How MetLife and British Airways use their research data

"If we’re going to need 500,000 data scientists to make sense of information as some people are saying, big data is doomed to failure"

~ Arnab Gupta, CEO of Opera Solutions.

Many are tired of hearing the term “Big Data” banded about as though it is a panacea to all company woes. But some firms are using it to drive quantifiable results.

• MetLife’s “Big Data” project captures a 360-degree view of customers by consolidating key customer information from more than 70 internal systems. Data on customers is rendered in a Facebook Wall-like intranet view that has simplified claims research and customer service interactions.


• British Airways is another big data practitioner that wanted to improve customer centricity. Where the airline’s knowledge of customers was previously siloed across operational systems and the loyalty program, a “Big Data” project instituted in 2012 blended loyalty information with data on the online behavior and buying habits of 20 million BA customers.

What has been your experience, or what do you believe can be gained from so-called Big Data?