McClatchy Transforms Customer Research with elvex

Introduction

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital media, staying ahead of the curve requires innovative tools and agile methodologies. Kat Sheplavy, the Senior Director of New Products and Experiences at McClatchy—a leading news organization with a portfolio of 30 local news properties—has been at the forefront of this transformation.

Her journey with elvex, an enterprise AI platform, highlights the profound impact of technology on research and product development. This case study delves into Kat's experience, showcasing how elvex has revolutionized her workflow and enhanced her team's efficiency.

Background

Kat Sheplavy leads a dynamic team at McClatchy, responsible for designing, engineering, and researching new products and experiences. Her role encompasses managing a diverse group of professionals who create and refine digital experiences across McClatchy's websites, apps, and online newspaper editions. Following a recent revamp of their online newspaper product, a survey was sent to readers to collect feedback on the changes. Roughly 5,000 responses, consisting of a mix of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, were collected. The sheer volume of responses made it impractical to read and catalog every response manually, highlighting the necessity for advanced solutions like elvex to efficiently process and derive insights from the feedback.

Initial Excitement and Adoption

Kat Sheplavy has been an early adopter of AI tools, recognizing their potential to streamline workflows and enhance productivity. However, she faced limitations when using AI in a business setting, primarily due to concerns about data security and the complexity of integrating AI solutions into existing workflows.

The introduction of elvex marked a turning point. "I was really excited when we got elvex," she recalls. elvex addressed her concerns by providing a secure, enterprise-grade platform that seamlessly integrated with her team's processes.

Kat was particularly enthusiastic about elvex's ability to handle large datasets and perform complex analyses, which were crucial for her team's research and product development efforts. The platform's advanced data analysis tools, including the ability to upload data and use SQL for in-depth analysis, proved to be incredibly helpful. This capability allowed her to efficiently process and analyze vast amounts of data, transforming how her team worked and significantly enhancing their productivity.

By addressing the initial challenges and providing powerful tools for data analysis, elvex quickly became an integral part of Kat's daily operations, enabling her team to derive meaningful insights from their data and make informed decisions.

Data Privacy and Security

Data privacy and security are among the top risks that cause companies to restrict employee use of generative AI. elvex’s ability to ensure that all data is securely processed and not used in LLM training data was a key precursor to encouraging employees to start experimenting with this powerful technology. With elvex in place, McClatchy is doing a company-wide roll out so all employees can benefit from AI without fear of putting their confidential data at risk.

Use Case: Survey Responses

One of the most compelling use cases for elvex in Kat's workflow is the analysis of survey responses. McClatchy frequently gathers extensive feedback from users, resulting in thousands of open-ended responses. Sifting through this data manually was a daunting task. However, elvex's advanced capabilities transformed this process.

Kat explains, "We had thousands upon thousands of open-ended responses to analyze. The ability to upload a spreadsheet and use SQL within elvex has been incredibly helpful." This feature allowed her to efficiently sort and analyze the feedback, turning raw data into actionable insights.

By combining survey feedback with data from customer service call centers, Kat and her team could identify key pain points, understand user needs, and prioritize their roadmap effectively. This integration of diverse data sources enabled them to provide comprehensive executive summaries, driving informed decision-making. Kat noted that this capability was particularly valuable for their recent product launch, where they received a significant amount of user feedback that needed to be quickly and accurately processed.

Additionally, elvex's ability to handle large datasets and perform complex analyses allowed Kat's team to uncover trends and patterns that would have been difficult to detect manually. This not only improved the quality of their research but also enhanced their ability to respond to user feedback in a timely manner, ultimately leading to better product improvements and user satisfaction.

Key Benefits for McClatchy

elvex's robust features played a pivotal role in enhancing Kat's research efforts. The platform's data analysis capabilities were particularly valuable for this use case. Automated data sorting and summarization significantly reduced the time and effort required for these tasks while also improving the quality of the research. As a result, Kat's team was free to focus on additional strategic initiatives.

Time Savings and Increased Efficiency: elvex enabled Kat's team to swiftly process and analyze thousands of open-ended survey responses, transforming raw data into actionable insights. This efficiency saved countless hours that would have otherwise been spent on manual data sorting, allowing the team to focus on strategic initiatives and higher-value tasks.

Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency: elvex empowered Kat, who is not a data analyst, to perform complex data analyses independently. This self-sufficiency meant she didn't need to distract specialized analysts away from their priorities, enabling her to derive useful insights and make data-driven decisions on her own.

Actionable Insights and Proactive Measures: By integrating survey feedback with customer service data, elvex provided the team with detailed insights and identified key pain points. This capability allowed McClatchy to take proactive measures, such as having the customer service team reach out to dissatisfied customers, thereby improving retention rates and customer satisfaction.

Data-Driven Customer Engagement: elvex's advanced analysis capabilities allowed the team to uncover important trends and patterns from user feedback that would have been difficult to detect manually. These insights provided a deeper understanding of user behavior and preferences, informing strategic decisions and enhancing customer engagement.

Quick and Comprehensive Drafts: elvex facilitated the creation of first drafts for executive summaries and reports quickly, including a comprehensive set of information. This capability ensured that drafts were thorough and detailed, surpassing what an individual could remember and provide on their own, allowing for efficient editing and refinement.

Conclusion

Kat Sheplavy's experience with elvex underscores the transformative power of AI. By leveraging elvex's advanced features, Kat and her team at McClatchy have significantly enhanced their research capabilities, streamlined workflows, and improved product development processes. The ability to efficiently analyze vast amounts of user feedback has empowered them to make data-driven decisions, ultimately delivering better experiences to their audience.

About elvex

elvex is the future of AI adoption, empowering businesses to seamlessly integrate and scale AI across all job functions. Our secure, transparent, and user-friendly platform democratizes AI, enabling developers and business users alike to swiftly create and deploy bespoke AI applications. Experience rapid adoption, accelerated time to value, and exceptional ROI with elvex's centralized approach to AI management and enablement.