Ep.27 - From Insights to Action, Not Storage - Elizabeth Knox Oates

Elizabeth Oates is on a mission to help insight professionals go from simply being “interesting” to delivering true business impact. As the author of More Than Just Interesting and a seasoned insights leader, she’s transforming how organizations approach decision-making, data collection, and the role of human understanding in customer experience.

In this episode, Elizabeth introduces the concept of “collection debt,” explains why insights functions often fall short, and provides practical tools for tying every insight to a business decision. She dives into how AI is reshaping the role of analysts, why trust and timing matter more than ever, and how journey thinking can create an infinite loop of customer engagement. Whether you lead an insights team or work with one, this is essential listening.

Guest Bio

Elizabeth Oates is an insights strategist, thought leader, and the author of More Than Just Interesting: How to Build an Insights Function for Impact. With over two decades of experience, she has built, led, and transformed insight teams for major organizations, helping them move from data collection to decision enablement.

Elizabeth developed a framework of nine core skills for impactful insight work, blending business strategy, storytelling, and stakeholder influence. Her work centers on elevating the role of human insights in an increasingly AI-driven world, ensuring organizations maintain customer relevance while building trust through strategic insight delivery.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Elizabeth Oates and collection debt

03:26 What is collection debt and why it matters

07:36 Aligning insights with business actions

12:48 VOC: From reporting to relevance

14:48 Insight lifecycle: What’s still true and what’s now true

17:36 Where to start collecting insights

22:35 Anatomy of a perfect insight

28:02 Reframing insights language for impact

30:20 The role of AI in modern insights work

35:22 The underestimated power of influence

44:36 From interesting to impactful: The action connection

49:40 Case study: When not launching a product is the win

56:08 Measuring and celebrating insights impact

59:37 Using journey thinking to avoid customer exits

01:07:16 Why LEGO masters the customer journey

Jochem’s Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer/

Elizabeth's Profile - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethknoxoates/