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    How should I go about collecting data to improve my business?

    Data collection can feel like an intimidating task for those who aren’t naturally digitally-focused individuals. Starting small with a clear idea of what you want to collect, the tools you’ll use to do this and, importantly, where it will be stored is a great way to build confidence and add in additional sources to better inform decision making. Discover why setting direct research questions and involving everyone who will be using the data from the beginning are key parts of this process.

    Ways to help you deal with it:

    Action plan

    Set a research question to shape data collection

    Effort: Medium
    Impact : Medium
    Embarking on data collection without a clear plan can leave you with swathes of information that’s irrelevant or unusable. Setting a research question first gives the process direction.

    ACTION PLANS are a structured list of steps designed to help you approach tackling a particular business challenge.

    • We explain why each step is important
    • Customise by setting your own completion dates and assign tasks
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available

    Action plan

    Collecting data to improve your business

    Effort: Medium
    Impact : Medium
    Collecting the right data helps to support decision making and facilitate accurate forecasts. But all too often, businesses end up with quantity over quality.

    Action plan

    Develop your digital skills as a leader

    Effort: Medium
    Impact : Medium
    Identify what digital skills are important in your leadership role and find the best learning method, from online resources to training and events.

    Guide

    An introduction to collecting data to improve your business

    Data is a core part of business strategies. It’s used to determine areas of growth, forecast effectively and make informed decisions about marketing.

    GUIDES break a challenge down, providing important context and real-world experiences.

    • Based on SME experiences, not corporate jargon
    • Filled with real-world stories
    • Achievable steps every business can take

    Other support that's available

    Avoiding becoming a victim of cyber crime

    Avoiding becoming a victim of cyber crime

    For businesses that don't have dedicated teams or individuals, the National Cyber Security Centre has resources dedicated to increasing your protection from the most common types of cyber crime.

    Everything you need to know about GDPR

    Everything you need to know about GDPR

    The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has everything you'll need to know about data protection and GDPR – from marketing consent through storage of personal customer information.

    How other businesses have tackled something similar

    Real business story

    Develop a data collection process to inform your business strategy

    Actionable data can be a game changer for all businesses. Deciding what data to collect and how to use it, however, is easier said than done.

    Real business story

    Data provides a foundation for better decision making

    When collected well, data can provide valuable insights into your business. These insights can then inform strategic decisions to improve it and help you grow.

    Real business story

    Use data to improve decision making at all levels of your business

    Providing employees with data empowers them to make informed decisions – but you won’t create a data-driven culture overnight.

    The questions lots of businesses are trying to answer

    What issue is keeping you awake at night? A bit of targeted support is often all you need to overcome those challenges.

    Select a topic

    Digital

    How can I improve the digital presence my business has? How can I streamline and automate some of our business processes? How can I understand what digital tools or support my business needs? How do I effectively seek external digital support? How do I know if my technology is robust enough for growth? How do I assess and choose the right technology to improve business operations? How do I work out the best digital sales channels to use? How should I best budget and plan for new technology investments? How should I go about collecting data to improve my business? How should I use the data I have to improve decision making?

    Leadership & Strategy

    As a leader, how do I learn to trust others within my organisation? How can I balance short-term needs with long-term targets? How can I reflect on my own strengths and weaknesses as a leader? How do I learn to become a better leader? How do I improve the communication in my business? How do I apply learnings from other businesses to my own company? How do I get better at noticing and reacting to warning signs? How do I get staff interested in our vision and values? How do I give my team autonomy and get better at delegating? How should my role as a business leader evolve with the company’s growth?

    People & Team

    How can I develop career paths for my staff? How can I develop the skillsets of my workforce? How can I improve my hiring and onboarding practices? How can I increase staff engagement and motivation? How can I keep my best members of staff? How can I reduce employee turnover? How can I run a better appraisals process? How do I deal with a challenging member of staff? How do I manage an effective remote workforce? How should I performance manage my staff?

    Planning

    How can I balance ambition with setting realistic goals? How can I get staff interested in the financial situation? How can I work out what required skillsets are missing in the business? How can I define and communicate my vision for success? How can I get better at looking internally at my business? How can I make my business more resilient to change? How do I ensure my business can navigate a dip in trading? How do I better inform my business plans? How do I know when to invest in my business? How do I know when to scale up my business?

    Sales & Growth

    How can I get a better return on investment from my marketing? How can I identify new customers to target? How can we better serve our most loyal customers? How can we develop new products and services? How do I create targets and KPIs for my staff? How do I benchmark my business against competitors? How do I build a network to support my business? How do I develop a clear unique selling point? How do I financially plan for new opportunities? How do I make sure my team and processes are ready for growth?
    All