Self-Service Analytics Delivers Business Insight to the Masses

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - June 10, 2010) -  In the newly released report, "Self-Service Business Intelligence," Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), found that top performers were able to drive higher adoption of their business intelligence tools by reducing or eliminating IT involvement, and enabling their top managers with analytical capability. This study collected data from 223 executives across the globe and discovered that top performing organizations are using a self-service methodology to improve analytical pervasiveness and equip managers with the business insight required for an 18% improvement in customer retention.

The speed of today's business world necessitates clean, relevant, and timely information to support game-changing decisions. Companies relying solely on IT to deliver reports and provide business analysis to their day-to-day operational managers are at a disadvantage. Aberdeen's research demonstrates that leading companies have achieved an informational "culture of curiosity" that provides Line-of-Business managers with fresh business insight to support critical decisions. The impact of this type of analytical strategy is evident both internally and externally as top performers were able to improve not only customer service, but resource utilization as well. Research findings indicate that leading companies are able to support more than twice the number of analytical users per technical employee.

"Top performing companies are typically more inclined to find ways to develop analytical curiosity within the walls of their company. Through training programs and leveraging cross-functional input from multiple lines-of-business, leading companies are able to create their own breed of 'power user,'" said Michael Lock, senior research analyst at Aberdeen. "This type of user is not an IT expert, a software developer, or a database administrator. The power user has the ability to create their own functional specific views and reports, can do ad-hoc discovery on their own data, and can generate self-service business insight from the tools at their disposal."

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Noetix and SAP. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6447&camp=2.

Visit Research.Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Information Technology Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

(C) 2010 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
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www.aberdeen.com