The Importance of Data Hygiene and CRM Data CleanupÂ
The effectiveness of sales and marketing strategy is deeply connected to data hygiene quality. Â
While important in all industries when starting a conversation with prospective and current customers is an early step in the marketing process, the need for high data quality is absolutely critical in the world of education marketing. With so many educators and administrators changing roles, moving to new schools and districts, retiring or leaving the profession, outreach has to find the right people in the right place at the right time. Â
Customer relationship management tools make it that much easier for edtech companies to organize, prioritize and execute their marketing plans – but only if the data in them is accurate and current. Â
Let’s answer some common questions involving CRM databases, data hygiene and solutions for cleanup.Â
Why is it important to have accurate, clean data in your CRM?Â
The consistent presence of accurate and clean information within a CRM platform means everyone who has to get in touch with a customer can do so confidently and consistently. There aren’t worries about incorrect phone numbers or ZIP codes, which can lead to wasted time as well as lowered productivity across the organization. By ensuring data is regularly updated, cleansed and otherwise made fit for its purpose, edtech companies can remove a major stumbling block from their marketing process.
What are common factors that cause inaccurate data in a CRM?Â
Incorrect data in CRM systems can come from many sources. Business2Community highlighted many potential reasons why this information may not be so valuable. Examples include missing information, data incorrectly entered by a prospect or employee, duplicate data for the same lead or customer, data that hasn’t been normalized and standardized, and out-of-date information. With so many potential sources of bad data in existing CRM records, it’s important to regularly cleanse and update in-house information, as well as ensure that third-party data comes from providers who follow similar procedures.Â
How do you keep your data clean in a CRM? What steps should a data cleansing process include?Â
While there are many different issues that lead to inaccurate CRM data, certain processes can help address a wide range of them. HubSpot offered detailed instructions for a five-step plan to improve the reliability and effectiveness of your CRM records. While a few of the specifics will only apply to using HubSpot’s CRM, much of the guidance is broadly applicable.Â
The five steps are:Â
- Resolve case and formatting issues.Â
- Eliminating unwanted characters and white space from entries.Â
- Consolidating and standardizing elements like job titles.Â
- Deleting data that provides no value to your operations, such as contacts that bounce when an email is sent to them.Â
- Combine duplicate entries.Â
Companies can also turn to purpose-built tools and CRM experts for additional assistance in keeping data clean. Working with a third party that has a strong reputation for clean data is another valuable option.Â
How can Agile Education Marketing assist with data hygiene?Â
At Agile, we pride ourselves on providing extremely accurate, current and useful data for all of the education marketing companies that we partner with. Because of our experience in the field and the expertise of our staff, we know we provide valuable data for all types of outreach to administrators and educators. That includes regular updates that support your marketing efforts as professionals enter the field, change roles, move between different schools and districts and retire or move onto other opportunities.Â
To learn more about how Agile can enhance your marketing outreach and improve your organization’s data hygiene, reach out to our team today to get started and learn more.Â
