Background:
One of our customers, a Fortune 500 company with operations spanning over 80 countries and a global workforce exceeding 103,000, has relied on Oracle Eloqua as its Marketing Automation platform for more than a decade. However, they confronted a significant hurdle when the performance of their Eloqua instance began to dramatically slow down.
This downturn was not only hindering the team’s ability to meet their marketing objectives but also impeding their capacity to deliver optimal results. Frustration grew within the team as they grappled with decreased ROI amidst escalating marketing expenses.
Upon conducting a thorough root cause analysis, the Marketing Operations (MOPS) team pinpointed a critical issue: an excessively high volume of marketing assets in their instance, surpassing Oracle’s recommended limits.
Challenges:
Over time, any system, whether on-premises or SaaS-based, experiences performance degradation. The company’s Eloqua instance was no exception. With a global team of MOPS users and external vendors assisting with execution services, the instance became a hub for creating a plethora of marketing assets including emails, campaigns, and landing pages, essential to support their fast-paced marketing requirements.
However, the growing number of assets wasn’t met with a corresponding removal of those no longer needed. This was partly due to the complexity associated with asset removal in Eloqua and similar marketing operation platforms, where unintended consequences could arise.
The accumulation of these unaddressed issues led to the accrual of significant Tech Debt, presenting substantial challenges for the team.
Sluggish Performance: The overloaded instance severely impacted operational efficiency. Critical tasks such as email/landing page/campaign creation and execution, as well as metric analysis, were all impeded by the instance’s sluggishness.
Complex Asset Dependencies: While the MOPS team attempted manual removal and employed scripts, these methods only proved effective for a limited set of easily removable assets. They fell short when it came to resolving intricate dependencies.
Non-Scalable Approach: The team invested a considerable amount of time in the cleanup process, but this approach was neither efficient nor scalable. It also diverted valuable time away from essential operations.
With these challenges reaching critical levels, finding a solution became imperative to restore normalcy and efficiency to their marketing operations.
Solution:
Drawing from their prior experience with Portqii, the company turned to the company for a remedy. Portqii recommended the deployment of their Asset Dependency Manager (ADM) solution, meticulously crafted to address challenges commonly faced by Eloqua platforms.
Implementation of ADM: With commendable swiftness, Portqii integrated ADM, harnessing its robust engine and intelligent workflows. This implementation facilitated the seamless removal of redundant assets.
- Accelerated Asset Cleanup: The ADM solution allowed the company to accomplish in a matter of weeks what would have otherwise taken a full year. This expedited asset cleanup was instrumental in streamlining their marketing operations.
- Optimized Asset Count: Through the removal of unused and stagnant assets, along with their associated dependencies, the company successfully brought down the asset count to align with Oracle’s recommended levels. This pivotal adjustment resulted in a substantial enhancement of Eloqua’s overall performance.
- Focused Marketing Operations: With the automated cleanup process in place, the marketing operations team could redirect their efforts towards core functions. This enabled them to efficiently clear the backlog accumulated over months due to the previous performance issues.
Results:
Revitalized Team Morale: The implementation of Portqii’s solution brought a renewed sense of enthusiasm and productivity to the MOPS team. With improved system performance, the team could operate at its full potential, leading to a more motivated and cheerful work environment.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency: The optimized performance of the Eloqua platform led to a streamlined marketing operations process. Critical tasks such as campaign execution, metric analysis, and content creation were now executed with greater speed and precision, significantly boosting team efficiency.
Automated Tech Debt Management: Portqii’s solution not only addressed immediate performance issues but also provided the company with a robust framework for automated tech debt management. This proactive approach prevented future accumulation of technical debt, ensuring a more sustainable and efficient marketing operation.
Accelerated Asset Cleanup: The ADM solution enabled the company to accomplish asset cleanup in a fraction of the time it would have taken through manual efforts. This time-saving measure allowed the team to redirect their focus toward strategic marketing initiatives, resulting in a marked increase in overall productivity.
Improved ROI and Cost Efficiency: With a more efficient marketing operation and reduced tech debt, the company experienced an upswing in its Return on Investment (ROI). The reduction in unnecessary assets and streamlined processes also contributed to cost savings, further enhancing the financial performance of the marketing team.
By leveraging Portqii’s ADM solution, the company successfully tackled its Eloqua performance issues, demonstrating the effectiveness of automated asset management in optimizing marketing operations. The accelerated cleanup not only improved platform performance but also contributed to a more efficient and satisfied marketing team.
