Reltio update delivers new AI-powered matching capabilities

Platform update

Data from a single customer can be difficult to match to develop a complete profile and tailor sales and marketing efforts to best appeal to that customer.

With customers sometimes having multiple accounts, sometimes using a middle initial or abbreviating a street address but not doing so other times, and multiple members of a household with accounts, , it can be close to impossible to discover all data about a single customer considering that enterprises collect billions of data points.

Matching data is therefore onerous for humans, a painstaking process that consumes copious a lot of time. And given how difficult it can be to match data, even after hours of effort, customer profiles could be missing plenty of potentially valuable data. Even rule-based matching that automates customer profiling misses data that could be used to better inform personalized marketing efforts.

FERN is designed to solve customer matching problems, saving potentially hundreds of hours of work and improving matching accuracy.

The new Reltio tool is prebuilt, meaning no model training is required on the part of the user, and uses LLMs and machine learning-based matching capabilities that discover, define and configure customer data so it can be integrated to form a complete customer view.

In addition to FERN, Reltio’s update features improved AI-powered audience segmentation capabilities in Reltio Customer 360 including segments that evolve based on customer behaviors and needs such as purchases, claims and call center interactions. The segmentation capabilities are aimed at enabling users to better develop audience segments that improve customer experience, retention and growth.

“Dynamic segmentation and the FERN customer data matching engine both stand out,” Henschen said. “In both cases what’s promised is faster, better results.”

Beyond the AI-powered capabilities, Reltio’s update addresses data security and data governance.

The new security features are aimed at strengthening security for core enterprise data. Reltio already offer single sign on and client-credential verification. Now, it is adding multi-factor authentication. Regarding data governance, a new integration with Microsoft Purview Data Governance is designed to simplify discovery of trusted data assets for reuse and help organizations develop data products that can be shared across the enterprise to inform decisions and actions.

Regarding the impetus for developing the new features in Reltio’s latest update, Venki Subramanian, the vendor’s senior vice president of product management, said it came from a mix of customer feedback and observing market trends.

For example, FERN resulted from Reltio’s own observations about the power of LLMs and the growing need for tools that improve efficiency while the integration with Microsoft Purview Data Governance — and recent integration with Collibra — was driven by conversations with customers.

“Ultimately, our mission is continually innovating and providing capabilities that help our customers stay ahead of the curve,” Subramanian said.

Looking ahead

With Reltio’s latest update now available, the vendor plans to continue focusing on the combination of data unification and AI by adding capabilities that enable customers to build their own AI-powered features fueled by trusted, unified data, according to Subramanian.

In addition, akin to its integrations with data governance platforms, the vendor’s roadmap includes adding more integrations that enable its users to develop a data management and analytics ecosystem with Reltio at its core, Subramanian continued.

“Our focus remains on delivering a high-performance, enterprise-grade platform that supports all business-critical operations,” he said.

Henschen, meanwhile, said that Reltio’s recent focus on delivering AI-powered capabilities has given it a competitive advantage over some of its peers — at least in the present, given the pace of AI innovation and how quickly vendors are now pumping out AI-powered capabilities.

With not only FERN and Customer 360 Data Product but also Reltio Intelligent Assistant, the vendor has launched tools that use AI to make its users more efficient and potentially more profitable. And it’s doing so at a pace faster than competitors such as Informatica that have a broader data management focus and thus tend not to innovate as quickly in niches such as master data management and customer 360 specialists, according to Henschen.

“I see Reltio as a master data management-focused innovator,” he said. “There are other innovative MDM-focused vendors … but with these announcements, Reltio seems to be raising the bar — for now at least — on AI innovation.”

Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for TechTarget Editorial and a journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He covers analytics and data management.