By: Eric Parker
Eric Parker lives in Seattle and has been teaching Tableau and Alteryx for 5 years. He's helped thousands of students solve their most pressing problems. If you have a question, feel free to reach out to him directly via email.
The world is changing around us and it is changing quickly. In my lifetime I can only remember two events which had anywhere near the same level of impact as the current COVID-19 Crisis; 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis.
My life and my work are changing and I know that’s true of my clients too. Here is a sampling of a few different conversations I’ve had in the last few weeks.
A School District
I was about to begin a project with a school district that wanted to analyze how students performed on their spring standardized assessments compared to their fall standardized assessments. They wanted to learn why some students improved more than others. Was it due to teaching style? Specific teachers? At home attitudes toward school work?
As you can imagine, the school district isn’t presently concerned about spring assessments. They are scrambling to ensure they have the capability to deliver at home instruction to students for the next couple months (at least).
A Casino
I was about to teach Tableau at a casino who is using their data and Tableau to analyze a number of business operations; which marketing efforts have been most effective at driving new business, who might be gaming the system and counting cards and how profitable their restaurants are.
Due to the current health crisis, the casino has closed its doors for businesses. They aren’t allowed to serve people at their restaurants, have people on the gaming floor, or host the events that used to draw so many patrons.
A Fitness Studio
I have been working with a fitness clinic who has been analyzing which marketing channels have been most effective at bringing new clients through the door; Facebook, Youtube, Google searches, etc.
The fitness clinic is temporarily closed for business. At this point they are pursuing a strategy of virtual private lessons (with our help) to stay connected to clients and continue to bring in (some) revenue.
What Now?
So where does that leave business data analysis? It will shortly be as important as ever but right now it is largely on hold. Most companies are scrambling to get new systems in place. Delivering content via web-conferencing technology, developing new phone applications for betting/gaming, producing new video content for consumption.
Those kinds of efforts are going to consume most businesses energy for the next couple months. Soon however, they will need to analyze how effective these methods are.
● Are students able to score as highly on standardized assessments when they receive virtual, at-home instruction?
● What kind of mobile ads drive the most business to new apps?
● What new web content has been most effective at driving traffic growth toward a new fitness media channel?
The world as we know it is going to be forever different as a result of this interruption. Those that are acting decisively and pivoting quickly are the most likely to thrive in that new world.
Thank you for reading and sticking with us through these crazy times. We wish you all the best!
Sincerely,
Eric Parker & the OneNumber Team