A good CRM strategy and prospecting depends in particular on the customer data quality. It is imperative to set up a good database management. This requires updates or a regular cleaning to avoid errors and prevent themselves from making sales.
But what is a database CRM Exactly ? How do I clean up the customer database? This is what we will see in this article that answers the question: how to clean up your customer databases? In order to keep a clean customer database for an effective use and experience of its data.
What is CRM database?
Before we look at cleaning the customer databaselet’s look at what it is. CRM means Customer Relationship Management either customer relationship management in French.
The database CRM is therefore also called a customer database. As its name suggests, it brings together all the information that the company has collected about its contacts and his clients.
The fields found in a customer database are varied and also depend on the companies. Here is what we find most frequently:
- Personal data: everything relating to the customer, lead or prospect. Like marital status, name, age, email address, phone number…
- Lead source: depending on the customer’s point of contact with the company (social networks, landing pages, etc.), the CRM can automatically maintain lead source.
- Interactions throughout customer journey : last feedback, last call…
- Purchase history: all purchases made by a customer
- Miscellaneous information: all the information that can be used to establish a lasting relationship. Like the client’s hobbies, the name of his children, his pet….
- Engagement rate: last time the customer contacted the company, or when they last visited your website…
This therefore allows centralize all data on a customer or lead. This makes it possible to optimize the strategy for managing the customer relationship and achieve growth in lead generation.
There database management has changed a lot in recent years. In particular thanks to themarketing automation. Indeed, there are now many CRM software. These CRM software allow, among other things, facilitate database managementbut also its enrichment.
A customer database is essential for businesses focused on selling products or services. It helps to understand the desires and customer needs.
But above all, it allowsidentify leads or promising prospects, or a loyal customer. In order to set up a CRM strategy optimized.
What is a clean database?
Concretely, a CRM database is considered clean if it does not contain duplicates. And if the contact information is not wrong.
Indeed, there is nothing more frustrating for a company than to realize that the customer information are obsolete. Especially when it happens at the time of contact customers or prospects.
These wrong data waste the company’s time and money. A own customer database allows on the contrary a perfect alignment of the marketing teams And commercial. And so a CRM strategy more efficient.
THE database cleaning crm therefore ensures that there are no duplicates. And that all information is up to date.
If your company uses, or wishes to use automation toolsit is crucial to clean your crm database. This will allow you to make the most of your CRM tools.
It may seem time-consuming. But one client file cleanup will allow you to save a lot of money in the long run. Both financial and temporal.
Your strategy will be more effective, and you’ll lose fewer sales opportunities. Indeed, erroneous data are missed opportunities.
Cleaning up your CRM database: good advice and implementation tips
1. Establish a plan
Before implementing actions and cleaning the customer data strictly speaking, they must be analyzed. In fact, you have to take the time tostudy the data collectedto identify which ones you actually use.
Then, identify the missing information, those that are useless and those that “pollute” your CRM database.
Once you have identified the shortcomings and weak points of your database, make a plan. There creation of this corrective plan can take time. But it is no less crucial for to optimise customer database management.
2. Check the data being entered
According to corrective plan established, you must determine a procedure for verification of your data. And this from the point of contact, that is to say from the input.
Whether you do it alone or with a CRM toolthis verification procedure should be established as soon as possible. In particular, this will allow you to save precious time later.
Indeed, if upon entry, data is verified, you won’t have to do it later. You thus optimize the management of the database, and at the same time you optimize your CRM strategy.
3. Verify data accuracy
We have already mentioned it, incorrect information wastes time and money. Of course, depending on the size of your customer database, it will take more or less time. But again, the benefits are significant.
To achieve this data verification, you can do it yourself. Or use software of customer relationship management. Last option, you can hire a consultant who will verify theaccuracy of your data and D’perform an updater.
Another solution: ask your contacts to send you their up-to-date information. Gradually compare the responses with data you have to perform an update.
4. Delete Duplicates
It is not uncommon to have duplicates in a contact list of a commercial prospecting file. This can come from several things:
- A different spelling/syntax. which may come from a input error or a lack of standardization. For example “FirstnameName” VS “firstnamename”.
- The absence of a unique identifier. It is common for each service to use its own identifier. For example the email for the marketing Service. The surname or first name for the sales department. This distorts the data reconciliation.
- The client provides different information. According to data sources, the customer can enter different information. For example, an email address when filling out a form and another when contacting customers. This can also be the case for telephone numbers.
During this step, care must be taken to remove the errors and the duplicates. You have to make sure that they are not two different people (homonyms for example).
5. Set up automation
It is important to enrich and update customer data on a regular basis. To achieve this, you can use marketing automation software to create automated data enrichment scenarios.
Many database tools are very well thought out. This will make you more efficient and greatly simplify the cleaning of the crm database.
There are many tools for prospecting who specialize in enriching customer databases.
Choose a tool that matches your data source and which allows you to easily carry out the customer segmentation. This action will allow you to optimize your CRM campaign strategy.
Be careful, however, whatever thecrm tool chooseyou must comply with the regulations in force on the use of data.
6. Follow up regularly
Once the data cleaning done, the work does not stop there. It is necessary to set up a maintenance in order to ensure a regular follow-up. This will save you from having to start the full database cleanup again in some time.
Bet on the collaboration of your teams. Remember to explain to them the useful information to collect and the other rules to follow.
Another solution to avoid data gathering ” useless » : limit the use of the free text field. The information contained is sometimes difficult to classify and enter into a crm database. It is therefore preferable to use fields with closed options. This will make database management easier.
Finally, consider clean your database regularly. Once a month may be sufficient depending on the size of the business. And this will allow you to always have a clean and clear customer database.