The Importance of Data Analytics for Financial Services

Kade Brewster • April 19, 2023

Data Informs Every Trend and Prediction

No two days are ever the same in financial services. In an ever-changing global economy, realities change in an instant. Look no further than the news over the past couple of weeks regarding Silicon Valley Bank and others. With the growing volume and complexity of financial data, the use of data analytics has become essential for financial institutions to remain competitive and thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.


Financial institutions need the ability to make more accurate, informed decisions to reduce risk and increase profitability. By analyzing vast amounts of data in real-time, financial institutions can identify market trends, forecast future financial performance, and assess risk. The ability to quickly and accurately analyze data is essential to the very survival of the financial industry.


Furthermore, the necessity for streamlined data solutions is highlighted by the increasing reliance on technology in the industry. The rise of digital banking, mobile payments, and online investing has led to a significant increase in the amount of data generated by financial transactions. Financial institutions must be able to collect, process, and analyze this data to remain competitive and provide their customers with the best possible service.


These new sources of data don’t just introduce opportunities to better understand your customer. They also introduce new risks that must be successfully mitigated. Look at the
Silicon Valley Bank collapse, or the inflation of Gamestop stock a few years ago driven by social media. Never before have we operated in an environment where customer behavior can be so quickly and easily influenced in large volumes. Today, it is easier than ever before for customers to quickly transfer their assets to a new financial institution. These new risks highlight the need for effective analytics. Without the insight into your customer’s sentiment, your institution risks being caught totally unprepared in a tidal wave of customer movement. 


The Future of Banking and Finance

The future of banking and finance will undoubtedly be shaped by the continued evolution of data and the systems designed to optimize it. The collection, processing, and analysis of information that can be used to make informed decisions is critical to understanding the economic environment from day to day. In the financial services, data analytics can be used to identify market trends, understand customer personas, and assess risk among many other functions. 


The power of data in the financial services industry can drive a significant competitive advantage when utilized correctly, but an ever-increasing risk if not managed appropriately. With changes in consumer behavior and an expectation of seamlessly-integrated digital solutions, financial services providers are constantly working to keep up with the latest demands from customers and regulators. For institutions, they need systems and partners in place that provide solutions that start with the customer experience to drive and increase market and wallet share, all while working in a way that mitigates risk and satisfies regulations.


Data Informs Every Decision

Financial services rely heavily on data to inform its decision-making processes. Each and every decision made relies on a steady stream of real-time information. Without it, financial institutions would be unable to make informed and accurate decisions, such as whether to approve a loan or invest in a particular asset.


Data solutions can also help identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement in their operations. By analyzing data on internal processes and workflows, financial institutions can identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies while implementing process improvements to increase efficiency and reduce costs.


But analytics don’t just help institutions safeguard against risk and errors. Data, when synthesized and presented accurately, can help financial institutions identify opportunities for growth and expansion. Think of the customer’s journey with their bank of choice, for example. Customers can come into a branch, log-in on their mobile device, call the contact center, or send messages back and forth with a specialist through the chat function. 


Customers can come into a bank location or visit an ATM to make deposits and withdrawals. They can even take their debit card wherever they go. 


With so many services and options available to the client, it means that the bank has to track and accumulate data for each channel. Banks are faced with multi-channel environments with complex interactions for each customer. In order for organizations to maximize value, they need systems that use data to break down the silos, unify information, build customer personas, and make intelligent recommendations based on the customer’s journey. 


Those personalized recommendations are just one vital part in an effort to provide excellent customer service. Customer data can be used to improve customer engagement and satisfaction by analyzing data on customer behavior, preferences, and feedback. Businesses can use customer data to identify opportunities for cross-selling and upselling, and personalize marketing and communication to improve customer engagement and loyalty.


Further Examples of Integration

Seamless integration of data systems are valuable for numerous aspects of the financial services. For example, credit card companies use data analytics to identify fraudulent transactions in real-time. This security not only reduces the risk of financial losses, but is a tremendous value add to the institution when stopping fraud early. There is also the reputation and  peace of mind that is granted to their customers. Finally, integration provides a solution when fraud does strike, allowing for a quick resolution.


Institutions are able stay ahead of the curve by providing insights into emerging trends and technologies. Financial institutions have to constantly be evaluating emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, while not hastily overcommitting to unproven technologies. Financial Institutions are traditionally slow moving and inflexible, but the ones who can pivot quickly and quickly innovate are the ones who will own the next 25 years.

Future Forecasting and Predictions

The future of data analytics in financial services looks promising, with continued advancements in technology, increased data availability, and the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These developments will enable financial institutions to provide deeper insights to their customers, further reducing risk, increasing profitability, and creating better results for their clients. 


For example, we talked about the Silicon Valley Bank saga earlier. But what could SVB have done to avoid disaster? SVB likely should have looked at rising interest rates while cross-referencing their balance sheet. From this, Silicon Valley Bank needed to develop projections on when and how to liquidate assets, or pivot to raising funds to prevent a total collapse.


With billions of decisions being made every single day in finance, having the inside track for the best and most accurate data is a must-have competitive advantage. Data analytics are a necessity for firms to integrate, learn, and utilize to best service their customers, provide the best forecasting, and maximize revenue. 


The benefits are clear, but finding the right organization to partner with for the ultimate solution can be cloudy. We invite you to
connect with us and schedule a consultation with our team. At Brewster Consulting Group, we ensure that your systems drive better business outcomes and create real value for your organization. To learn more about our team, subscribe to our newsletter, Brews For Thought!


With decades of financial services experience including Risk, Regulatory, Data Governance, Analytics, Mortgage, Retail, and Commercial expertise, our team can help you. Let us help you build a data system that works for your organization that provides clarity, insight, and simplicity.


