What do we mean when we talk about a single source of truth (SSoT)? In theory, it’s just one big place where “all the data” can be stored, harmonized, and analyzed. In practice, it’s not so simple. Most teams end up with their own sources in your CRM, data warehouse, marketing platforms, and especially spreadsheets.
“As an Ops person, I’m responsible for all of these tools. The admin, the connections, the analytics. How do I do all this when I’m not an IT professional? How do I confidently get accurate data to the functions that I support?” - Jessica Zangre
Jessica Zangre, Head of Revenue Operations at Syncari, is challenging the idea of the SSoT because it doesn’t really work the way we want it to. It doesn’t make sense to have all teams logging into one system. Instead, give them the data they need in the tools where they work.
Think about your users. Do they all work out of just one system, like your CRM? No, they don’t. They’re distributed and have their own systems. Next, think about the purpose of your data. It’s not just about building analytics and dashboards–which not everyone trusts. It’s about delivering a consistent and meaningful customer experience.
One of the biggest drawbacks of having a SSoT is that it can’t change as quickly as business requirements demand. For example, when your SSoT is your CRM, years of custom fields and reports can limit the agility of your RevOps function.
“Using a CRM as a data warehouse doesn’t work. I may have built a skyscraper, but every time I need to build a new story, I have to knock the whole thing down and start from scratch.” - Jessica Zangre
She recommends conceptualizing data in terms of “views.” You want your finance team, your executive team, and your sales team to view the data that is important to them. It doesn't have to come from one source of data but it still needs to be a distributed source of truth.
When Revops passes the responsibility for managing data to their data teams, we get left behind. Data teams mostly focus on analytics and reporting. They don’t solve for gaps and needs in the systems that RevOps manages. Analytics focuses on the past, not on future solutions to help you automate your go-to-market stack.
“What we’re really trying to do is be data driven. What that means today is looking in the rear view mirror to see what has happened. Instead, we want data to be trusted to drive decisions to mitigate churn and help with their costs.” - Jessica Zangre
Don’t let a SSoT be a distraction. A SSoT is about having perfect data, which can delay and hold you back from new automation initiatives. Instead, focus on increasing trust in your systems and data, reducing the number of point solutions, and driving better adoption of your business systems.
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