In our column ‘A Day In The Life Of’, we are trying to step into the shoes of the awesome techies from various organisations and sectors who are working in areas like big data, data analytics, artificial intelligence and the internet of things, among others.
This week Analytics India Magazine got in touch with Bhavik Shah, the Head CRM and Loyalty at Metro Brands, to talk about his enthusiasm for meticulous data prepping, new technologies and wanderlust.
Shah begins his day at 6.30 am, choosing to reach his office at 8.30 am to avoid traffic. He says these early hours in the office are the key to his success, as he uses the peace and quiet in the office to his best advantage. “I try to finish all my task without any disturbance from my team or other internal stakeholders. That is why this is the most productive hour of my day.”
As a health enthusiast, Shah tries to plan his days well so that he can squeeze in a workout even as he battles with the daily Mumbai traffic. “I don’t get enough time to pursue a full-fledged hobby, as travel time takes a toll thanks to Mumbai traffic. But I do manage to go for a walk or run in the evening,” he says.
He, however, is of the firm belief that healthy work practice goes hand-in-hand with an active and refreshed mind. “It is very important to have an active social life to ensure you have a good work-life balance. I enjoy evening hangouts with friends over coffee — be it at home or at our favourite joints. We also plan weekend getaways every three months. These breaks really help me rejuvenate and there’s nothing better than going out with my life partner and a couple of friends,” he adds.
Talking about his work process, Shah says, “My maximum time goes in designing loyalty campaigns, implementing and executing IoT projects and platforms, and building various analytical and statistical reports. I like to deep dive into the data to mine more meaningful analysis and portray this analysis in a graphical manner to make it easier to understand and absorb the data. Being more innovative and creative in presenting the data is my forte.”
Right now, Shah is working on:
- Loyalty solutions
- CRM implementation
- Footfall tracker and analysis
- Repairs automation process
- Streamlining analytics hub and infrastructure
“These projects over the long run will help our business to consolidate the data into one and make it a bigger, smarter data-pool. Every department can access their share of information from this pool, which, in turn, will help them plan better,” explains Shah.
When asked about the problem he’s currently working on, Shah says candidly, “Currently, every organisation (in my sector) is facing one of two challenges:
- Customer-centric problems
- Store or inventory-related retail solutions
“However, none of the big players have a single view platform which could make their life simpler. That is why I have been custom designing the requirement on my own to suit our needs,” he says.
Shah is a lucky employee who can happily say that his organisation is making the best use of his talent. “My inputs and ideas are fairly accepted and even executed. So far, two of my projects are executed and three more are in the pipeline.”
However, he feels that there’s a lot more to be achieved in this area. “Loyalty and analytics is a never-ending subject. Once you start digging, it will keep leading you to something or the other. The day you feel you have achieved the result, it is actually the time to open new doors and newer ways of looking at the data and designing the programmes and campaigns,” Shah says with a smile.