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At Brewster Consulting Group, we recognize that managing data can be a daunting task for small and mid-sized enterprises. Allow us to assist you in harnessing the potential of operational intelligence! Reach out to one of our specialists today to refine your data strategy, optimize your processes, and establish solid governance. Ready to cultivate data analysis and propel scalable growth? Your journey begins right here!

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By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: Building Structure for Strategic Growth AllCare Health, a small integrated healthcare provider, is dedicated to delivering a total care approach to patients by bringing together a diverse range of healthcare professionals across disciplines. This collaborative culture has been the foundation of the organization’s success, but by 2023, leadership recognized that organic growth had created operational blind spots. There was no central, standardized way to track projects, measure their impact, or ensure the organization was dedicating resources to the highest-value initiatives. Specifically, AllCare lacked three key components that were critical for scaling effectively: 1. Line of sight into all active projects across the organization. 2. A centralized and standardized project intake process to ensure consistency and clarity. 3. A project prioritization framework aligned with business objectives and ROI potential. Without these elements, projects risked operating in silos, competing for resources, and moving forward without a clear connection to strategic goals. Key Deliverables Brewster Consulting Group partnered with AllCare to design and implement a best-practice Project Management Office (PMO) built on industry-standard guidelines. The engagement delivered: A formalized project intake process with full team buy-in, reducing confusion and improving project initiation efficiency. A prioritization framework to help leadership focus efforts on projects with the greatest strategic and financial return. A resource management tracking mechanism , ensuring team members’ time was used for the highest-value activities. A clear, consolidated line of sight into all projects, enabling leadership to monitor progress, reallocate resources, and maintain focus on the most impactful initiatives. PMO Implementation Process The first step in Brewster’s approach was to design a standardized project intake process that would work seamlessly across departments. By leveraging AllCare’s existing committee structure and enhancing it with a formal process map, Brewster ensured that all team members understood each step in the lifecycle of a project, eliminating bottlenecks and miscommunication. One of the client’s biggest operational pain points was tracking resource allocation . Without an effective system, it was difficult to understand where time was being spent or whether the right resources were assigned to the right projects. Brewster recommended an affordable, easy-to-use technology solution that allowed leadership to see team capacity in real time, enabling them to quickly adjust priorities when needed. To ensure the PMO’s long-term success, Brewster didn’t stop at process design. They also assisted with recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training a dedicated PMO Director; ensuring there was an internal champion to sustain the improvements and drive continuous refinement of the office’s practices. The Impact: Greater Clarity, Better Alignment, and a Scalable Framework With the PMO now fully operational, AllCare Health has achieved a level of organizational clarity and alignment that was previously out of reach. The leadership team now has the ability to see exactly what projects are in motion, assess their value, and make data-driven decisions about where to focus time, energy, and resources. Teams are working more cohesively, with standardized processes ensuring everyone understands priorities, timelines, and success metrics. The PMO has also given AllCare a replicable framework for project oversight, one that can scale as the organization grows, allowing them to take on more ambitious initiatives without losing control over timelines, budgets, or quality. Most importantly, it has aligned project work with business goals , ensuring every initiative is tied to improving patient care, operational efficiency, or financial sustainability. As the Director of Health Information Technology shared: “The timing of this project was excellent. It’s given visibility to the different priorities that are happening throughout the organization, which we didn’t have before. I can’t say enough about Brewster Consulting.” Conclusion: Setting the Stage for Continued Growth The successful implementation of AllCare Health’s PMO was more than just a process improvement, it was the creation of a strategic framework that will serve the organization for years to come. By establishing clear project intake and prioritization processes, improving visibility across initiatives, and equipping the team with both the tools and leadership needed to maintain the PMO, Brewster Consulting Group has set AllCare on a path toward greater efficiency, accountability, and impact. With the right people, processes, and technology in place, AllCare now has the infrastructure to confidently manage growth, adapt to new challenges, and continue delivering exceptional care to its patients, backed by an organization that operates with purpose, alignment, and measurable results.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: Scaling Operations at a New Facility Comes with Growing Pains When a leading national rental car provider transitioned into the newly opened Los Angeles Consolidated Rent-A-Car (LAX CONRAC) facility, it marked a significant milestone for their West Coast operations. However, moving from a company-run location into a shared, high-traffic environment also brought unforeseen complexity. The vast layout, shared spaces, and overlapping workflows with competitors such as Sixt and Europcar introduced logistical headaches that directly impacted staff efficiency, customer satisfaction, and fleet management. From excessive manual processes to disjointed communication, the company was experiencing delays, costly missteps, and inefficiencies at nearly every touchpoint. They needed to reimagine their operations with a strategy grounded in data, process improvement, and scalable system design. That’s where Brewster Consulting Group stepped in. The Challenge: Complexity, Congestion, and Communication Gaps As the client scaled into the LAX CONRAC facility, several operational breakdowns surfaced: Facility transition hurdles: The scale and shared nature of LAX CONRAC introduced challenges in staff coordination, vehicle staging, and customer wayfinding. Workflow inefficiencies: Outdated, paper-heavy processes and long walking routes led to wasted time and decreased staff productivity. Customer experience breakdowns: Multiple manual checkpoints and outdated queuing systems resulted in long wait times and an inconsistent rental experience. Fleet utilization issues: Misaligned vehicle classification and staging often led to costly free upgrades and suboptimal fleet usage. Shared space friction: Overlapping check-in zones with other providers created congestion and confusion for both staff and customers. Maintenance workflow disruptions: Poor vehicle staging practices, even from competitor operations, occasionally