- What's up everybody?
I'm Brian Tong, your guide to all things Salesforce.
And this is Salesforce Explained.
It's a series where we talk about Salesforce
and technology without all the jargon or the buzzwords.
So make sure to subscribe to the Salesforce channel and turn
on those notifications so you never miss an episode.
Okay today, we're gonna talk
about three easy ways to get started
with analytics dashboards using Tableau from Salesforce.
We're gonna define what analytics dashboards are,
why they matter for your business, and then yep,
three easy ways for you to start working with them.
So what is an analytics dashboard?
It's a way of visually displaying different types
of data in one place to tell a story using visualizations.
So we're talking about tables, graphs, and charts.
A dashboard is often used to show different
but related information, a.k.a. data
in an easy to digest, visual way.
That's unlike spreadsheets with only columns and rows.
The visualizations reveal trends, patterns, and insights.
And fun fact, you can visualize and analyze any kind
of data, personal or professional in a dashboard.
And I mean any kind, like what's the most listened
to songs on your favorite music platform
or how your marketing campaign is performing.
And then, hey, what about days your fitness tracker
says you took the most steps or what superhero films
are people's favorites?
So you're likely interested in building or interacting
with dashboards that include things like you know, KPIs,
forecasted revenue, or other important metrics
that your stakeholders need to see
and understand so that they can do their jobs.
Now, some examples include dashboards that help you
understand sales performance by territory
or region, review and adjust digital marketing budgets
or examine and improve service or call center times.
That's just to name a few.
Now you can interact
with dashboards to see what has happened in a situation,
why it happened, what could happen in the future
and what actions that you can take to change course.
So for example, let's say you work for a bank
or insurance company and you could potentially
use an analytics dashboard to detect potential risks
or fraud before it happens, and then take action
and monitor suspicious activity.
Ultimately improving the security and privacy
of not only your company's investments, but also
your customer's accounts.
And why is this so important?
While more and more people are learning how to work
with data, preparing, analyzing, exploring
and visualizing it in dashboards, and most people are not
data analysts or have technical or mathematical skills.
Maybe me, I'm one of those, maybe one of those people.
But look, times have changed and knowing how to
at least interact with data is becoming a basic requirement
of most jobs.
Because the future of business is A1 plus data-
Oops, AI not A1.
I'm thinking like A1 sauce.
Whoops.
The future of business is AI plus Data plus CRM.
And thankfully, using a visual analytics platform
like Tableau from Salesforce helps you make this happen
and it makes it intuitive to work
with data, building analytics dashboards
that help drive customer success.
You can apply advanced AI techniques
with just a few clicks and not code with data stories.
That's an AI feature that uses natural language generation
or NLG, to make data more approachable
with plain language summaries of your dashboard
so that anyone viewing it can confidently
understand what's going on
and make decisions based on the data that you've provided.
So this is gonna save you
and your audience a whole lot of time
and potential confusion by automating the analysis, build
and communication of insights.
So now here,
why do analytics dashboards matter for your business?
Well, they matter because, one,
you can reduce costs and boost efficiency at your company.
You can use data to better understand your business
and operate more efficiently, saving money
and time by automating workflows
or shifting resources away from things that you've learned
aren't effective or profitable, and you're
increasingly making smarter data driven decisions.
Now, two, you can reduce complexity, analytics dashboards
help you understand your data in the right context.
So actionable insights can come to life
and Tableau is for everyone, no matter your skill level
from the most advanced to a total newbie.
Now, you'll also be able to use data
like a pro for any decision.
In fact, customers report an average 27% decrease
in time needed to analyze information.
And then three,
you can increase productivity.
Who doesn't want that, right?
Tableau creates magic by combining the best
of what people and technology can offer with outta the box
and intelligent capabilities so that you can focus
on driving your business forward with insights
from data instead of being bogged down by manual processes.
Now, what does that look like?
Well, it can look like an entire organization collaborating
and acting on real-time analytics to improve productivity
and navigate change together as a team.
Now, customers report a 29% average increase in productivity
after implementing Tableau.
And look, those numbers, they just don't lie.
Alright, now we've gone over what, the why, and now
let's dig into the how, right?
Here are three easy ways for you to
start building analytics dashboards.
Now first, begin by focusing on your goals and audience.
The point here is to create dashboards that are relevant
and meaningful for your audience,
helping them to understand key information.
So if you build a dashboard and no one is around to use it
does it make an impact?
Okay, all jokes aside, here are some questions
that you're gonna want to ask yourself.
The goal of your dashboard is to emphasize trends
or patterns in your data.
So clarity, that is key.
Now, after your stakeholders view your dashboard
you'll want them to take action.
For example
they could potentially repackage sales offers based on the
successful practices of certain sales teams
or they could adjust digital advertising spend,
investing more money
in the channels that your dashboard has revealed
performed better than others.
Okay next, let's connect
to your data set wherever it's housed.
I mean, don't you have any raw data of your own?
Because when you download a free trial of Tableau,
you'll receive sample data sources to get you started
or you can check out Tableau Public for more data sets,
search for a topic you're interested in,
browse for inspiration,
and then download the workbook connected
to the dashboard that you selected to access the data set.
You can automate data prep without expensive IT resources.
And by using Tableau Prep Builder
you can access, combine and clean disconnected data
without writing any code in just a few clicks.
And finally, build your view with best practices in mind.
Some basic dos and don'ts include do keep your chart type
and design simple, at least
until you've got more experience under your belt.
Do use color carefully only
with the purpose of calling out certain numbers or metrics
and don't overload your audience
or confuse your message by including too many views.
Okay if you're feeling stuck, hey, don't worry.
There are so many ways to get help
with the free resources available to you.
Like reaching out to the Data Fam.
That's right, fam.
These resources include pre-built dashboards
called Tableau Accelerators, templates, and how to videos.
So check out the links in the description below.
And if you wanna learn more
about how Salesforce uses Tableau, click the link
on screen and we will see you all next time.