Across Australian organisations, the data conversation is stuck in the wrong place. After years of investment in cloud data platforms, data warehouses, and BI tools, executives are still asking the same question: why aren’t we seeing the return?
Andy Painter, Solution Lead, Data & AI at Versent, shares his perspective;
“The issue is no longer about capability. Most organisations already have powerful data platforms in place. The real constraint is consumption. Data exists, dashboards exist, even self-service exists; but decision-makers still struggle to confidently and quickly get answers when they need them.
At Versent, what we’ve observed is that data ROI doesn’t stall because organisations lack technology. It stalls because interacting with data still feels like work. That’s why the next wave of value won’t come from building more dashboards, but from fundamentally changing how people engage with data.”
This view is increasingly echoed by analysts. Gartner predicts that by 2026, natural language will become the dominant way people interact with data ecosystems, delivering up to 10× better data consumption. Versent sees that not as a future state, but as confirmation of a shift already underway.
Why Data ROI Keeps Falling Short
For years, the default response to “we need better data” has been to build more reports, add more metrics, or roll out new BI tools. The assumption has been that if dashboards are available, value will follow.
It rarely does.
The friction points Versent consistently encounter are human, not technical:
- Dashboards require interpretation.Most users don’t know where to look or which metric matters in the moment.
- Access remains fragmented.Data is spread across tools, permissions, and interfaces.
- Context is missing.Numbers without explanation rarely drive confident decisions.
The result is familiar: analytics teams build assets that are technically sound but lightly used. Executives revert to instinct, spreadsheets, or asking analysts directly. The bottleneck isn’t data availability, but rather how easily insight can be consumed.
Until data becomes as easy to interrogate as asking a colleague a question, ROI will remain constrained.
Consumption is the Multiplier
When organisations talk about “10× value from data,” they often assume that means more advanced analytics or more sophisticated AI models. In reality, the biggest multiplier comes from removing friction between curiosity and insight.
This is where conversational, natural-language interaction changes the equation, Versent believes.
“Instead of navigating dashboards or waiting for reports, leaders can ask direct questions in business terms:
- What’s driving margin pressure this quarter?
- How exposed are we if supplier costs rise 5%?
- Which regions are underperforming against forecast, and why?
The impact isn’t just convenience. Better consumption drives:
- Faster decisions
- Broader adoption beyond analysts
- Greater trust, when answers are governed and explainable.
Importantly, this only works when the foundations are right.
Natural language doesn’t fix poor data, it amplifies it. Without strong modelling, semantics, and governance, conversational access simply scales confusion faster,” says Andy Painter.
Where Platforms like Snowflake Intelligence Fit
We’re now seeing platforms evolve to address the consumption gap directly. Capabilities such as Snowflake Intelligence introduce a governed interaction layer between people and data, shifting focus from navigating tools to engaging in conversation.
Snowflake Intelligence is being adopted as a pragmatic way to lift data ROI by changing how people access insight. Organisations typically implement it by starting with a few high-value datasets, defining consistent business meaning via a semantic layer, and enforcing role-based governance and lineage. Natural-language access is then rolled out iteratively, expanding domains as adoption grows.
Used well, this enables:
- Executives to get auditable answers without relying on intermediaries
- Operational teams to explore risks and opportunities without SQL
- Analysts and data scientists to accelerate exploration and hypothesis testing.
Versent believes that the value isn’t in replacing analytics teams. It’s in freeing them from being the interface to data and allowing them to focus on higher-value work; defining meaning, ensuring trust, and enabling better questions.
Taking the right steps towards 10× Value
Andy Painter explains, “From our work across retail, financial services, and government, one pattern is clear: organisations don’t fail to realise data ROI because their platforms are inadequate. They fail because meaning, trust, and accessibility aren’t designed deliberately.
Three enablers consistently matter:
- A strong semantic layer
Business definitions must be explicit, shared, and enforced. “Revenue” and “profit” need to mean the same thing everywhere, especially when AI is answering questions. - Sound data modelling and quality
Well-modelled data isn’t old-fashioned; it’s essential. Conversational access only works when the underlying structures are coherent and reliable. - Governance aligned to AI-driven access
As access becomes easier, guardrails matter more. Security, lineage, and explainability must scale with adoption.
We’ve seen Australian organisations materially reduce decision cycles, moving from weeks to days by focusing on these fundamentals and then layering conversational access on top. In those cases, adoption increased not because users were trained harder, but because friction was removed.”
Looking Ahead
As data consumption improves, roles and operating models will shift. Analysts will spend less time producing artefacts and more time curating meaning. Success will be measured by decision velocity and confidence, not report counts.
For organisations looking to get ahead, the guidance, according to Versent, is practical:
- Fix foundations before rolling out conversational interfaces
- Start with high-value datasets; define semantics; enforce governed access and lineage
- Measure ROI through adoption and decision impact, not tool usage
- Use governed conversational layer to standardise questions and answers enterprise-wide
“The organisations that focus on consumption, not just capability, will outpace those that simply modernise platforms,” Says Andy.
Conclusion
Achieving 10× value from data doesn’t require doing more of the same. It requires a deliberate shift away from dashboards as the primary interface and towards conversations grounded in trusted data.
Better data consumption is the real unlock for ROI. The technology is finally catching up but value will only follow for organisations that design for how people actually make decisions.
Find out more about Snowflake Intelligence, and how you can see a larger ROI from your data. Contact Versent for a free workshop.
Andy Painter is Solution Lead, Data & AI at Versent. Andy advises leading Australian organisations on modern data strategies, analytics adoption, and AI-driven transformation.
