A Love Affair with Excel

Whenever I tell people that I spend a lot of my (work) life living in Excel, the reactions I receive are typically something in the sarcastic realm of this:

Oh wow, that sounds awesome…  (as their speech trails off into a metaphoric abyss).

But I’m not going to lie, I adore Excel. Sure, the numbers and equations are nothing to make a girl swoon, but Excel has the power to unlock stories that otherwise remain untold.  The knowledge that exists within those pesky spreadsheets has the power to affect positive change for an individual, company or even society as a whole. Because of this, the power of data continues to amaze me everyday. It’s why our bank alerts us when they think there might be fraudulent activity on our credit card (because their data tracking system just didn’t think that tasty taco purchase in Timbuktu fit your typical spending habits). It’s how our doctors are able to give us a statistical prognosis about the likelihood of developing diabetes or heart disease. And relating back to my work here at Mudd, it’s how we can identify which advertising drivers are working effectively and which should be redistributed to build the most strategic campaign ever for our clients. From spending quality time in Excel, we’ve been able to determine key optimization areas for our products.  We’ve learned what campaigns are most successful, and what timeframe in which these campaigns get the best ROI.  But, the things we’ve discovered through data analysis transcend far beyond these findings. We drill down even further relating to buying behavior, optimum drop dates, average lead distance from a store and the list goes on and on.  While some of the things we analyze may be obscure, they help us to constantly optimize and innovate, and thus, ensure we are always improving our offerings. Data drives innovation; Innovation is the key to future success As technology continues to progress, more and more data will be generated.  And as this data unlocks more insights, technology will be propelled even further.  (Did someone just say symbiotic relationship?)  Above all, data will help us guarantee we are making smart decisions and providing a solid foundation for future innovation. So consider this a public declaration to all those who raise an eyebrow about my love affair with Excel: Sure, living in Excel may not seem like the most exciting thing, but the knowledge I learn while sifting through the data is so powerful.  It gives us actionable ways to affect positive change and attempt to drive a company and industry forward.