Automation of data analysis and data reporting in 2021
The predictive discussions around what’s to come in the New Year are vital in 2021, as we slowly begin to emerge from the global pandemic. Everything has changed, and businesses and individuals are struggling to find a way forward in an entirely new reality with entirely new ways of doing things. Along with many other trends, automation adoption has been accelerated across a number of industries, including data analysis and data reporting.
While automation has been on the radar for years, businesses are now feeling the strain of operating with new pressures. In the data analysis and data reporting spaces, automation can help to meet demands for greater accuracy and speed. These demands have always been part of the conversation surrounding market research and insights, but recent events have pushed them to the forefront.
Over the past few months, data analysis and data reporting have taken a central role that goes well beyond standard business use cases. Individuals around the world are relying on data reported by health organizations and news outlets to understand and track the crisis. People wake up each morning expecting the reports and visualizations to be updated immediately with the newest data. As with many things, consumer demand and expectation drives change within our industry. (Look back a few years to mobile adoption in the market research space...as consumers became more and more mobile-based, we were forced to implement mobile-friendly and mobile-first options. And that’s just one small example.)
Automation is clearly one of the most efficient ways to meet these accelerated demands. For data analysis and data reporting, there is the obvious benefit of speed as it can reduce the amount of time-consuming, manual tasks. This also means fewer errors in the data reporting process. OfficeReports implements automation to handle the process from raw data to final report presentation, right inside Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
Why automation is important right now for data analysis and data reporting
In addition to the recent consumer-side push for better, faster data, a recent eConsultancy article more clearly illustrates the movement of data strategy back up to the top of the list for businesses in 2021. Brands will be using data in more ways to help them understand their customers and personalize their approach to customer acquisition and loyalty strategies. Businesses will be pushed to share data reporting, making it “easily accessible at the right levels of decision making.”
The reliance on data, described as a “port in the storm” in the article, has not skipped over any business. Marketers must understand how to use the data to make decisions, in real-time. This requires increased use of automation to uncover accurate insights at record speed. Look for more practical implementations of automation at many steps along the data analysis and data reporting process in the coming year. OfficeReports can help you accomplish your data automation goals with no workflow disruption by integrating directly into programs you already know well: Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Automate in 2021!