BUSINESS BOOSTERS
Follow the data to improve your business and boost your efficiency
WORDS : GRAEME ANDERSON PICTURE : TOM BANKS
Drivers – business partners Jason Turner and Sarah Burns launched Sunderlandbased Data2Action in 2017 .
Data2Action is a consultancy which does exactly what it
says on the tin . It comes into an organisation , analyses existing data , and from that , delivers efficiencies and improvements while staying on the right side of data protection legislation . Sounds simple , doesn ’ t it ? Yet thousands of businesses with an overwhelming amount of data miss out on benefits and good outcomes that are literally right in front of their eyes .
Data2Action , based at Sunderland BIC and operating across the North-East , exists to solve that problem and has seen success with high-profile clients including the North East LEP , Gateshead-based Thrift Energy and a number of SMEs in the local area .
The company was founded in 2017 by business partners Sarah Burns and Jason Turner , who have worked together for more than 15 years .
They launched Data2Action specifically because the company name drove to the heart of what they do .
“ The reason we started the company was to help businesses turn their data into action , making things quicker , faster and more effective ,” said Jason . “ We combine business acumen and business data to drive increased value .
“ Surveys show that , on average , a staggering 87 per cent of business data is unused .
“ Yet research highlights that data-driven businesses are more opportunistic , more agile and ultimately more profitable .
“ I have to make it clear that we are not data scientists , we are business people who understand data and can see the way in which they can improve business outcomes .
“ As the business saying goes , ‘ if you measure it , you will manage it ’, and we provide higher quality at a lower cost .
“ Our background is that we are operations and technology directors used to interpreting data for multi-million-pound organisations and we know how to exploit it .
“ The problem for the business world in some respects is that businesses don ’ t know where to start .”
Sarah added : “ Many companies invest in CRM technology to optimise data but don ’ t operate it properly or don ’ t maximise its potential – at which point they often look for another CRM to install .
“ That ’ s where we come in – to make the maximum sense of the data they have .
“ The technology is there to do the lifting but having the right leadership and using data is the key and that can be confusing to a lot of companies .
“ We don ’ t sell software or boxes , we deal with people and processes and we carry out operational reviews to make efficiencies and boost the bottom line - Data2Action is all about showing a return on investment .”
One example of that was Data2Action ’ s work for Thrift Energy , which saved the company an incredible 30 per cent of its costs .
With the North East Local Enterprise Partnership ( LEP ), the Data2Action team created a groundbreaking data tool , giving up-todate data on young people ’ s career aspirations .
They are also highly experienced Data Protection consultants who help businesses navigate through legislation and there have been many national and North-East-based clients who they have protected .
“ We are GDPR specialists who understand regulations and business compliance and can provide ongoing support ,” said Sarah .
Data2Action is passionate about helping businesses across Wearside and the North-East win regulatory and efficiency battles and their mission is to work with and alongside companies rather than come in with preconceived ideas and impose a solution .
“ We ’ re all about quality relationships ,” said Sarah “ We put ourselves in the shoes of our customers and tailor everything to the client ’ s needs .
“ We aim to help them every step of the way , be it making sense of their data or keeping the right side of the GDPR regulations and we always deliver value .”
For more information on Data2Action or to book a meeting , go to data2action . co . uk , email info @ data2action . co . uk or call 0333 202 6397 . wear . business – the voice of business for the Wear region | 21