Beyond Features: A Deep Dive into Choosing the Right CDP
I was writing another blog post about my recent adventure into the Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) where I was going to discuss platform pros and cons between Twilio’s Segment and Salesforce’s Data Cloud, but the more I looked into these platforms, the more I realized they were both excellent platforms and deliver on a CDP promise which is to ingest data from multiple sources, transform the data, then push it to other platforms to take action with it.
It’s true that each platform has its own unique differentiator, a competitive edge over the other. For Segment, they are platform agnostic, meaning, right out of the box, the customer can immediately connect to a large number, over 450, data sources and start running. Their use interface is very intuitive as well. On the Salesforce side, the out-of-the-box integrations are limited, about 5-6, and the customers can tap into over 100 other platform connections using another Salesforce tool, MuleSoft.
So that’s 2 points for Segment right off the bat. But I am leaning towards the Salesforce product; why? This is why I wanted to move away from talking about the two products side-by-side and focus on the decision factors outside of the straight feature comparison. Straight product feature comparison is fairly simple, specifically for CDPs. The features we would look at in this type of comparison would be the number of connections, user-friendliness, pricing, implementation ease and timeline, customer service quality, maintenance cost, and integration cost. And with under 7 rows, we can effectively compare multiple CDPs and move forward.
Then, there are other factors, pre-sale communications, presentations, existing relationships, vendor approval management, IT review processes, and mote.
When deciding on a tech platform, there are more than features that play a role. Pricing, existing relationships, platform dependencies, interoperability, security, maintenance requirements, integration requirements, and problem-solution fit are a few. When reviewing Segment, I often found myself wanting to drive the “Ferrari” of the CDP platforms, but when I look at the overall platform investments, existing relationships, ease of purchasing a new platform through an existing provider, and the long-term vision for our tech stack, Salesforce's Data Cloud started to make more sense for our needs.
For instance, the existing relationship with Salesforce meant we were already familiar with their customer support and experienced their commitment to continuous improvements firsthand. The integrations with other Salesforce tools, like MuleSoft, meant that even though it didn't have as many out-of-the-box integrations as Segment, expanding its capabilities was still within reach without having to start from scratch or invest heavily in custom integrations.
Moreover, security has always been a paramount concern for our organization. With Salesforce's robust security protocols, we felt a greater sense of ease and trust. This isn't to say that Segment lacks in security, but our IT team already had experience and familiarity with Salesforce's security infrastructure.
In conclusion, while Segment is undoubtedly a powerful and versatile CDP, Salesforce's Data Cloud was the better fit for our specific circumstances and long-term goals. It's essential for organizations to look beyond just feature sets when choosing a tech platform. The broader context, including existing relationships, cost of ownership, security considerations, and future scalability, often play equally crucial roles in making the right decision.
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If you’ve been through a CDP buying journey, I’d love to hear from you and your experience.
