From Instinct to Customer Insights for Better C-Suite Decision Making | WYE?

In this episode, we’re joined by Stacie Feller, President of Kanga Roof. Stacie’s journey is a powerful illustration of how the absence, or presence, of customer data can dramatically impact business decisions. We’ll go behind the scenes to explore how a lack of customer insights created missed opportunities, and how a renewed focus on data has since transformed her decision-making. Today’s conversation takes us from instinct to insight and ultimately to impact by exploring how data transforms business decisions into measurable growth.

Crises Create Opportunities for Learning and for Growth

Stacie, at the outset of the pandemic, uncertainty was the order of the day. Like many leaders, you and your team anticipated a sharp decline in business. Yet, the reality was the opposite. Instead, you experienced a surge in demand for roofing services. Despite this unexpected opportunity, Kanga Roof was unable to fully capitalize. The supply chain faltered, and your organization was caught off guard. This wasn’t simply a story of external disruption, but a wake-up call for the importance of customer data.

This scenario is not unique. According to Forrester, “insights-driven businesses” are growing at more than 30% annually—far outpacing their peers.  The difference? These organizations don’t rely on gut instinct; they invest in data-driven decision-making.

Let’s start at that critical moment. What were the early warning signs that your assumptions about customer demand might be off? How did you recognize that the root issue was a lack of actionable customer data?

During the early days of the pandemic, we assumed business would slow down like it did for most industries. But when the phone started ringing off the hook, we realized our assumptions were off. Homeowners were home, noticing roof issues they hadn’t before, and investing in their property instead of travel.

The problem was that we didn’t have good data on who our customers really were, how they found us, what services they needed, or how their priorities were shifting. We were reacting instead of planning. That’s when I realized we needed a stronger system for capturing and using customer insights to guide decisions instead of relying on instinct.

Every Delay in Understanding Customers Costs Time and Revenue

What you described is something we see across many organizations: decisions made from instinct or urgency rather than insight. We often refer to these as “random acts”. Random acts of marketing, pla