reduced the availability of ready-to-rent cars. Each of these issues compounded to create a system where inefficiency was the norm, not the exception. Our Process: Data-Driven Redesign, Grounded in Six Sigma To drive transformational change, Brewster Consulting Group deployed a team led by a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. The approach was holistic, data-informed, and highly collaborative; designed to streamline operations and optimize both the employee and customer experience. Key actions included: - Site analysis and competitive benchmarking: We conducted an in-depth operational walkthrough and compared the client's practices to high-performing peers, such as Avis. -Workflow mapping and friction point identification: Existing processes were analyzed end-to-end to uncover redundant steps and inefficiencies. -Customer and vehicle flow redesign: Movement paths were reconstructed to minimize unnecessary stops and streamline operations. -Labor model optimization: Role responsibilities were clarified and adjusted to eliminate overlap and better match skillsets to needs. -Digital transformation planning: A roadmap was developed to transition from paper-based to fully digital workflows. -KPI framework design: Custom metrics were introduced to monitor performance in real-time. -Shared space strategy: We advised on space utilization to reduce congestion in areas co-managed with other providers. The Results: Tangible Improvements and a Clear Path to Scalable Growth Brewster Consulting delivered a comprehensive, prioritized solution roadmap with both short-term wins and long-term structural improvements. Key outcomes included: Intelligent vehicle classification system: Cars were now staged by type (SUVs, hybrids, luxury) in clearly defined lanes, reducing turnaround times and minimizing unnecessary customer upgrades. Paperless transformation: The company transitioned to iPads for inspections and digital rental agreements, enabling real-time damage documentation and eliminating paper dependency. Stall-based routing model: A new numbered stall system allowed customers to go straight from check-in to their assigned vehicle, completely bypassing traditional service booths. Role optimization: The workforce was restructured into three clearly defined roles, staging agents, drivers, and service agents, each with streamlined responsibilities, improving accountability and flow. Communication enhancements: Staff were equipped with Motorola walkie-talkies to support real-time coordination across the expansive facility, minimizing delays and miscommunication. The Impact: Faster Turnarounds, Better Experiences, and Operational Clarity The implementation of Brewster’s operational enhancements led to immediate, measurable results for the rental car provider. Customer wait times were significantly reduced, contributing to improved satisfaction scores and a noticeable decrease in service complaints. Behind the scenes, f leet turnaround efficiency improved as idle vehicle inventory dropped, and availability rose, allowing the team to meet demand with greater precision. Real-time visibility and communication tools empowered staff to respond quickly to shifting operational needs, boosting coordination across departments. Labor was more strategically allocated, with team members focused on high-value tasks instead of time-consuming manual work or redundant movements. Perhaps most importantly, the client walked away with a scalable blueprint for success, one that can be replicated across future facility expansions to maintain consistency, performance, and customer satisfaction at scale. Conclusion: Building a Better Rental Experience from the Ground Up With Brewster Consulting’s guidance, the client successfully transformed their LAX CONRAC operations from reactive and fragmented into streamlined and proactive. The engagement proved that even in a complex, shared facility, operational excellence is achievable with the right strategy, tools, and execution. Now armed with greater clarity, real-time insights, and optimized workflows, the company is better positioned to deliver a premium experience for customers, while maximizing efficiency and profitability behind the scenes.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: When Growth Exposes Operational Cracks A large healthcare organization approached Brewster Consulting Group with a growing concern: operational inefficiencies were stifling performance and exposing the business to unnecessary risk. Over time, their internal workflows had evolved without a cohesive structure, resulting in a tangled web of manual tasks, inconsistent reporting, and siloed communication between departments. Leaders recognized that what once worked at a smaller scale was now creating friction at every level of the business. But without standardized processes, clear KPIs, or real-time visibility into performance, they couldn’t measure what was broken, let alone fix it. They needed a trusted partner to help them regain clarity, introduce structure, and lay the foundation for continuous, data-informed improvement. The Challenge: Lack of Visibility, Consistency, and Collaboration The client’s challenges were layered and interconnected, creating compounding issues across operations: Inconsistent workflows: Without standardized processes, teams were operating differently across locations, leading to variability in quality and efficiency. Manual tasks and bottlenecks: Critical operations were bogged down by excessive manual steps, increasing the risk of human error and slowing progress. No standard metrics: Without KPIs tied to business objectives, the organization couldn’t measure performance or prioritize improvements effectively. Limited visibility: Leadership lacked real-time insight into performance, making it hard to identify what needed fixing—or whether past efforts were working. Siloed departments: Cross-functional collaboration was minimal, and communication gaps made alignment difficult on key initiatives. Collectively, these issues were making it harder for the organization to make strategic decisions or operate efficiently at scale. Our Approach: Mapping the Path from Complexity to Clarity Brewster Consulting Group implemented a structured, multi-phase approach focused on operational clarity, standardization, and visibility. 1. Process Documentation - We began by mapping 15 critical workflows across departments, documenting the current state with clear visualizations and detailed narratives. This helped align teams on how work was being done, and exposed inefficiencies that had previously gone unnoticed. 2. Automation Identification - Through gap analysis and stakeholder interviews (with over 40 employees across functions), we pinpointed manual tasks that were prime candidates for automation, reducing time spent on repetitive activities and increasing capacity for higher-value work. 3. KPI Framework Design - We developed a custom performance measurement framework aligned to the client’s strategic objectives. These KPIs served as a foundation for long-term performance tracking and continuous improvement. 4. Dashboard Development - To bring insights to life, Brewster built a Power BI sample dashboard focused on pharmacy operations. The dashboard enabled leadership to view real-time metrics, identify bottlenecks, and evaluate performance trends. 5. Prioritized Recommendations - The engagement concluded with a detailed roadmap of optimization opportunities, ranked by business impact and implementation effort, ensuring leaders could take focused action without getting overwhelmed. 