We have just released two widely discussed blog posts. Both are focused on ArcGIS implementations: What we learned from a failed ArcGIS Implementation, and Wondering what a successful ArcGIS Implementation looks like? One thing we have been asked is why did we not give the clients names, particularly in the ‘success’ blog post?
Let’s dig deeper.
Can ArcGIS give you a Competitive Advantage?
On the commercial side of GIS we live in fascinating times. Historically, GIS has been most popular in the public sector. Cities, county and state governments have embraced the technology. The private sector have been slow to widen their tool-sets to include GIS. BI or business intelligence remains popular, but in many cases lacks a spatial component.
With the advent of cloud and mobile technology, the profile of location technologies like GIS has been raised. Slowly, commercial applications of GIS have become more numerous. For many GIS vendors this is a relatively new, and huge opportunity. For the commercial sector, location intelligence will bring a new level of insight to organizations.
Early Adopters are Reaping the Rewards
The adoption of GIS in the private sector remains a story of early adopters. These are the organizations truly reaping the rewards of the technology. So why did I not give the client names in our implementation blog posts?
Competitive advantage that is why!
In both cases, the implementation of ArcGIS was driven by gaining an advantage in respective verticals. One organization described how they wanted to use ArcGIS to discover the ‘pot of gold’ in their marketplace. To not only gain deeper insight about potential new customers, but go after competitors customers. The other organizations was focused on speed to market of new land for sale, providing improved in depth, detailed information on individual properties, and empowering agents to become ‘salespeople and not secretaries.’
Dramatic improvements in speed and efficiency, greater insight, improved more detailed data collection …
In both cases the true value ArcGIS brought was to marketing and sales. Location intelligence changed the game. Efficiency, and speed meant dramatic improvements in marketing. Listing new land for sale was once a labor intensive, slow process. Now it is done automatically, in almost real time; the agent finishes collecting data in the field on their mobile device and hits send. That’s it. Marketing is also be done with greater insight. No more new customer campaigns driven by formulas and spreadsheets. Now targeted and focused.
GIS uncovers New Opportunities
In many cases, GIS is very new technology to those in the commercial sector. As we have consulted with private companies we have evolved a pattern or set of processes to help accelerate your ArcGIS ROI, discussed in our recent The Secrets of Winning with ArcGIS blog post.
Huge competitive advantage is being gained by those adopting GIS technology. ArcGIS may well be the key driver in taking your business to the next level.
Recent Comments