In the world of analytics, there's no shortage of tools promising to predict the future. But Craig Group's latest development, Conduit™, is taking a notably different approach. By combining sophisticated AI with human expertise, this new platform is tackling one of the most persistent challenges in business: accurately predicting revenue while providing actionable insights for growth.
Beyond Basic Predictions
Traditional forecasting tools often feel like sophisticated calculators—input your data, get a prediction, and hope for the best. Conduit™ aims to break this mold by creating what Jordan Scott, Director of RevOps & Analytics at Craig Group, calls a "white glove forecasting service."
The platform starts by integrating with existing business systems, pulling data from CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot while also incorporating ERP data. But that's where the similarities to conventional tools end. Instead of simply processing this information through algorithms, Conduit™ employs multiple machine learning models to analyze patterns, seasonality, and anomalies in historical data.
"Many companies are moving fast and growing rapidly. They need to know what's working right as it starts to work, not months later when deals finally close," Scott explains. This real-time insight is particularly crucial for businesses with longer sales cycles, where waiting for deals to close can mean missing months of potential growth opportunities.
The Human Element
While the platform leverages advanced AI capabilities, it doesn't leave users to interpret the results alone. Craig Group's team of expert marketers and data scientists work behind the scenes, ensuring data quality and providing industry-specific insights.
This human oversight proves especially valuable when dealing with complex business scenarios. The platform uses quantiling to evaluate and weigh different deal sizes, but it's the human expertise that helps contextualize these predictions within specific industry frameworks and market conditions.
Scenario Planning: A Game-Changer
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Conduit™ is its upcoming scenario planning capability. This feature will allow businesses to model different growth scenarios by adjusting various KPIs—from advertising spend and conversion rates to sales team capacity.
"What companies often miss is the compound effect of improvements," Scott notes. "When you make small improvements across several areas, the impact isn't just additive—it's exponential." This insight drives Conduit™'s approach to scenario planning, helping businesses understand how multiple small changes can create significant growth opportunities.
The platform will be able to show, for instance, how increasing ad spend while simultaneously improving sales team efficiency might affect revenue. More importantly, it will identify potential bottlenecks—like whether your sales team has the capacity to handle an influx of new leads—before they become problems.
Built for Scale
While Conduit™ can benefit various businesses, it's particularly well-suited for B2B companies with high-volume deal flow and longer sales cycles. The platform shines in these environments, where pattern recognition and predictive analytics can provide the most value.
The system is especially valuable for private equity-backed portfolio companies aiming for rapid growth. Craig Group's extensive experience in this sector has informed much of Conduit™'s development, resulting in features specifically tailored to these companies' needs.
Looking Ahead
Currently in the beta phase and patent-pending, Conduit™ is already accepting select companies into its early access program. While the initial release focuses on HubSpot and Salesforce integrations, plans are in place to expand compatibility with other major CRM and ERP systems.
"This is about more than just forecasting," Scott concludes. "It's about giving businesses the insights they need to make better decisions faster." In a world where speed and accuracy are increasingly crucial, that combination could prove invaluable.
