Your CRM will only ever be as good as the data behind it. It’s essential to regularly clean your CRM data so that your CRM’s features and functions work well and that the people who use it can make good decisions and take action. 

In a recent report from Experian, 85% of organisations said that bad customer contact information hurts their operational processes and efficiency, and 42% said it wastes resources and costs them more money. 

What is needed, then, is a data-driven mindset. One in which organisations focus on data quality over quantity. As a platinum Salesforce consultancy, we’ve helped many customers, including Glantus, manage and move their Salesforce data. We came up with our top seven tips for cleaning your CRM data to help you develop a data-driven mindset and effective data-cleaning processes. 

Tips for Cleaning Your CRM Data 

1. Find duplicate data: 

Use built-in features or CRM tools to find and mark duplicates in your data. You can also manually review the data to identify duplicates.

2. Define a deduplication process: 

Decide how to handle duplicates by merging them into a single record or removing duplicates entirely. Ensure you have a clear process to ensure consistency and accuracy.

3. Merge or remove duplicates: 

Use the built-in tools in your CRM to merge or remove duplicates as defined in your deduplication process.

4. Validate the data: 

After deduplication, validate the data to ensure it is accurate and complete. This may involve a manual review, using data validation tools, or other techniques.

5. Update and standardize data: 

Clean up the data by updating missing or incorrect information and fields such as addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

6. Remove outdated or irrelevant data: 

Review your CRM data regularly and eliminate any old or useless information. This will keep your CRM data up-to-date and valid.

7. Continuously monitor and clean your CRM data: 

Make sure the quality of your data is always good by keeping an eye on it and updating it as needed, such as through reports in your CRM system. This will help ensure that your CRM data remains accurate and effective.

By following these steps, you can get your CRM data clean and deduplicated, which will help you make the most of your CRM investment and achieve better results from your data-driven initiatives.

Need help with your own Salesforce data management project? Get in touch

Check out the Experian report here