6. Cross-Functional Collaboration - We helped create communication channels and routines to break down silos, empowering departments to collaborate, share insights, and align on improvement goals. The Results: A Strong Foundation for Long-Term Operational Excellence Brewster’s engagement produced both immediate and strategic value across the organization. By engaging with over 40 stakeholders, the team was able to uncover deep operational insights, build alignment, and ensure cross-functional buy-in from day one. Through detailed mapping of 15 critical processes , inefficiencies were clearly identified and analyzed, laying the groundwork for effective change. The team delivered a comprehensive set of enterprise-wide optimization recommendations, prioritized by business impact and ease of implementation. Alongside this, a custom KPI framework was developed to drive standardized performance measurement across departments. To support visibility and reporting, Brewster also designed a Power BI dashboard prototype that provided real-time insights into pharmacy workflows and operations. With these tools and strategies in place, the organization now benefits from a structured and scalable operational model. There teams are better equipped to collaborate, make data-informed decisions, and monitor performance in real time, establishing a culture of continuous improvement backed by clear, measurable outcomes. Conclusion: Real Change Starts with Operational Clarity What began as a response to inefficiency turned into a full-scale transformation of how this healthcare organization understands and improves its operations. Thanks to Brewster’s structured approach, the client isn’t just reacting to bottlenecks, they’re proactively managing performance with the right tools, insights, and alignment across the organization. As the healthcare environment grows more complex, this organization is now better positioned to adapt, scale, and serve patients, backed by data and driven by intentional, continuous improvement.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: Sales Were Slipping, But the Cause Was Unclear A well-established consumer goods company found itself at a crossroads. Despite decades of steady growth, recent months had seen a noticeable decline in revenue and profit. Leadership suspected weakening sales were to blame, but they lacked clear, data-backed insight into why it was happening. Internal reports offered some signals, but the company’s tools weren’t robust enough to isolate trends, customer patterns, or performance indicators. Without direction, their marketing and sales strategies were stalled. They turned to Brewster Consulting Group to uncover the root cause and build a plan for recovery. The Challenge: More Questions Than Answers While the symptoms were obvious, declining sales across nearly all channels, the underlying issue remained elusive. The company couldn’t tell if the problem stemmed from product performance, shifting customer behavior, channel inefficiencies, or market saturation. Their attempts to solve the issue had become trial and error, adjusting pricing, tweaking promotions, shifting distribution, but none of these efforts moved the needle. Leadership had a growing list of questions, but few meaningful answers. They needed a partner who could go beyond surface-level reporting and deliver deep analytical clarity. The Solution: Analytics that Asked the Right Questions Brewster began the engagement by conducting a comprehensive analysis of historical sales data, segmenting product types, flavors, and distribution channels, including in-store and online purchases. Interestingly, the data showed uniform decline across most product categories and channels, ruling out specific SKUs or sales platforms as the culprit. Instead of stopping there, Brewster shifted focus to the company’s customer behavior trends, particularly purchasing frequency and lifecycle status. What emerged was a pivotal insight: Loyal, long-time customers were not dropping off. In fact, those who had made 10+ purchases over the past two years were increasing their buying volume. This insight reframed the entire narrative. The problem wasn’t that customers were leaving, it was that new customers weren’t coming in. Strategic Insight: From Retention to Acquisition Focus With clarity on the real challenge, customer acquisition rather than retention, Brewster presented a clear, data-backed strategy. The company’s marketing efforts had been overly focused on maintaining loyalty and driving repeat purchases. But the data showed that their loyal base was already performing well. The bigger gap was at the top of the funnel, reaching new audiences, converting them, and nurturing early-stage buyers. Brewster recommended: A shift in marketing strategy toward first-purchase incentives and awareness campaigns. Development of new customer KPIs , including acquisition cost, conversion rate, and first-to-repeat purchase timeframes. Redesigning lifecycle campaigns to guide customers from trial to loyalty. Building a segmented customer dashboard to track acquisition metrics by product, region, and campaign source. With this new insight, leadership reallocated budget from broad retention campaigns to high-impact acquisition channels and created internal targets for customer base growth. Results: Strategy Shift, Revenue Rebound Armed with a fresh understanding of their true challenge, the company quickly adapted its marketing, sales, and customer success strategies . The results were almost immediate: -Marketing ROI increased as acquisition-focused campaigns attracted more new customers. -Customer lifetime value grew, driven by clearer conversion paths and repeat purchase incentives. -Leadership had real-time visibility into customer metrics, allowing them to act with speed and precision. -Perhaps most importantly, the team now had confidence in their direction, with a data-driven plan guiding their next moves. Conclusion: Real Strategy Starts with the Right Data This case is a perfect example of how data clarity can transform a company’s trajectory. What started as a vague performance issue turned into a focused, strategic initiative once the root cause was understood. With Brewster Consulting Group’s support, the consumer goods company stopped guessing and started acting, replacing assumptions with insights, and hope with measurable strategy.