Practicing Good Data Hygiene

Inaccurate information can not only affect sales and productivity but credibility as well. Good data hygiene means taking the time to clean up, verify and organize data so that common issues like duplicates, mismatches, and missing elements no longer litter your CRM or Marketing Automation Platforms.

Of course, there is no shortage of both free and paid tools to help ensure optimal data cleanliness, many of which are already part of existing CRM software (like Salesforce) or other analytical tools. Oftentimes, companies will hire dedicated data-cleaning teams whose sole purpose is to keep records up to date and relatively error-free.

Even if you’re doing it yourself or with a small team, it’s easy to look at waves of bad data and feel like you’re drowning in inaccuracies. It’s no small task to not only correct bad data but keep it fresh and up to date. Creating a “data hygiene plan” can help you eat that elephant one bite at a time. In creating such a plan, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who has access to what information? Not only are there privacy and security policies to keep in mind, but also the fragmented nature of the data collection to begin with. Getting everyone on the same page and making sure the right people have access to the right information is crucial to making the most out of every campaign and strategy.
• How do we measure data quality? – You already know fields like name, phone, and email address have to be accurate, but how else can you measure data quality? Check out Dataversity’s 6-step Data Quality Framework for some ideas on where to begin.
• What path does our data take and how can we make it better? – Let’s say a customer in your database has just switched jobs. In addition to putting their new position in your CRM, consider things like whether or not they are still a key decision-maker in their new role, and if not – who is. The last thing you want to do is compound the time lost by sales staff in chasing down referrals who don’t have the authority to move forward.
• What goals can we set to make data cleansing more valuable? Turning bad data into good data is no small job. Taking it step-by-step by focusing on the high ROI targets will keep everyone engaged and motivated to improve. Set real, measurable, attainable goals and focus on the journey instead of the destination.

By putting these steps into practice, you’ll not only walk away with a squeaky-clean database but improve your business credibility, resonate with your target audience, increase sales productivity and build stronger relationships with your customers at every stage in your lead generation funnel.

Interested in learning more about Vertify’s Data Assurance offering powered by Synthio? Contact Us to learn more!