CRM Data Cleaning Strategies for Accurate Customer Records

Trying to clean all of your data can take a long period of time. It’s best to clean the most crucial customer information.

Not checking merged data

Always double check that the two customers with similar names are the correct one.

Not backing up your data

Always back up any large changes you’re going to make to your CRM database.

Not thinking about why there are errors

You may have duplicate data but if you’re continually getting duplicates due to your employees it will not help. Try to think about why you’re getting duplicated errors and improve your data entry process.

Too much automation

Whilst using some automation, you will still need to make some decisions. Always double check any uncertain matches and important changes to your customers.

Not keeping your data clean

If any new information is added by your employees then your database can become inaccurate again. By having regular reviews and clear guidelines this will help avoid any duplicated issues.

By avoiding these mistakes you will have a more reliable CRM database.

8. When to use outsourced data cleansing

As your business grows, managing your customer data can become time consuming.

Initially as you only have a few people updating your CRM system you will not have any issues. But once you start receiving large amounts of customer data this can cause problems.

Your staff may waste hours removing duplicate data, keeping contact details up to date and ensuring the data is correct. Using an outsourced data cleansing service will be a great option. By using an outsourcing service you will be using a third party to deal with some of your data.

Depending on what they agree to do for you, they can help by:

• Removing duplicate customer data.
• Updating contact details.
• Ensuring any spelling and formatting issues have been rectified.
• Keeping your key customer details accurate.
• Keeping your CRM databases in order.
• Updating your spreadsheets and customer data.
• Ensuring your data has been entered consistently.

For example if you have an online business that has started to grow and your company has lots of customer data. Your staff may be very busy dealing with orders, customer queries, updating products etc.

They may not have time to go through all their data. Using an outsourced data entry and cleansing service will help to keep your data in order and remove any repeat work.

However it is important to ensure you have the right provider. You need to discuss with them:

• Access to your data.
• Confidentiality.
• Security.
• Back up.
• Approvals.

What they can do without requiring approvals.

A good outsourcing solution will have clear roles and regular communication.