How Displayr helped H+K cut analysis and reporting time by 75%

Challenge

Finding a better way to tell visual stories with data

The Data + Analytics team at public relations firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) wanted to create better interactive visual reports for their clients but struggled to find a tool to help them do this well.

PowerPoint was no longer up to the job: reports can't be interactive, and they were time-consuming to create and update. The team often works on multiple reports simultaneously and is regularly asked to filter entire reports by a particular data segment, meaning every PowerPoint slide had to be updated manually.

“It was so time-consuming to go back and rerun data and remake a report for every new question that came up. We needed a platform that made it easier for our data team and clients to access and explore the data,” says Blaine Mackie, VP of Measurement + Analytics

Manually inputting and building visuals in PowerPoint reports also required more time to be spent on quality assurance.

“There are many opportunities for mistakes when you have to work with data manually, copying data tables from Excel into PowerPoint to build visuals,” explains Dustin Harper, Director of Data + Analytics. “We needed something new.”

The H+K team needed software that could match their desire for innovation, worked well with survey data, and saved them time. They wanted to focus less on updating and report building and more on finding and connecting insights back to their client's business objectives in a clear, engaging way.

We needed a platform that made it easier for our data team and clients to access and explore the data.

Solution

An analysis and dashboarding tool that automates manual processes

When Dustin, Blaine, and their colleague Research Analyst Jasmeet Kaur began working with Displayr; they knew they'd found the tool to take their data storytelling to the next level.

With Displayr, they could now create dashboard-like reports that clients could interact with and learn from in a whole new way—and still provide PowerPoint or PDF export options when needed.

In addition to providing greater value with interactive reports, the team could build them in much less time. They could now handle the requests to see reports by segments in seconds rather than days with Displayr's filtering options.

“It's not an exaggeration to say that in Displayr, you can accommodate these requests within 10 seconds,” Blaine says.

In PowerPoint, it would have taken a few days to fit it into our workflow. In Displayr, you can just go in and set up a filter and then export all of those different reports. It's two clicks to do it. We've truly automated our processes.

Result

Up to 75% reporting time saved and the ability to take on more ambitious projects

H+K Canada's Data + Analytics team can take on more ambitious projects from across their global network.

“Displayr has allowed our Data and Analytics team to showcase the value of interactive reporting to our clients and our international offices. We have become more efficient and are delivering higher value data services for both market research and measurement projects.”

Using Displayr, they've managed to cut down the time to create a report by up to 75%.

A report that would have taken eight hours to do before now takes two hours, and the end result is much better than it would have been if we had done it in PowerPoint.

The time they save on projects now allows them to focus more on the key insights, advanced analyses, better visualizations, and custom filters.

“We can now add more value because the deliverable is different, and the scope of responsibilities we're able to take on is so much higher," Blaine adds. “We can incorporate the client's own data, for example.”

The most unexpected benefit of Displayr has been its value for talent retention: by automating the most manual and tedious aspects of data analysis and reporting, the tool has allowed the team to focus on the exciting aspects of their jobs while also pushing the boundaries of what they can deliver for clients.

“As team members work on these Displayr projects they are more engaged because they're not just copying numbers from an Excel table into a PowerPoint deck or building another static bar chart, which isn't the most exciting thing about most data jobs,” Dustin says. “Displayr helps us create an environment where our analysts are inspired to innovate.”