Embedded Analytics Guide

8 Essential Features of Customer-Facing Analytics Software

Rahul Pattamatta

Rahul serves as the CEO and Co-Founder of Databrain, a platform that enables startups to develop customer-facing analytics features within minutes than months.

October 16, 2023
Embedded Analytics Guide

8 Essential Features of Customer-Facing Analytics Software

Rahul Pattamatta

Rahul serves as the CEO and Co-Founder of Databrain, a platform that enables startups to develop customer-facing analytics features within minutes than months.

October 16, 2023
Table OF content

Building a customer-facing analytics dashboard from scratch can cost you a lot of time, money and resources. At the same time, you cannot ignore it either. That’s because it helps your customers understand the value your product/ service is giving them.

Customer-facing analytics software is a SDK (software development kit) solution, with which you can build analytic features within your application with minimal lines of codes. It significantly reduces development time and effort and helps you to go live faster than your competition.

But, finding a customer-facing analytics software can be challenging. It should be 

  • simple yet comprehensive
  • seamlessly integrate with your systems
  • offer real-time insights
  • makes sure your data is secure 

Moreover, it must fit within your budget and resources.

If you're on the journey to choose the right customer-facing analytics for your business, this blog post can be your roadmap. 

In this blog, we’ll talk about the essential features of customer-facing analytics you must consider before deciding. 

Features of Customer-Facing Analytics Software to Consider

Looking at different options for customer analytics software can feel overwhelming! You are not just looking for another tool to add into your tech stack, but a software that can help you build analytics in your business applications seamlessly.

You can be stress-free as we'll narrow down the must-have features that make a great customer-facing analytics software.

  1. Self-service analytics
  2. White labeling
  3. Data exploration and drill downs
  4. User experience
  5. Scheduled reports
  6. Integration capabilities
  7. Security
  8. Scalability
  1. Self-service analytics

Self-service analytics enables end users to tap into real-time data, craft visualizations, and identify trends without having to rely on IT or data teams. It's like having a personal data analyst right in the app.

While self-service analytics might not be the first thing users look for in your product or service, it enhances their experience, helping them see the tangible value they're getting.

Take the examples of companies like Airbnb and Spotify. Airbnb allows property owners to gauge how their listing is performing month to month, and Spotify lets listeners see what songs they've enjoyed most over the past week. 

These aren't just nifty extras. They are insights that resonate with users' everyday lives, helping them recognize the real utility of the application. The results in a connection that goes beyond the surface, fostering satisfaction and loyalty. It is about making that data a meaningful part of the customer experience.

  1. White-labeling

White labeling is more than just a feature in customer facing analytics software. It is an extension of your brand's identity within the tools you use. Imagine providing your customers with rich analytics that not only inform but feel like a seamless part of your product. That's what white labeling achieves.

You can add your brand's unique colors, logo, and style into the analytics dashboards. 

Companies invest heavily in crafting a distinct brand image, and white labeling ensures that this effort extends into every aspect of the customer's interaction with your application. 

  1. Data exploration and drill downs

Data exploration and drill-down capabilities take analytics beyond mere numbers on a screen. Users want to understand the 'why' behind the data, and they need tools that allow them to explore trends, identify outliers, and gain profound insights.

Imagine examining sales data. With proper drill-down features, you can start with a global view and then zero in on specific regions, down to individual salespeople, or even single transactions. It's like zooming into the layers of an image, each click providing a more detailed view.

What makes this even more user-friendly are in-built sorting and filtering options. Whether it's applying their own custom filters or using preset ones, these tools should help users to navigate the information effortlessly. 

The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight. - Carly Fiorina

  1. User experience

User experience in customer facing analytics is all about creating a seamless, unified feel. The analytics shouldn't feel like an add-on but should be woven into the application itself. A user should be able to find insights and take action in one place without the need to jump between platforms or struggle with Excel. 

