We previously wrote about dirty data. Pollution is a matter of perspective; what one person can tolerate, another may find it's high time to do a thorough cleanup. But time is precious. How do you ensure that your data gets a good cleaning quickly and efficiently? Clean data can easily save a company tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of euros per year. Many companies hire students to manually go through all the data, but it can be done much faster.
Data as a silent killer
Each year, 30% to 40% of all data in your database changes. This includes moves, mergers, or changes in management. All departments are affected. Sales might try to contact someone who is no longer employed, marketing may launch campaigns based on outdated data, and finance might send invoices to incorrect addresses. Such errors can lead to not only inefficiencies but also a loss of trust among customers and partners. In a world where data is increasingly central, polluted data can act as a silent killer, slowly causing damage to your business.
Quick clean up
You can choose to hire students to go through all your data, but this will need to be repeated every year. It works, but after a year, you’re back in the same situation, and just before the new student worker arrives, you’re still dealing with a polluted database. Additionally, the cleanup and review process takes a lot of time for the person involved. Manually updating data is time-consuming and error-prone. The risk of human errors is high, especially when dealing with large volumes of data.
It can help to explore tools that automatically clean data. Depending on your needs, there is always a solution that works. For example, dataxess keeps your crm up-to-date. Direct+ Data Blocks automatically provides you with the latest data in a chosen system, and you can use a D-U-N-S nummer to maintain consistency across various systems. These automated solutions ensure that your database remains continuously up-to-date without requiring much time and effort from you.
The benefits of clean data
Good data quality: A well-maintained and enriched database ensures optimal and accurate information about your customers, suppliers, and prospects. This leads to better decisions, as you can trust the accuracy of your data. Additionally, the likelihood of errors in your business processes is significantly reduced.
Always up-to-date: Always access correct and complete information about every company you work with. This ensures efficiency in your business processes and allows you to quickly respond to market changes. You can always act with confidence, knowing that your data is up-to-date.
Consistency: A uniform and consistent dataset of your customers, suppliers, and prospects across all your systems prevents confusion and miscommunication. When everyone in the company has access to the same, accurate information, misunderstandings are avoided, and everyone collaborates more efficiently.
No manual updates needed: If a customer changes address, our solutions ensure that such changes are automatically processed in your database. Manual updates of customer information are a thing of the past. This not only saves time but also money, as your employees can focus on more important tasks.
Integrations: Our data can easily be integrated with the most commonly used CRM and ERP systems. This means you don't have to worry about system compatibility and can take advantage of clean data regardless of the software you use.
Cost savings: It is common for companies to incur double payments due to duplicates in their ERP or CRM systems. With a clean database, you prevent such unnecessary costs. Additionally, you save costs that would otherwise arise from erroneous billing or missed opportunities due to outdated data.
Conclusion
The importance of clean data cannot be overstated. Polluted data is not only a source of frustration but can also cause significant financial damage. While manual cleanup may seem like a solution, it is only a temporary measure. By investing in automated tools and systems that keep your data continuously up-to-date, you can protect your business from the adverse effects of polluted data. The benefits are clear: improved data quality, consistency, cost savings, and above all, the assurance that you can always rely on the information at the core of your operations. Clean data is not a luxury but a necessity for any business that wants to remain successful in today’s data-driven world.