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: From Spreadsheets to Safety Strategy When the health and safety team at a national logistics company came to Brewster Consulting Group, they weren’t lacking in commitment, they were lacking in time, visibility, and the right tools to keep up. With dozens of facilities spread across the country, tracking safety performance had become a patchwork of spreadsheets, emails, and manual follow-ups. Every safety report, investigation, or compliance requirement took time and coordination to manage, often at the expense of speed and accuracy. The team knew they needed a better way to stay ahead of issues, not just react to them. They were looking for a solution that could give them both a bird’s-eye view and the ability to zoom in when it mattered most. That’s where Brewster stepped in, to help turn raw safety data into real operational insight and build a dashboard that could support quick decisions, transparent reporting, and proactive management across every site. The Challenge: Disconnected Processes and Limited Visibility Despite having access to safety-related data from incident reports, training logs, and equipment checklists, the logistics company's teams struggled to analyze this information in a meaningful way. Key challenges included: Time-consuming manual tracking of incidents, inspections, and compliance milestones. Inconsistent data formats across locations, making it hard to compare performance or ensure data integrity. No centralized view of open safety actions, investigations, or overdue inspections. Limited ability to drill into metrics, which restricted managers from identifying root causes or performance gaps. Delayed reporting cycles , resulting in missed opportunities to act early on preventable risks. These limitations didn’t just slow the team down, they created risk. Without timely insights, the company faced the possibility of falling behind on safety standards, missing compliance deadlines, or overlooking systemic issues that could lead to serious incidents. The Solution: A Centralized, Actionable Safety Dashboard To meet the client’s operational and compliance needs, Brewster Consulting Group designed and implemented a comprehensive Power BI dashboard that unified their health and safety reporting into one interactive platform. Key Deliverables Included: - A comprehensive dashboard tracking 7 key health and safety KPIs, such as incident rates, open investigations, overdue inspections, and employee training completion. - A performance scoring system, designed to assign a weighted value to each location based on their adherence to key safety metrics—offering a standardized way to evaluate and compare performance. -Custom visualizations for managers to monitor open safety actions, identify areas of risk, and respond to incidents faster. -Automated tracking of equipment inspections and compliance criteria, minimizing human error and ensuring deadlines aren’t missed. -Reporting layers that supported both strategic and operational needs, offering detailed drilldowns from company-wide performance down to site-specific activity. To support adoption, Brewster also worked with stakeholders to structure historical data, validate inputs, and train internal users on how to navigate the dashboards and interpret insights. Results: From Safety Oversight to Strategic Insight The dashboard implementation brought immediate operational improvements and set the stage for longer-term cultural change in how the organization approached workplace safety. With real-time tracking in place, the health and safety team now had a clear, consistent view of performance across all locations . They could quickly identify sites that were underperforming, follow up on unresolved investigations, and analyze trends in incident types or root causes. The performance scoring system introduced a new level of accountability; enabling leadership to recognize top-performing sites and offer targeted support to those falling behind. Meanwhile, frontline managers gained a tool to proactively manage inspections, close safety gaps, and ensure their teams stayed in compliance. By replacing a fragmented manual process with a centralized, data-driven reporting framework, Brewster helped the client create a more resilient, proactive, and aligned health and safety program. Conclusion: Empowering Safety Teams with Insight and Efficiency This project exemplifies how the right analytics tools can turn data into action, even in complex, multi-site operational environments. By delivering a custom Power BI solution tailored to the client’s unique H&S workflows, Brewster Consulting Group helped the logistics company move from reactive reporting to proactive risk management. Now, with transparency, structure, and consistency across all safety activities, the client is better equipped to protect their workforce, maintain compliance, and continuously improve performance, no matter how large or distributed their operations grow.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: Limited Visibility in a Data-Rich Environment Medefy, an innovative SaaS company operating in the healthcare benefits space, was experiencing growing pains when it came to financial visibility. As the company scaled, so did the complexity of its data and reporting needs. While Medefy had access to the financial data it needed, their existing tools lacked the agility, clarity, and depth to turn that information into meaningful insights. Their reporting systems relied on a patchwork of static spreadsheets and basic tools that were not designed to handle the unique demands of SaaS financial reporting, especially in an industry as dynamic and tightly regulated as healthcare benefits. Without modern analytics infrastructure in place, the finance team found it increasingly difficult to understand, monitor, and communicate financial performance at the pace the business required. The Challenge: Static Tools for a Dynamic Business Medefy’s finance and executive teams faced several recurring challenges due to limited access to centralized, real-time financial insights. These issues included: - Difficulty analyzing and reporting on SaaS-specific financial metrics, such as Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), and churn rate, all of which are critical to financial forecasting and performance evaluation. - Static and disconnected reporting tools that lacked the ability to support trend analysis, time-based comparisons, or real-time visibility into financial performance. - Manual workarounds to consolidate data from multiple systems, resulting in wasted time, increased risk of human error, and reporting delays. - Limited drill-down capability, which made it difficult for the finance team to trace performance fluctuations back to specific drivers, accounts, or segments. These issues weren’t just operational hurdles; they were preventing the finance team from playing a more strategic role in the organization. Without reliable, accessible data, decision-making was slower, less confident, and often reactive rather than proactive. The Solution: A Financial Dashboard Tailored to SaaS and Scalable Growth To help Medefy address these pain points, Brewster Consulting Group designed and delivered a custom Power BI financial dashboard solution, built specifically to support the company’s SaaS business model and provide executive-level visibility into real-time performance. The dashboard environment was created not just to serve current needs, but also to scale alongside the business. Key Features and Capabilities Centralized financial KPIs in a single, interactive reporting environment, eliminating silos and streamlining workflows across teams. Flexible metric tracking designed around SaaS-specific needs, ensuring relevance as the company evolved and expanded. Dynamic filters and time-based comparisons, giving users the ability to identify performance trends, outliers, and growth opportunities over time. Drill-down functionality, allowing users to move from high-level summaries to account-level financial data within seconds. User-friendly design, accessible to both finance analysts and executive leadership, supporting self-service exploration and faster insights. The solution also helped reduce the burden on internal teams by automating data flows and eliminating repetitive manual reporting tasks. Results: Empowered, Efficient, and Insight-Driven The rollout of the Power BI financial dashboard created a meaningful and immediate shift in how Medefy approached financial management and strategic planning. Leadership and finance teams now have on-demand access to the