Your CRM should be your secret weapon for driving sales and nurturing customer relationships. But what if it’s full of messy, outdated, and incomplete data? You’re not alone—about 36% of CRM data goes bad every year, according to industry estimates. If your CRM is more of a headache than a help, it’s time for a cleanup. Here are five signs that your CRM data might be a mess—and some quick tips to fix it.
1. Duplicates Everywhere
Ever find multiple entries for the same contact? Duplicate records clutter your CRM, lead to confusion, and can seriously mess with your sales process. In fact, 15% to 25% of data in a CRM is often duplicated.
Quick Fix: Use your CRM’s deduplication feature or bring in a data cleansing service that can automatically merge duplicates. Regular checkups can keep those duplicates from piling up again.
2. Outdated Contact Information
If your sales team is hitting dead ends with disconnected phone numbers or bounced emails, your data might be stale. Around 70% of business contact data changes every year—so keeping it current is a big deal.
Quick Fix: Set up a routine to refresh your data. Automated tools can regularly update contact details, or you can use third-party data providers to fill in the blanks.
3. Incomplete Data Fields
Are important details like job titles or industry often missing? Incomplete data makes it tough to personalise your outreach or accurately segment your audience. Plus, 40% of sales reps say they lack the data needed to effectively target leads.
Quick Fix: Do an audit to spot the gaps and fill them in, either manually or using data enrichment tools. Consider making certain fields mandatory in your CRM to capture crucial information right from the start.
4. Inconsistent Data Formats
Does your CRM look like a patchwork of different data formats? Inconsistent formats—like various date styles or name conventions—make it hard to pull meaningful reports. This kind of inconsistency can reduce data usability by up to 50%.
Quick Fix: Establish clear data entry guidelines for your team. You can also use data cleansing software to automatically standardise your existing data, so it’s all consistent and easy to work with.
5. Low Data Quality Scores
Many CRMs have data quality scoring to help you keep tabs on the accuracy and completeness of your data. If your scores are low, it’s a clear sign your CRM needs some TLC.
Quick Fix: Keep an eye on your data quality scores and take action when they drop. Whether it’s a manual cleanup or bringing in a data cleansing service, a little effort now can save you a lot of headaches later.
Quick Tips for Cleaning Up Your CRM Data
Cleaning up your CRM data doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal. Here’s how you can get things back on track quickly:
- Automate the Cleanup: Automated tools can take care of deduplication, data normalisation, and updating outdated info. This makes the whole process faster and more consistent.
- Regularly Audit Your Data: Schedule routine checkups to catch any issues before they snowball. Keeping an eye on your data helps ensure it stays reliable and useful.
- Call in the Experts: If your CRM is a total mess, a professional data cleansing service can swoop in to save the day. They can quickly clean, enrich, and standardise your data so your team can focus on what they do best—closing deals.
The Bottom Line
Your CRM is a powerful tool—if the data is clean and accurate. If you’re seeing any of these signs, it’s time for a data cleanse. Clean data means better targeting, more personalised communication, and a more efficient sales process. Plus, with sales productivity increasing by up to 15% with clean data, the ROI speaks for itself.
Ready to get your CRM in shape? Contact us today to see how our data cleansing services can help you turn your CRM into the high-performance tool it’s meant to be. It’s time your data worked for you, not against you.
