Case Study

Data terra firma: How a global flooring leader eliminated data silos to boost cross-selling

The short version

Challenge:

A $2B global flooring company struggled with fragmented customer data across 15 global teams and 25+ disconnected systems, causing duplicate records and lost sales opportunities.

Solution:

DataCatalyst implemented a targeted MDM solution using our Accelerate methodology, consolidating and cleaning 500,000 customer records with unified legal entity hierarchies.

Results:

70% reduction in duplicate records, significantly faster order processing, increased contractor upsells, and the establishment of a single, trusted customer view across the global organization.

The challenge: Disconnected data preventing global growth

A $2B global leader in flooring solutions was facing significant data challenges that directly impacted their business operations and customer relationships. With 15 global sales and customer service teams operating across different geographic markets, the company struggled with fragmented customer data, inconsistent product specifications, and inefficient data management processes.

Their complex business reality included 25+ regional ERPs and legacy systems gained via acquisitions, creating disconnected data silos that prevented a unified view of their customers and products – a critical barrier to their continued global growth.

The need: Unified customer data to unlock cross-selling potential

The flooring company identified several critical needs that required immediate attention:

  • Resolution of fragmented customer data across 15 regional sales teams and 4 contracting teams
  • Elimination of inconsistent product specification sharing
  • Addressing the 30% duplicate customer records in their systems
  • Integration of product, supply chain, and customer data trapped in 25+ regional ERPs and legacy systems
  • Recovery of lost cross-selling opportunities caused by the inability to link architects and contractors to specific projects

These data challenges were eroding their operational effectiveness and customer relationships, and impacting their bottom line through lost sales opportunities and inefficient processes.

The approach: Lean, expert teams delivering focused business value

DataCatalyst’s business-driven approach saw us working closely with the client to diagnose the root causes of their data challenges. Our lean team of data experts engaged with 40+ stakeholders across Sales, Customer Service, and Supply Chain departments to understand their specific data needs and pain points.

Through collaborative workshops, we helped the client map their current data processes and envision a future state where data would flow seamlessly across the organization. Together, we determined that an MDM implementation focused on customer data would provide the foundation needed to solve their most pressing challenges.

Applying our proprietary Accelerate methodology, we prioritized business value and ensured a focused implementation that would deliver results quickly and efficiently. This approach allowed us to identify the minimum viable product (MVP) that would address the client’s most critical needs first, establishing a foundation for future data initiatives.

The solution: Rapid MDM implementation with enterprise-wide integration

The solution developed was a comprehensive MDM implementation that consolidated approximately 500,000 customer records, including architects, contractors, and retailers. Key components of the solution included:

  • Data cleansing via external address standardization and legal hierarchy data services
  • Creation of unified legal entity hierarchies to properly structure customer relationships
  • Consolidation of customer attributes across previously disconnected systems
  • Implementation of match/merge capabilities with clustering to identify and eliminate duplicate records
  • Integration with source systems and CRM (Salesforce) to ensure consistent data across the enterprise

DataCatalyst’s deep expertise in data management, governance, and MDM implementations was crucial to the project’s success. Our purpose-built team of seasoned experts worked efficiently, delivering value quickly while maintaining a focus on the client’s business objectives.

The transformation: From regional silos to enterprise data strategy

Implementing the MDM solution required significant changes in how the client approached data management:

  • Moving from regional, siloed thinking to an enterprise-wide perspective on customer data
  • Creating new workflows for customer enrichment and management
  • Training staff across regions to follow consistent data standards
  • Overcoming resistance to change from teams accustomed to working with their local systems
  • Developing new processes for linking architects and contractors to specific projects

These changes were challenging as they required both technical implementations and cultural shifts in how different departments viewed and valued data as a strategic asset. DataCatalyst’s collaborative approach helped ensure successful adoption across the organization.

The results: 70% reduction in duplicates and accelerated business processes

The client saw impressive results from the MDM implementation:

  • 70% reduction in duplicate customer records, creating a much clearer view of their actual customer base and more accurate customer service inquiry management
  • Significantly faster order processing with accurate ship-to and bill-to data
  • Notable increase in contractor upsells by successfully linking customer groups to projects
  • Improved ability to share consistent product specifications across regions and customer types
  • Enhanced data quality and trust throughout the organization
  • More efficient operations due to reduction in manual data reconciliation efforts

These outcomes directly addressed the business challenges that had been hindering their growth and operational efficiency, delivering tangible business value and a rapid return on investment.

The future: Data as a strategic competitive advantage

The MDM implementation produced lasting changes for the flooring company:

  • They now have a single, trusted view of their customers across the entire global organization
  • Sales teams can identify relationships between architects, contractors, and projects, enabling more strategic selling approaches
  • The company can analyze customer data across regions to identify trends and opportunities
  • The business is now positioned to extend their MDM capabilities to other data domains like product data
  • They can more effectively compete in the global flooring market with accurate, consistent customer and product information

These foundational changes have transformed how the company uses data as a strategic asset, enabling more informed decision-making and improved customer experiences. The successful implementation has established a platform for continued data innovation and competitive advantage in the market.