metrics that matter, including real-time snapshots and historical trends. Instead of waiting days or weeks for manually compiled reports, decision-makers can now track performance daily, identify issues early, and adjust course with confidence. The platform has improved communication across departments as well, everyone from the CFO to customer success has a shared understanding of how the company is performing. This has enabled better collaboration around financial goals, more efficient budget reviews, and stronger alignment on revenue strategy. Internally, the finance team has freed up dozens of hours per month that were previously spent on data cleaning, reconciliation, and report creation. That time is now focused on higher-value work like scenario modeling, revenue optimization, and stakeholder engagement. Conclusion: From Manual Reporting to Strategic Finance Enablement By partnering with Brewster Consulting Group, Medefy was able to move from fragmented, reactive financial reporting to a centralized, data-driven decision-making environment. The tailored Power BI dashboard solution has given the company the structure, scalability, and clarity it needed to operate with precision and confidence in a competitive SaaS landscape. Today, Medefy is not just tracking financial performance, it’s strategically leveraging it to drive growth, improve forecasting, and build long-term value for stakeholders.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: Limited Visibility, Delayed Decisions Tulsa International Airport operates around the clock to ensure smooth, safe, and efficient travel for thousands of passengers each day. However, behind the scenes, their facility operations team faced significant challenges in accessing and interpreting critical operational data in real time. Despite having invested in systems like Cityworks for asset and facility management, they lacked the analytical tools to translate raw data into actionable insights. This gap created an environment where issues were often addressed reactively rather than proactively, leading to delays, inefficiencies, and an inability to confidently monitor performance across teams and systems. Key Operational Pain Points Included: Limited access to real-time operational data, creating blind spots for leadership and delaying response time. No centralized platform to track service KPIs such as open work orders, service request status, or technician assignments. Manual, disjointed reporting processes that reduced efficiency and increased risk of data inaccuracy. Lack of transparency across departments, leading to resource misallocation and missed opportunities for optimization. Without a robust, real-time operational dashboard, Tulsa International Airport risked falling behind on facility responsiveness, operational efficiency, and customer experience, all critical elements for an airport’s success and reputation. The Solution: Integrated, Scalable, Real-Time Operational Intelligence To close this visibility gap, Tulsa International Airport partnered with Brewster Consulting Group to design and deploy a scalable analytics solution using Microsoft Power BI, integrated directly with their existing Cityworks asset management platform. A Custom-Built Analytics Environment Brewster’s approach was rooted in solving for both technical complexity and long-term usability. We worked closely with operations and IT teams to understand system dependencies, daily workflow needs, and desired outcomes. Our solution included: -Seamless API integration with Cityworks, enabling near real-time data extraction from work order, asset, and maintenance systems. -Interactive Power BI dashboards, purpose-built to surface live KPIs such as open service requests, overdue work orders, and departmental workload distribution. -Automated data transformation and synchronization, eliminating the need for manual updates or static spreadsheets. -Data validation and quality checks, ensuring the dashboards delivered reliable and consistent insights day after day. Throughout the engagement, our team overcame challenges related to API rate limits, inconsistent data structures, and the need for low-latency updates. We designed the system not only to meet current needs but to scale with the airport’s evolving operational goals. Results: From Reactive Response to Proactive Control With the Power BI dashboards fully deployed, Tulsa International Airport experienced a transformative shift in how its facility operations were managed. The team gained real-time visibility into service requests and work order statuses, allowing staff to actively monitor open tasks, track aging tickets, and prioritize issues as they arose. Management was also able to leverage historical trend analysis to evaluate long-term performance, such as average completion times and recurring issues tied to specific assets or locations; insights that had previously been difficult to surface. Resource allocation improved significantly, as live operational data enabled supervisors to assign technicians more efficiently, balance workloads across departments, and rapidly respond to emerging service needs. The dashboard’s intuitive design, complete with drill-down capabilities, empowered leadership to investigate anomalies or performance breakdowns without needing to rely on static reports or manual data gathering. Ultimately, this solution eliminated many of the operational blind spots that had hindered agility in the past, resulting in fewer delays, clearer interdepartmental communication, and measurable improvements in the airport’s responsiveness and overall efficiency. Conclusion: Building an Airport Operations Command Center By integrating real-time Cityworks data into a custom Power BI environment, Brewster Consulting Group helped Tulsa International Airport shift from fragmented, static reporting to a dynamic operations command center. This transformation empowers the airport to be proactive rather than reactive, ensuring they are equipped to manage facility operations with the speed, clarity, and confidence required in a high-stakes environment. With their new analytics infrastructure in place, Tulsa International Airport is better positioned to optimize performance, minimize disruption, and continuously improve the passenger experience, all while gaining control over the KPIs that matter most.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: When Data Exists but Insights Don’t DP World, a global leader in trade, logistics, and supply chain solutions, found itself facing a familiar yet critical internal challenge, turning HR data into strategic insight. Despite operating on a global scale and having access to multiple HR data sources, the company’s Human Resources team struggled to manage, analyze, and visualize workforce data in a way that was meaningful, scalable, and timely. The team relied heavily on disconnected Excel files stored in SharePoint, along with ad hoc data pulls from various internal systems. As a result, they faced: Disorganized and inconsistent data , making it difficult to validate accuracy or track trends. Manual, time-consuming reporting processes prone to inefficiencies and errors. Lack of structured data aggregation, leading to siloed metrics that couldn’t be reliably compared or analyzed. Limited visibility into workforce trends , hindering decisions around hiring, compliance, diversity, and sustainability. Without a centralized and reliable analytics solution, DP World’s HR leaders were unable to make informed decisions or align the workforce