Knowledge Base

What Is Minimum Viable Data (MVD) in Customer AI?

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Many leaders delay Customer AI initiatives because they believe they don’t have enough data. The refrain is familiar: “We’ll start once our systems are integrated” or “We need higher survey response rates first.” The reality? Most companies already have enough to begin. What they need is minimum viable data (MVD)—not perfection. This is a core teaching in (Customer AI Masterclass, Lesson 3.6).

What Does MVD Look Like?

Attitudinal Data
At least 500–1,000 survey responses, spread across Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. The key isn’t response rate—it’s balance. Models need representation across customer attitudes to learn how loyalty maps to outcomes (Customer AI Masterclass, Lesson 1.3).
Profile Data
Roughly 10–20 attributes per account—things like industry, company size, role. These help segment results and enrich predictions, without requiring exhaustive demographic detail.
Operational Data
Here, more is always better. Aim for 5–7 metrics per key driver in the customer journey (e.g., onboarding cycle time, first-call resolution, product adoption). Even limited operational data improves attribution and strengthens predictive accuracy over time.

Why This Matters

The biggest failure point in Customer AI isn’t missing data—it’s waiting for perfect data. Integration projects can take years. Meanwhile, early signals go unused. By starting with MVD, companies can launch models in 60–90 days and evolve them iteratively, instead of stalling for years (Customer AI Masterclass, Lesson 3.7).

The Role of AI

Generative AI stitches together fragmented datasets, filling gaps (Customer AI Masterclass, Lesson 2.4).
Predictive AI builds early models to forecast churn and expansion, even from modest inputs (Customer AI Masterclass, Lesson 2.3).
Prescriptive AI guides action—ensuring the first wave of insights leads to measurable improvements (Customer AI Masterclass, Lesson 5.6).

The Professional Takeaway

The uncomfortable truth: you don’t need big data to start Customer AI. You need the right minimum viable data. Start small, learn fast, and build over time. The Customer AI Masterclass trains leaders to launch with MVD, showing how to identify the essential inputs, avoid waiting for “perfect,” and deliver results quickly.