The top ways to clog (and unclog) a CRM of unqualified data
Duplicate and inaccurate data buildup happens fast. Without proper checks and balances, your CRM data could become a pit of quicksand full of messy, wrong contact info. Avoiding this disaster is the key to making your CRM work for you.
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Data quality within a CRM can truly make or break an entire business.
Without the ability to confidently find and communicate with customers, the potential to grow, win, or simply retain business can be nonexistent. Consider: Can you encourage repeat business if a customer accidentally provides their email address with a typo in the domain? A message intended for Gmail but sent to “Gmial” will not be delivered, even if the human eye can assume it’s supposed to be a Gmail box. Bad data can spoil a customer relationship.
There are several reasons a customer data platform can become a treasure trove of bad data, but luckily, there are also simple ways to keep it clean.
Data quality pitfalls
It’s a lot easier to maintain a clean CRM system than it is to thoroughly scrub a CRM full of bad customer data. These assumptions are traps you can tumble into, and if you do, you’ll find yourself digging yourself out of a very deep hole.
1. Believing your CRM data is “clean enough”
There are so many ways to pump data into CRM software and oftentimes they’re completely siloed. The first and biggest mistake a business can make is turning a blind eye to potential data problems because the business is operating just fine. The reality is although it could be clean enough today, as fast as tomorrow it could be so dirty it becomes unusable and your business finds itself in a situation needing time, energy, and money to fix.
There are so many ways to pump data into CRM software and oftentimes they’re completely siloed. The first and biggest mistake a business can make is turning a blind eye to potential data problems because the business is operating just fine. The reality is although it could be clean enough today, as fast as tomorrow it could be so dirty it becomes unusable and your business finds itself in a situation needing time, energy, and money to fix.
2. Assuming your CRM is able to clean or verify data itself
Unfortunately, CRM software is designed to just be a data repository. The quality of the data coming in is not at all checked by the CRM itself. Instead, those entering data are responsible for verifying its authenticity.
Unfortunately, CRM software is designed to just be a data repository. The quality of the data coming in is not at all checked by the CRM itself. Instead, those entering data are responsible for verifying its authenticity.
3. Underestimating the impact of bad data
The impact of bad or duplicate data in a CRM can be severe on several fronts. Without a standard of data quality, your teams are running the risk of losing potential new deals. You might find large portions of an email list not receiving promotional emails. And, beyond the impact on the bottom line, bad data can push a team to the brink of burnout.
The impact of bad or duplicate data in a CRM can be severe on several fronts. Without a standard of data quality, your teams are running the risk of losing potential new deals. You might find large portions of an email list not receiving promotional emails. And, beyond the impact on the bottom line, bad data can push a team to the brink of burnout.
4. Treating data quality as a project, not a standard
It’s tempting to do a CRM audit, delete or consolidate data, and move on with the belief the CRM is clean. Bad idea. Without an ongoing plan to maintain data quality, you’ll find yourself in the same predicament sooner rather than later.
It’s clear: CRM data quality management is absolutely crucial to the health of a business. If you can skip over the above pitfalls while simultaneously implementing the solutions below, you’ll find your CRM system running like a well oiled machine.
It’s tempting to do a CRM audit, delete or consolidate data, and move on with the belief the CRM is clean. Bad idea. Without an ongoing plan to maintain data quality, you’ll find yourself in the same predicament sooner rather than later.
It’s clear: CRM data quality management is absolutely crucial to the health of a business. If you can skip over the above pitfalls while simultaneously implementing the solutions below, you’ll find your CRM system running like a well oiled machine.
Data Quality solutions
Avoiding issues is only half of the work required to maintain an effective customer data platform. You’ll need to make sure you proactively take the following steps to have confidence in your data and unlock the transformative power of a clean CRM.
1. Verify existing CRM data
Unless you’re on Day 1 of a new business venture, you have customer data. You need to first verify the quality of your data before doing anything else. The easiest and most reliable solution is to partner with a data quality management solution with the ability to use state-of-the-art technology to confirm quality and instill confidence in your customer data platform.
Unless you’re on Day 1 of a new business venture, you have customer data. You need to first verify the quality of your data before doing anything else. The easiest and most reliable solution is to partner with a data quality management solution with the ability to use state-of-the-art technology to confirm quality and instill confidence in your customer data platform.
2. Merge or delete duplicate data
Since data entry is likely siloed, it’s not uncommon to have multiple records for the same customer. Once you validate the data critical to a complete, “Golden Record” for the customer, you’ll need to merge the correct data from disparate records, or simply delete any incomplete records.
Since data entry is likely siloed, it’s not uncommon to have multiple records for the same customer. Once you validate the data critical to a complete, “Golden Record” for the customer, you’ll need to merge the correct data from disparate records, or simply delete any incomplete records.
3. Validate all incoming data
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, even when it comes to data! Best of breed data quality management software can help on the very front-end of data collection. With proprietary algorithms and technology, online forms can assist the individual in submitting accurate data. Features like typo detection, postal address verification, and more can augment the success of data intake forms.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, even when it comes to data! Best of breed data quality management software can help on the very front-end of data collection. With proprietary algorithms and technology, online forms can assist the individual in submitting accurate data. Features like typo detection, postal address verification, and more can augment the success of data intake forms.
4. Make ongoing data quality easy
Adding an entirely new platform to clean CRM data is cumbersome and confusing. Finding a data quality solution that natively plugs into your CRM is a simple solution to let every user add customer data with confidence, thanks to their existing platform knowledge.
Conclusion: with the right mindset, data quality in your CRM software can be impeccable, and in turn, your CRM will perform better than ever with a greater potential to land, expand, and keep customers.
However, it can become complex, overwhelming, and difficult to clean and maintain it. Using a data quality management solution can make short work of not only batch cleaning, but ongoing, in-real-time data input. Whether you need accurate postal addresses, valid phone numbers, confirmed email addresses, or even geocoding, investing in clean data is investing in the success of your business.
About DQE
Because data quality is essential to customer knowledge and the construction of a lasting relationship, since 2008, DQE has provided its clients with innovative and comprehensive solutions that facilitate the collection of reliable data.
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