5 Tips to Building a Better B2B Tech Stack

Julia MichaelisJulia MichaelisContent, Campaigns and BrandUniphore
7 min read

For B2B teams, designing the “seamless” tech stack is a complicated challenge. First of all, “seamless” is not technically possible. Secondly, your technology is complex because your buyers are complex. Each member of your buying group has a completely different set of priorities, and they have different modes of operation and engagement that you need to collect and respond to in-real time, across different channels, with different messages.

Now let’s take a glance at the traditional B2B tech stack. The primary tools in a B2B stack are CRM, MAP, and ABM. But you also have your paid advertising tools, your content management tools, your lead scoring tools, your analytics and intelligence tools, your SDR tools, your onboarding tools…The list goes on.

With data scattered across all these different tools, and different teams operating off of different sets of data, it’s hard to put your best foot forward for prospects and customers.

Let’s dig into how to rethink your stack from the context of your customer data to see how you can get high-quality pipeline and move customers faster from anonymous lead to loyal advocate.  

Inventory your customer data

Any good tech stack starts with the customer data. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. It answers questions about what your prospects are interested in, who they are, and how you can get them engaged and keep them engaged after they become customers. That means knowing the right information to build campaigns around product adoption and consumption, cross-sell, or a win-back campaign. Your tech stack should be oriented around the goal of high-quality, complete data so you can activate high-quality, complete, and personalized customer experiences.

One way you can do this is to think through all the different types of customer data that are being collected across the customer journey, and what you need them for. This includes, but is not limited to:

And so much more.

By organizing and centralizing this data, you create a solid foundation that informs every aspect of your customer interactions and marketing strategies.

Complete a customer journey map

By looking through all the different customer data using the tools in your tech stack, you’ve already completed part of the next exercise — building a customer journey map.

Creating a customer journey map for a B2B business means building a detailed understanding of the different stages your customers go through when interacting with your company, from initial awareness to retention. This map should detail every touchpoint, data type, and technology used at each stage, allowing you to identify where improvements can be made.

A simplified example of a customer journey map might include: 

Awareness Consideration Decision Retention
Goal Nurture leads Close sales Maintain loyalty Existing customers
Audience Segments New prospects Warm leads Hot Leads Existing customers
Data Needed Demographic, Behavioral Behavioral, Firmographic Transactional, Behavioral Engagement, Behavioral
Tech Needed CRM, Marketing Automation CRM, Content Management CRM, Sales Tools CRM, Customer Success Tools
Channels Social Media, Blogs Email, Webinars Sales Calls, Demos Email, Support Tickets
Messages Educational Content Solution-focused Content Purchase-focused Content Support-focused Content
Opportunities Lead Generation Lead Nurturing Conversion Upsell, Cross-sell
Teams Marketing Marketing, Sales Sales Customer Success
Metrics Impressions, Clicks Engagement Rates Conversion Rates Customer Satisfaction, Retention Rates

How Atlassian Went From 300+ Lines of Code to 8 Filters

See how Atlassian went quickly from data warehouse to amazing customer experience — both for the customer and for the team. 

Identify gaps in your customer experience

When you complete these exercises, layer them together. Then think through where you have gaps in your customer experience and overlaps in your solutions that may be slowing down your ability to reach customers across the customer journey.

Identify areas where data is missing or not being utilized effectively. For example, you might find that while you have a robust system for capturing initial prospect data, there are gaps in how this data is used to personalize follow-up communications. Additionally, consider overlaps where multiple tools are being used for the same purpose, which can lead to inefficiencies and increased costs.

To identify these gaps and overlaps, ask yourself the following questions: 

Are there stages in the customer journey where engagement drops off?

Are certain segments of your audience not receiving tailored communications?

Is there a lack of integration between your tools, leading to data silos?

Are there redundant tools that can be consolidated?

Are we capturing the right data at each touchpoint?

How effectively are we using the data we collect?

Do we have a single source of truth for customer data?

How well do our tools support collaboration across teams?

Are we able to track and measure the effectiveness of our campaigns accurately?

By identifying these gaps and overlaps, you can streamline your tech stack and enhance the customer experience. This process not only improves efficiency but also ensures that your technology supports your strategic goals and customer engagement efforts. 

Find your center of data gravity

Your data warehouse, paired with a  Customer Data Platform (CDP), can create a complete and connected journey with your data — without you having to worry about how you’re stitching all of this data together for better performance — from the first interaction through product adoption and loyalty.

A data warehouse serves as the central repository for all your customer data, allowing you to store vast amounts of information from various sources in a structured way. When paired with a CDP, you can ensure that this data is not just stored but also unified and made actionable across your marketing and sales efforts.

A composable CDP helps by: 

With a data warehouse, you can streamline this process so your data is freely accessible and actionable. This integrated approach ensures you have a single source of truth for all customer data, improving data accuracy and consistency across your tech stack.

Get a composable CDP

Now that you’ve mapped your customer data and customer journey, you need a solution to help bring it all together. That’s a composable CDP.

Composable CDPs change how businesses engage with their customers. With a future-proof architecture and modular functionalities, businesses are empowered to keep pipeline progression going while meeting the demands of today’s customers.

They provide the flexibility to adapt to changing business needs and integrate with existing systems, ensuring you can scale and evolve your tech stack as needed.

Go from tech stack overload to fine-tuned B2B instrument

Does a “seamless” tech stack exist for B2B companies? With Uniphore, B2B brands can get data for the real world to get the most complete and precise audience creation they can.

By following these steps, you can avoid creating a patchwork of disparate solutions and build a B2B tech stack that truly supports your customer experience and business goals. Reach out to our team to see how we help B2B brands drive pipeline, faster with a new kind of CDP. 

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