CRM Data Cleaning Strategies for Accurate Customer Records

Using drop down boxes can help. Instead of staff typing different variations of country names, you can have a list of approved options.

You can also create standard fields for customer types, lead sources and business locations.

This will help staff to enter information in a consistent way.

Most importantly it will help you to search for information, create reports and identify duplicates.

3. Identify and Merge Duplicate Customers

Duplicates could create issues for you.

Duplicated data usually occurs when more than one member of staff are entering the same customer or if you’re adding data to your CRM from different sources.

For example, a customer fills out a contact form on your website. A few days later they get in touch with your sales team via email.

If 2 staff members create a new profile for this customer they will have 2 copies of the customer in your CRM.

This can cause confusion for staff and cause unnecessary follow ups.

To combat this you can look at key information such as customer names, emails, phone numbers, company names and website domains.

You can use the duplicate identification features within your CRM or data cleaning tools to identify any possible duplicates.

However you should be cautious when merging duplicates. 2 people may have the same name but completely different contact details.

Once you have confirmed that they are the same person, choose the most complete profile to be the main one. Merge the useful data together whilst keeping key historical data.

You can look at both profiles to see which details are correct. If one has the right phone number and another has the latest email address.

This will help you to create an accurate customer profile.

4. Ensure Data Entering is Accurate

Whilst it is important to clean existing data, it is also important to ensure that new data isn’t being entered incorrectly. If staff keep entering incorrect information your CRM will become messy again. Make sure that your employees are inputting accurate information.

They should also ensure that the email has been formatted correctly and that the necessary details of their phone number have been entered correctly. Finally, ensure that all mandatory fields have been completed.

You can put simple rules in place such as:

• Ensure all key fields are filled
• Ensure emails are in the correct format
• Use drop down boxes
• Avoid unnecessary duplicates
• Check for missing information on website forms
• Ensure key information is correct before saving

Using email validation will help you identify any invalid or risky emails.

However just because an email is in the correct format doesn’t mean it is active. Using the right email verification methods can help.

By ensuring key information is checked you can reduce the amount of incorrect data entering your CRM.