strategy with larger business goals. The Challenge: Too Much Data, Not Enough Clarity HR leadership recognized that while they had the information, they lacked the tools and processes to use it effectively. Inconsistent reporting practices and manual data entry created an environment of reactive operations, with valuable time spent troubleshooting spreadsheets instead of guiding strategic workforce planning. Without a structured reporting framework, it was nearly impossible to: Track key performance indicators like time to hire, turnover, and headcount trends. Monitor unionized workforce metrics across global operations. Ensure compliance with internal policies and regulatory standards. Create a unified narrative for executive leadership around workforce performance. DP World needed a way to bring structure, consistency, and visibility to their HR data, turning chaos into clarity. The Solution: Structured HR Analytics with Power BI To solve these challenges, DP World partnered with Brewster Consulting Group to develop a comprehensive, future-ready HR analytics solution. The goal was not only to improve visibility but also to streamline reporting and empower leadership with real-time insight into workforce performance. Customized Power BI Dashboards Brewster designed and implemented a suite of three targeted Power BI dashboards , each built around specific areas of HR concern: 1. Core HR KPIs – Including time to hire, turnover rates, workforce demographics, and headcount management. 2. Unionized Workforce Metrics – Tracking staffing levels, hiring trends, and performance across union-represented roles. 3. Compliance and Sustainability – Monitoring regulatory compliance, diversity benchmarks, internal policy adherence, and ESG-related HR goals. These dashboards were built with usability in mind, ensuring HR professionals could explore insights independently, without relying on analysts or IT support. Data Management Workflow Overhaul In addition to dashboard development, Brewster delivered a full revamp of the client’s data management workflows. This included: -Structuring and organizing existing data to reduce inconsistency and improve traceability. -Automating and semi-automating data connections to reduce manual entry and eliminate repetitive system pulls. -Integrating system-generated and manually tracked data into a centralized reporting environment, enabling holistic views of key trends and metrics. The result was a modern, structured HR data ecosystem capable of supporting both operational decisions and strategic planning. Results: Clarity, Confidence, and Strategic Alignment The impact of Brewster’s work was immediate and lasting across multiple levels of the HR organization: Improved visibility into workforce performance, allowing leadership to respond to issues faster and make proactive decisions around staffing, compliance, and workforce development. Streamlined reporting processes, cutting down significantly on time spent compiling and verifying reports. Reliable, centralized dashboards that gave stakeholders a consistent and up-to-date view of HR health across the organization. Stronger alignment across HR initiatives, thanks to a shared understanding of key metrics and workforce trends. Increased confidence in data quality , allowing HR professionals to focus on strategy, not spreadsheets. What was once a reactive, fragmented process is now a structured, scalable system for insight and decision-making. Conclusion: From Reactive HR Reporting to Proactive Workforce Strategy With Brewster Consulting Group’s expertise, DP World has transitioned from outdated manual processes to a robust, dynamic HR analytics environment. The company now has the visibility and tools needed to optimize hiring, improve compliance, and align people strategy with business outcomes. This transformation showcases how modern HR analytics, when designed around real business needs, can empower global organizations to lead with insight, act with confidence, and plan for growth.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: Fragmented Data, Incomplete Stories For many fast-growing SaaS companies, scaling operations also means scaling the complexity of data. One of Brewster Consulting Group’s B2B SaaS clients found themselves struggling with exactly that. Despite strong growth and a compelling value proposition, they lacked the reporting infrastructure needed to demonstrate their impact to customers and internal stakeholders alike. Their customer and operational data was spread across five platforms: PostgreSQL, HubSpot, QuickBooks, Azure, and BigQuery. Each of these had a unique format, structure, and hosting environment. Consolidating these sources was cumbersome, labor-intensive, and error prone. As a result, the company faced major bottlenecks in both internal operations and customer-facing reporting. Without a centralized view, the company experienced: Inconsistent and siloed reporting across departments, creating confusion around performance and delivery metrics. Manual data consolidation efforts that drained valuable hours from analytics and customer success teams. Limited visibility into customer engagement, making it difficult to communicate clear ROI to clients or to proactively flag opportunities or concerns. Inability to deliver polished, on-demand reports, which weakened client relationships and impacted perceived value. These issues weren’t just operational, they were strategic. In an increasingly competitive B2B SaaS landscape, reporting is often the difference between retaining a customer and losing one. The client knew something had to change. The Solution: Unified Reporting Built for Scale and Strategy Brewster Consulting Group partnered with the client to design and implement a comprehensive reporting solution that would bring structure, clarity, and automation to their fragmented data environment. After a detailed discovery process involving technical assessments, workflow reviews, and interviews with key team members, we delivered a scalable solution built on Power BI that served both internal and external needs. Centralized Analytics Environment We implemented a centralized Power BI architecture capable of ingesting data from all five platforms. Instead of scattered spreadsheets and siloed tools, the client now had one unified system that could pull, process, and present data in near real-time. This eliminated manual rework and significantly improved data consistency and trust. Tailored Dashboards with a Customer Focus We developed seven customized Power BI reports, each built to reflect the metrics that mattered most, internally for tracking customer success and operational KPIs, and externally for showcasing performance to clients. These dashboards included visualizations for: Product usage and engagement Customer lifecycle metrics ROI summaries Support and resolution times Billing and account health This allowed account managers and customer success leaders to present a full picture of service value, enhancing the company’s positioning as a trusted partner. Streamlined Data Integration and Automation We designed automated pipelines to connect and normalize the data flowing from PostgreSQL, HubSpot, QuickBooks, Azure, and BigQuery. This not only reduced reliance on manual processes but also ensured that reports reflected current information without the lag that previously hampered decision-making. Results: Operational Clarity and Customer Confidence The impact of the Power BI implementation was felt across the organization, and among its