Customer insight framework gets publisher backing

Several major scholarly publishers are backing a new model to help them understand and handle customer data better. The "Customer Insight Framework", published by DataSalon, is free to download and has been endorsed by the American Institute of Physics, BMJ Group, Institute of Physics Publishing, Oxford University Press and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

This new framework presents 12 guiding principles, which DataSalon says 'define a shared roadmap towards the end goal of a complete and fully-integrated customer view'. According to DataSalon, it is essential to establish a single view of customer data that accurately reflects the real world of institutional and corporate deals, and of individual contacts who in turn may be authors, subscribers, librarians, or a combination of roles. This customer data has traditionally been held in separate silos.

The DataSalon model gives principles for establishing a single, unique record for each individual, institution or company, and consortium and highlights the different types of information that need to be aggregated for each customer. The model also identifies the relationships that need to be modelled - including those between individuals, institutions, and buying consortia – and the network of content access right that exists between those different levels.

'The complex nature of customer data within scholarly publishing is often overlooked as one of the major challenges to truly effective sales and marketing. We have put together the "Customer Insight Framework" in order to raise awareness of these issues within the industry, and are extremely pleased to have the backing of so many major publishers,' said Nick Andrews, managing director of DataSalon.