About When Can I Stop

History

When Can I Stop was a blog set up by Alec Cochrane back in the dizzy heights of October 2007.

The initial posts objectives were to help those at RBI, where Alec worked at the time, with their Web Analytics. The posts included day to day tips on how best to use the data that the analytics tools contained so that they could perform their roles to a greater ability.

When Alec left RBI, the purpose of the blog changed slightly. Whilst still aiming to provide handy tips on how to set up and use digital analytics, the main objective of the site was to make Alec more well known and assist in getting Alec better jobs.

In August 2014 Alec moved to being a freelance consultant and WhenCanIStop.com is now a site aimed at showcasing his skills and services to help build the business.

Who is Alec Cochrane?

Alec Cochrane
Alec Cochrane

Alec Cochrane is a Digital Analytics consultant with ten years experience working client and agency side across a number of different sectors.

Alec’s first role in digital analytics was working for TheAA.com as part of their eCommerce team in the early years of analytics. Alec’s role was to report to the senior managers on how sales were performing. It was during this period that TheAA.com started making more revenue online for breakdown cover and car insurance. Alec’s first exposure to analytics tools was using RedEye (kids, ask your grand parents).

Continuing the theme of financial services, Alec’s next role was at esure as part of the front end development IT team, where his first job was to transfer the analytics system from a dusty version of Webtrends to SPSS NetGenesis (kids, ask your grand parents). Alec’s analysis of the ‘funnel’ and work with focus groups resulted in some major changes to the user interface.

Alec’s first entry into the world of publishing at RBI (where this site made its first appearance) was yet another analytics installation, moving from a dusty and misunderstood version of Webtrends to WebSideStory’s HBX (kids, ask your, etc, etc). Alec helped install, administer and train over 400 users on 50 different sites on how to use the tool to understand the performance of the site. Alec worked as part of the search marketing team, reporting and analysing the performance of the sites within search engines.

Alec’s next move was to work on government website BusinessLink (now replaced by Gov.uk), training the team on how to use Omniture (now Adobe) Sitecatalyst, creating models for targets and reporting back to the Government on performance. Alec worked in an Customer Insight team, weaving insight gathered from analytics system with that gathered from customer survey.

Having the taste for consultancy, Alec’s next role was as one of the first consultants at the newly formed UK office for Dutch agency Adversitement. Alec primarily dealt with Adobe SiteCatalyst installations (but also Google Analytics), analysis and support for a range of different types of companies, including eCommerce sites, lead generation sites and customer support sites.

Alec’s most recent role was as Head of Optimisation for strategic consultancy firm Blue Latitude. Working mainly with healthcare clients in difficult, heavily regulated markets, Alec advised on implementations of Webtrends and Google Analytics. Alec also provided advice on how improve paid search campaigns, organic campaigns and building digital capabilities.

Alec has been working with Marks and Spencer at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015. Here he has been working with cross functional teams, including product managers to help them optimise their website by providing analysis and recommendations on improvements to feed into their development cycle.

Alec has worked with charity WaterAid in 2015 to ensure that their Google Analytics and third party marketing agency tagging is set up correctly across a variety of platforms and domains, through CMS tools and through Google Tag Manager. Here he has also been assisting with optimising forms and liaising with third party developers.

Alec worked with Insurance company 1st Central since late 2015, helping specify the set up of their Adobe Analytics implementation based on their business requirements and implementing through Signal’s BrightTag tool. Here he also provided insight and recommendations on improvements based on the performance of the site and user journeys.

Alec worked with BT on their telecoms sales platform, helping the design team when building wireframes understand the user journeys from Adobe Analytics data.  Also provided analysis and recommendations following a number of A/B tests through Adobe Test and Target including future testing plans.

Alec worked with The Economist on their implementation of Adobe Analytics, updating following requirements for new functionality and replatforming of content.  Working with developers to implement and test for the web and a number of mobile applications (apps). He has also been helping with the implementation of Snowplow Analytics by helping reconcile the differences in different analytics systems.

Alec worked with TheTrainline.com on their analytics implementation. Implementing Adobe Analytics as the main tool, backed up with Google Analytics. Worked on updating the Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics specifications for the site as two sections were merged, tested the new site and implemented the changes in the tools themselves.  Provided updated reporting following the merge and created new global segments for use with internal stakeholders and by the management team for their overall reporting.

Alec worked with Domestic and General on their analytics implementation. Implementing Google Analytics 360 through Google Tag Manager on all new functionality on the site. Created data layer requirements documents for developers, tested the implementations and then set up tagging within Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics.

Alec worked with Ford on their Adobe Analytics implementation. Implementing Adobe Analytics through DTM for a number of new and redesigned sections on the site. Built requirements and data layer specifications based on Ford best practice and shared analytics set ups, worked with developers to implement and then set up tagging in DTM. Also helped create structures for marketing campaigns and worked with analysts to provide insight into optimum ways to create segments.

Alec worked with Investec on their Adobe Analytics implementation. Implementing a version of Adobe Analytics through DTM that was tailored to a locale, based on implementations by the global team. Worked with team to set up dashboards and systems for ongoing regular reporting.

Have also provided short services for Bank of Ireland (creating a measurement framework for their white labelled product), World Cancer Research Fund International (providing a workshop on Google Analytics and how to establish Business Objectives), 192.com (providing introductory training to Adobe Analytics), Commercial Motor (tagging their relaunched site through Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics), Autoglass (providing a training workshop on Google Analytics), Green Star Media (providing implementation for Google Analytics and dashboard set up for two publications), Giacom (provided a Google Tag Manager Data layer specification), Stonegate (provided insight and analysis on their pub chain websites) and a number of other small projects.