Data-rich, insight-poor – the analytics gap undermining CCM strategy

Our survey of 250 customer communications management (CCM) decision-makers across banking, insurance, financial services, utilities and the public sector reveals a striking disconnect between the availability of data and the ability of organisations to use it strategically.

The findings suggest that analytics is increasingly recognised as essential to improving the efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness of CCM, yet, despite widespread acknowledgement of its importance, many organisations appear to be struggling to turn the data they hold into actionable insight. Most significantly, 95% of respondents agree that their organisation needs to improve how it uses analytics to shape its long-term CCM strategy.

Analytics recognised as a strategic priority

This overwhelming 95% agreement figure points to a sector-wide maturity gap. For organisations managing millions of customer communications, analytics can provide visibility into where processes are working, where errors occur, how customers respond to different communications and where operational improvements can be made.

This is particularly important because CCM sits at the intersection of customer experience, operational efficiency, compliance and risk. A poorly targeted or inaccurate communication can have consequences extending well beyond an individual interaction, from increased costs and customer dissatisfaction to regulatory exposure. 

Across all heavily regulated sectors, analytics has the potential to move CCM from a largely production-focused function towards a measurable, continuously improving strategic capability.

When trends overtake hard data

The survey also highlights a second, potentially more revealing finding: 86% of respondents agree that perceived market trends have more influence on their CCM decisions than hard data.

This should not be interpreted as suggesting that CCM decision-makers disregard evidence or make decisions without considering facts. Rather, it points towards a gap between the data organisations possess and the insight they are able to derive from it.

Market trends are highly visible and can exert considerable pressure on decision-makers. Shifts towards digital channels, greater personalisation, artificial intelligence and changing customer expectations can quickly become strategic priorities. Organisations understandably need to respond to these developments, particularly when competitors are adopting new technologies or customer behaviours appear to be changing.

The risk is that trend-led decision-making can become disconnected from an organisation's own customer and operational evidence. A strategy based primarily on what the market appears to be doing may overlook important differences between customer groups, communication channels or individual business processes.

Hard data, by contrast, can provide a more granular view of what is actually happening. Used effectively, this evidence allows organisations to validate whether a perceived trend is genuinely relevant to their own customers.

From data collection to actionable insight

The findings highlight an important distinction between being data-rich and being insight-rich.

Most modern organisations already generate enormous quantities of CCM-related data. Every communication creates potential information about production volumes, delivery, engagement, errors, costs, channels and customer behaviour. Yet having access to these metrics does not automatically make them useful for strategic decision-making.

The challenge is turning isolated measurements into a coherent picture. CCM leaders need analytics that can identify patterns, establish meaningful benchmarks and demonstrate the relationship between communication activity and business outcomes.

This is where analytics can have its greatest impact on efficiency and accuracy. Identifying recurring production errors, for example, can enable organisations to address the underlying process rather than repeatedly correcting individual mistakes. Similarly, analysing channel performance can help organisations understand where digital or physical communications genuinely deliver better outcomes rather than simply following assumptions about customer preferences.

A strategic opportunity for CCM leaders

The opportunity for CCM analytics extends well beyond making communications more efficient. Done well, it can provide valuable intelligence for the wider business - helping organisations understand customer behaviour, identify emerging needs, manage risk and make better-informed decisions.

Communications are often among the most frequent and measurable interactions an organisation has with its customers. The data generated through those interactions can reveal where customers experience friction, how they respond to different messages and channels, and what they do next.

For banks and insurers, this could highlight opportunities to improve product uptake, identify customers at risk of disengaging or pinpoint processes generating unnecessary demand. In utilities, communication data can reveal where billing or service processes are causing confusion. For public sector organisations, it can help assess whether critical information is reaching the people who need it and where communication gaps may be driving avoidable, expensive contact.

This means CCM analytics should not be viewed simply as a way to monitor communication performance. Measures such as volumes, production times and error rates remain important, but the bigger opportunity is to connect communications with outcomes such as customer behaviour, retention, service demand, cost-to-serve and compliance.

Our survey findings suggest this shift is overdue. With 95% of CCM decision-makers saying their organisations need to improve how analytics shapes long-term strategy, there is clear recognition that more needs to be done.

When communication data is connected to wider business outcomes, CCM becomes more than an operational function - it becomes a valuable source of customer intelligence that can inform strategy and create measurable business value.

Talk to us about how we unify communications and measure outcomes from one platform.

[1] Gartner Survey Finds One-Third of CDAOs Cite Measuring Data, Analytics and AI Impact as Top Challenge, STAMFORD, Conn., February 20, 2025