Just as the branding, colors, and style of your main platform are vital, so too should the dashboards reflect your brand's look and feel. Moreover, offering dashboards within the right context in the parent application, for example, placing a sales dashboard right within your CRM tool, helps customers find the information they need faster. 

  1. Scheduled reports

Scheduled reports are a convenient feature that feels like having a personal assistant. Instead of manually pulling the same reports over and over, your customers can simply set it and forget it. They can decide on a specific interval, maybe daily, weekly, or monthly, and then the analytics tool takes care of the rest. 

Just like a morning coffee prepared right when you wake up, the reports are delivered directly to their email, ready to be consumed. It's not just about time-saving but about taking one more thing off the to-do list, allowing your customers to focus on decision-making rather than data collection. 

  1. Integration capabilities

Integration capabilities in customer facing analytics software ensure that the tool becomes a harmonious part of your product's architecture, aligning with the needs of both CTOs and developers. This isn't about forcing a fit but about finding a solution that slides easily into your existing workflows.

Imagine having the power to set up analytics within your current processes with minimum coding. Your developers can manage alerts, monitor logs, execute queries, and more, all with ease. Security is already a big part of your operation, so the embedded analytics component should just tap into existing authentication and mechanisms.

What really sets the best software apart is its ability to deliver high value with the least amount of work. It should enable cross-database reporting and allow connections to various data sources and web services. 

  1. Security

Ensuring the integrity and protection of your data goes beyond mere firewalls and passwords. In a world where data breaches are commonplace, having a customer facing analytics software that's mindful of security is a necessity. It must include compliance standards like SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 2700.

It should permit you to fine-tune access, even to the level of individual report elements, all within the natural flow of your existing security measures. Whether it’s a large user-base with diverse needs or specific control over report viewing, it’s all about flexibility without complexity.

It's not just smart security, it's a strategic way of aligning protection with accessibility.

  1. Scalability

Scalability in embedded analytics is all about growing with your business, adapting to the ebbs and flows of your needs. It's about more than just handling more data; it's about ensuring that as your business grows, your analytics capability grows with you without a hitch.

An average person spends more than four hours daily on apps, so a customer facing analytics software should be feasible to present analytics on different devices. It should feel native, whether accessed from a desktop or a mobile phone. That way, decision-makers and team members can stay connected to vital insights no matter where they are.

Moreover, scalability means being ready for the unexpected. Whether it's a sudden surge in data volume or a new avenue of business that demands fresh analytics, a scalable tool doesn't flinch. It adjusts, upscaling or downscaling as needed, without causing interruptions or slowdowns.

Databrain, an SDK solution, builds custom analytics dashboards inside your applications, and comes with all the above features and more. It maintains brand consistency with full white-labeling, enabling businesses to customize every aspect from branding to filtering capabilities, creating a seamless match to their corporate identity. 

It offers users advanced visualization options, connecting to databases of choice and offering an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface for crafting insightful dashboards. 

Sharing data is also a breeze with Databrain, offering flexible methods for distribution, including direct embedding into applications, email, and shared links. DataBrain saves you time and resources with its plug-and-play integrations, no-code tools, and flexible embedding options, allowing you to deliver exactly what your users need without hassle. 

With DataBrain, businesses can connect to their favorite data sources with just a few clicks, making it an all-in-one solution for customer-facing analytics.

Conclusion

The features of customer facing analytics discussed in this blog are not just technical specifications but strategic enablers. From self-service analytics that help users to white labeling that maintains brand consistency, to scalability that ensures growth without constraints, each feature plays a vital role in choosing the right customer facing analytics software.

It isn't just about adding some dashboards in your product. It is about integrating a powerful analytics engine that adapts, learns, and grows with your business. 

Databrain is a perfect customer-facing analytics software for anyone looking to build analytics features in their product with minimal effort. Its comprehensive suite of features equips businesses with the tools they need to create effective, data-driven strategies. 

It's more than just an SDK for building analytics software. It is a robust solution that adapts to your business requirements, delivering insights that make a difference.

Experience Databrain today!

Make customer facing analytics your competitive advantage.