customer bases. Customer engagement increased , as clients now received consistent, high-quality reports that clearly illustrated how the platform was helping them meet their business goals. This new level of transparency helped strengthen relationships, improve satisfaction, and support renewal and upsell conversations. Internal teams were freed from manual reporting work , allowing them to focus on higher-value strategic activities such as improving onboarding processes, exploring upsell opportunities, and developing customer health scoring. Reporting cycles that once took days or weeks were reduced to minutes. Dashboards could now be shared instantly with customers or pulled on demand for internal reviews. Cross-functional alignment improved , as sales, customer success, and leadership teams could all rely on the same data to make decisions and set strategy. Data quality and trust increased , reducing the need for back-and-forth during client reviews and freeing time for forward-looking conversations. Conclusion: Turning Disparate Systems into a Strategic Asset By transforming a fragmented and inconsistent data landscape into a centralized, automated reporting environment, Brewster Consulting Group empowered this B2B SaaS company to reclaim control of their data and refocus their energy on growth, retention, and customer value. With Power BI dashboards that deliver transparency, automation that reduces effort, and reporting that strengthens client relationships, the company now has the tools and infrastructure it needs to scale with confidence. Data is no longer a bottleneck; it’s now a strategic driver.
By Ranae Peterson September 3, 2025
Introduction: Bridging Strategy and Visibility in a Global Enterprise Cortland International, a leading global manufacturing company, had recently implemented several high-impact strategic initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and driving long-term growth. These changes included optimizing international shipping practices, refining workforce planning, and aligning global operations across departments. However, six months into these efforts, leadership found themselves facing a critical question: what impact were these initiatives actually having on the bottom line? Despite operational execution, Cortland lacked the tools, systems, and visibility needed to measure financial returns and communicate outcomes across executive leadership and the board. The absence of a centralized reporting environment made it difficult to draw clear lines between action and outcome. The result was growing frustration, delayed decisions, and the risk of misalignment at the leadership level. Cortland needed a data-driven solution that could quantify, visualize, and communicate success, and they needed it fast. The Challenge: Strategic Execution Without Strategic Insight While change was happening on the ground, the lack of visibility at the top was holding the company back. Cortland's teams were collecting data, but it was fragmented across systems, spreadsheets, and teams. Without a robust reporting framework, the organization struggled with: Inability to quantify the financial return of recent initiatives, leaving results open to interpretation rather than rooted in fact. Limited visibility into how changes impacted day-to-day performance, especially across operational KPIs. No clear method for communicating outcomes to executive stakeholders, resulting in lengthy board discussions with incomplete data. Missed opportunities for timely, data-driven decisions, as relevant insights were buried or inaccessible. Misalignment between departments and leadership, due to the absence of shared dashboards or unified performance metrics. These challenges created a disconnect between strategic planning and operational execution, and left leadership with more questions than answers. The Solution: A Modern Business Intelligence Platform Built to Scale To close the gap between performance and visibility, Cortland International partnered with Brewster Consulting Group to design and deploy a centralized, executive-ready Power BI dashboard ecosystem. This platform would serve not only as a visualization tool but also as a decision-making engine capable of aligning leadership and operational teams around shared, validated insights. Executive Dashboards with Targeted Metrics Our team developed custom Power BI dashboards focused on tracking and visualizing annualized savings and performance improvements resulting from strategic initiatives. These dashboards included cost savings from international shipping shifts, productivity gains from workforce realignment, and other operational enhancements. Dashboards were built for both executive summary and operational detail, ensuring alignment at every level. Foundational BI Infrastructure for Future Scale We didn’t stop at dashboards. Brewster laid the groundwork for a scalable business intelligence environment, establishing flexible data models, transformation logic, and reporting structures that could grow with Cortland’s evolving needs. This provided a long-term foundation for analytics maturity. Integrated and Trustworthy Data We worked directly with Cortland’s internal teams to integrate, clean, and align data sources, eliminating redundancies and ensuring consistency across the platform. The result was a trusted dataset that gave stakeholders confidence in what they were seeing, without second-guessing or delays. Strategic Collaboration with Stakeholders From the start, our approach was collaborative. We partnered with operations leaders, finance teams, and executive sponsors to define meaningful KPIs, tailor visuals to the audience, and ensure that the dashboards reflected the real-world priorities of the business. This wasn’t a generic BI tool, it was a strategic solution built for Cortland’s goals. Results: Transforming Insight into Action With Brewster’s support, Cortland International made a significant leap forward in its ability to measure, manage, and communicate strategic success. Key outcomes of the engagement included: Real-time visibility into ROI from major initiatives, allowing leadership to make smarter, faster decisions with financial clarity. Clear communication tools for board-level conversations, enabling more productive and focused executive meetings. Organizational alignment through shared dashboards, giving every department the same understanding of what success looks like. Improved confidence in reporting accuracy, reducing time spent validating numbers and increasing trust in strategic planning sessions. Reduced reporting complexity, freeing up internal resources and shifting focus from number wrangling to strategic thinking. Cortland’s executive team can now evaluate initiatives not just with hindsight, but with ongoing, real-time insights that shape future action. Conclusion: Turning Operational Performance into Strategic Proof For any organization, executing change is only half the battle. The ability to measure, communicate, and act on results is what turns strategy into sustained impact. With a centralized Power BI reporting system built by Brewster Consulting Group, Cortland International has finally unlocked the full power of its data, giving leadership the tools they need to showcase progress, steer direction, and plan the next phase of growth. This engagement is a testament to the value of blending technical expertise with strategic understanding, and it marks a pivotal step in Cortland’s journey toward smarter, faster, and more confident decision-making.