This paper presents an alternative methodology for competitive intelligence through data visualization. The paper evaluates the possibilities offered by social media to collect data about the customer satisfaction with the service sector in order to develop a competitive strategy. Through data mining and algorithms, data visualization is incorporated to obtain a better understanding of the real-time situation of a brand, products, and services, creating knowledge that translates into tools for the definition of competitive intelligence. The analysis is done in two service sub-sectors that are antagonistic, banking and higher education, but that allows us to identify patterns and define strategies through data visualization and competitive intelligence.