Customer 360 on Microsoft Fabric: A Real-World Use Case

Customer 360 on Microsoft Fabric: A Real-World Use Case

The Challenge: A Fragmented View of the Customer

A leading retail enterprise in South Africa was struggling with a common but critical problem: a fragmented view of their customers. Customer data was trapped in silos:

• Sales data was in their CRM system.

• Marketing engagement data was in their marketing automation platform.

• Website interaction data was in a web analytics tool.

• Customer service history was in their support desk software.

This fragmentation made it impossible to answer key business questions. Marketing couldn’t personalize campaigns effectively, sales couldn’t identify high-value upsell opportunities, and the service team lacked the full context of a customer’s history. The result was a disjointed customer experience and missed revenue opportunities.

The Solution: Building a Unified Customer 360 Platform with Nihilent and Microsoft Fabric

The company partnered with Nihilent to architect a modern Customer 360 solution on Microsoft Fabric. Our goal was to create a single, reliable source of truth for all customer data that could power analytics and decision-making across the entire organization.

Our approach leveraged the power of Fabric’s unified platform:

1. Data Ingestion with Pipelines: We used Fabric’s built-in Data Factory pipelines to connect to all the source systems (CRM, marketing platform, etc.) and ingest the raw data into OneLake, Fabric’s unified data lake.

2. Data Transformation with Dataflows and Notebooks: We cleaned, transformed, and integrated the data from these different sources. We created a master customer record, linking all interactions and transactions to a single customer identity. This “golden record” was the core of the Customer 360 view.

3. Unified Storage in OneLake: By storing the processed data in OneLake in the open Delta format, we ensured it was accessible to any engine. This eliminated costly and slow data duplication.

4. Actionable Insights with Power BI: We built a suite of Power BI dashboards and reports directly on top of the data in OneLake using DirectLake mode. This provided blazing-fast performance, even on massive datasets. The dashboards provided insights into customer lifetime value, churn risk, next best offer, and complete customer journey mapping.

The Results: A Transformation in Customer Engagement

The implementation of the Customer 360 platform on Microsoft Fabric delivered transformative results:

• 360-Degree Customer View: Sales, marketing, and service teams finally had a complete, real-time view of every customer in one place.

• Increased Marketing ROI: The marketing team was able to create highly personalized campaigns based on customer behavior and purchase history, leading to a significant increase in engagement and conversion rates.

• Improved Sales Effectiveness: The sales team could identify high-potential leads and existing customers ripe for cross-selling, armed with a full understanding of their past interactions.

• Enhanced Customer Service: Service agents could see a customer’s entire history at a glance, leading to faster resolutions and a more empathetic customer experience.

This real-world use case demonstrates that with the right partner and the right platform, the transition to Microsoft Fabric can be a catalyst for true business transformation, turning siloed data into your most valuable strategic asset.