Orchestrating Siloed Data in RevOps to Drive Business Decisions
Orchestrating Siloed Data in RevOps to Drive Business Decisions A conversation with Mahesh Kumar, VP of RevOps at AppviewX. “The goal of RevOps is to remove the art from revenue generation—and bring in science.”— Mahesh Kumar, VP of Revenue Operations, AppViewX Go-to-market teams are facing a monumental challenge—data fragmentation. With siloed systems, disconnected tools, and inconsistent definitions, organizations struggle to form a cohesive view of their revenue engine. The result? Poor decisions, misaligned teams, and missed growth targets. In this in-depth conversation on The Revenue Lounge, Mahesh Kumar, VP of Revenue Operations at AppViewX, breaks down his playbook for navigating the messy world of siloed data. With more than 12 years of experience across sales, marketing, and operations, Mahesh offers real-world examples and strategies to help RevOps teams become not just operationally efficient—but strategically indispensable. Facebook Twitter Youtube The Problem: Data Silos and Misalignment Across Functions Mahesh began his career on the revenue side—as a pre-sales engineer, then moved to sales, built BDR/SDR teams, and later ran marketing. This 360-degree exposure gave him a unique lens into one of the most persistent challenges in GTM functions: siloed data. “Every department had its own version of the truth. Even basic definitions varied. It was impossible to align or make strategic decisions.” He recounted a particularly painful period where marketing believed it was generating high-quality leads, sales felt those leads were weak, and customer success struggled to understand what was promised to customers—because no one had a unified dataset or common definitions. This wasn’t a minor inconvenience. It was a strategic blocker. The Solution: Building a Unified, Orchestrated RevOps Engine To solve the fragmentation problem, Mahesh emphasized that the answer wasn’t just in tools—but in orchestration. “We can’t consolidate everything, and we shouldn’t try to. The key is orchestrating data across tools, teams, and processes.” Rather than force-fit every team into a single platform, Mahesh advocates for connecting tools via native integrations where possible and using custom scripts or internal workflows when necessary. At AppViewX, for example, Salesforce acts as the system of record, but data flows in from various tools—marketing automation, CS platforms, product usage systems, and internal scripts that clean and enrich records in real-time. The Orchestration Mindset Traditional Approach Orchestration Mindset Attempt to consolidate tools Embrace point solutions but integrate them One-size-fits-all reporting Custom dashboards by function Data owned by each team Centralized data strategy Ad hoc fixes Long-term scalable systems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PIhMfv6j4E&t=198s Step-by-Step: Mahesh’s RevOps Orchestration Playbook Mahesh’s approach to breaking down data silos follows a deliberate, step-by-step method. Here’s how he tackled the challenge at AppViewX: 1. Secure Executive Buy-In Through Use Cases The first step is not technical—it’s cultural. Mahesh identified a few high-impact use cases where disconnected data caused pain, then presented them to executives. For example, onboarding delays were traced back to poor visibility into customer expectations during the sales cycle. By involving the CS team earlier in the sales process, the transition became seamless, resulting in faster time-to-value. “Start where the pain is loudest. When executives see the impact, they’ll back your strategy.” 2. Establish a Single System of Record One of the earliest wins came from establishing common data definitions across departments. Terms like “lead,” “MQL,” and “sales-qualified” had different meanings in different departments. “Without standard definitions and a shared system of record, you’re not speaking the same language—even if you’re in the same building.” Template: RevOps Data Dictionary Term Definition Source of Truth Owner MQL Lead with score > 70 and engaged in last 30 days HubSpot Marketing Ops Opp Stage 3 Proposal shared and scheduled for review Salesforce Sales Ops Time to First Value Days from deal close to initial onboarding value Gainsight CS Ops 3. Focus on Categorizing and Structuring the Data Once teams are aligned, the next challenge is data structuring. Mahesh’s team categorized data into four key buckets: Human-generated data (manual entry in CRM) System-to-human data (notifications, tasks, UI flows) System-to-system data (API transfers, integrations) External data (from customer intent tools, product signals) Each dataset was cleaned, normalized, and mapped to the CRM structure, making analysis and automation easier. “Every new field or process change is evaluated for its downstream data impact. It’s a data-first culture.” 4. Automate Integrations with Native Tools + Internal Scripts While AppViewX doesn’t use a classic ETL tool, Mahesh’s team built internal automation workflows using scripts to orchestrate data across systems. Whenever possible, they rely on native integrations—for example, syncing Salesforce with HubSpot, Gainsight, or internal product tools. But for more complex requirements, they’ve written scripts that move data based on business rules. This flexibility ensures scalability without overengineering. From Tactical to Strategic: The Future of RevOps With orchestrated data in place, Mahesh believes RevOps can move beyond its reputation as a support function and become a strategic growth engine. “When you’re sitting on high-quality, unified data, you can test hypotheses, optimize processes, and influence revenue strategy directly.” Tactical vs. Strategic RevOps Tactical RevOps Strategic RevOps Report on pipeline and leads Advise GTM strategy using insights Fix sync issues in Salesforce Optimize funnel stages to reduce CAC Build dashboards on request Drive quarterly planning with data Reactive to requests Proactive in identifying GTM risks The Cultural Shift: Building a Data-First Organization One of Mahesh’s biggest insights wasn’t about tools or processes—it was about culture. Many teams look for a quick fix: “We have a problem—what tool can we buy to solve it?” But Mahesh believes success starts with a mindset shift. “Every change—whether it’s a new field, a process tweak, or a tech purchase—needs to be evaluated for its impact on data.” This long-term thinking is essential, especially in high-growth environments where new tools and processes are being adopted rapidly. Scaling for Tomorrow: How to Future-Proof Your RevOps Stack A recurring challenge in RevOps is building for now vs. building for scale. Many teams implement quick fixes that don’t scale—only to rip and replace them six months later. Mahesh recommends designing every system with scalability in mind. “Whatever you implement—ask