used to capture, calculate and report all of these results. With no available budget, Avaya utilized advanced functionality and features to build a dynamic dashboard in Excel. The team started by building a data map and establishing the necessary formulas and functions that would be needed to provide the various views. The actual dashboard was then built based on that blueprint and was tested extensively to verify functionality. Once the dashboard was complete, the team gathered and added the data, and was immediately able to begin reporting results.
Marketing performance reporting had long been a pain point for the marketing organization and executive leadership team at Avaya. The marketing team was reporting far too many meaningless metrics, many of which were focused on activities rather than outcomes, or were strictly quantitative with no emphasis on quality. Likewise, the team was unable to provide a view of how marketing was impacting the customer journey or buying cycle, and could show no logical link to business outcomes. The group was also hampered with inconsistencies in tracking metrics between various functions and across regions. It was obvious that a new measurement framework was a priority, which meant a new solution needed to be delivered in a very short timeframe, despite limited resources, limited data, and no available budget.
BUSINESS RESULTS Avaya’s CMO Funnel Dashboard launched in January 2015, complete with Q1 results and analysis. The insights provided by the dashboard so far have already driven the following business results:
PROGRAM OBJECTIVE
» The team was immediately able to identify a need to shift marketing resources between functions in order to focus on capturing higher value targets. These changes led to an increase of 26% in the average deal size of wins in just four months.
Avaya’s CMO Funnel Dashboard and overall measurement framework project kicked off with three key objectives. The first objective was to develop a consistent and unbiased model to measure performance in driving high level business goals across every stage of the marketing funnel. Second, the team wanted to utilize data visualization techniques to better demonstrate results to all stakeholders, from the marketing functional teams, all the way up to the Board of Directors. Lastly, it was important to ensure marketing was focused on generating meaningful metrics, with an emphasis on providing actionable insights and promoting data-driven decision making at every level.
» The dashboard also enabled the team to recognize a downward trend in the lead to opportunity conversion rate, which dictated a move to improve the quality of leads at the top of the funnel. As a result of those actions, the opportunity to win conversion rate recovered, which drove an increase in marketing sourced bookings, in the range of 8-12% in Q215. Avaya’s new measurement framework embodies more than a standard measurement program, it represents a completely new way of measuring and reporting marketing performance at Avaya. Moreover, it establishes a completely new way of aggregating and reporting performance across the entire marketing funnel.
PROGRAM EXECUTION The most challenging aspect of the program was the design of the overall measurement model and methodology that would be used to aggregate the various data elements within the framework. The framework design was focused on providing an overall score that would demonstrate performance at each phase of the funnel, so this step included categorizing all of the metrics by funnel area and identifying any gaps that needed to be addressed.
THE JUDGES’ TAKE
T
his is a well thought-through plan with tangible benefits and impact to the organization. Avaya generated quantifiable business benefits with buy-in from key stakeholders. The submission details a good process for identifying business goals and delivering against them without unnecessary technology convolutions. In the current technology frenzy, it’s nice to see such an effective but lean job.
After testing various methodologies, the optimal framework was finalized. This solution consisted of two key performance indicators. The Avaya Benchmark Score ranks marketing performance on a scale of 1-5. The scale is based on industry standards from a ranking of 1 for the worst performers to 5 for best-in-class performance. The Avaya Performance Index measures the change in year-over-year performance from a baseline index of 100 points. The score and index are both based on a weighted, aggregate calculation of relevant disparate elements that together provide a single cohesive representation of performance across each area of the marketing funnel.
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