A Customer Relationship Management suite (CRM) is a software program that captures and centralizes key information about your prospects, leads and established customers. It enables you to see where contacts stand in their buying process. It also facilitates efficient follow-up, making it extremely useful for sales teams.
Of course, data in a CRM gradually goes out of date. Poor data can lead to frustration and wasted time, so follow these best practices to improve data quality:
Enter Data ASAP
As soon as you have new contact data, be sure to update your CRM. To enhance data accuracy and adoption rates, collect data automatically wherever possible: For example, by having your website’s contact form automatically update your CRM.
Review Fields
“Fields” can be thought of as single entries within a contact’s file. A person’s name is kept in one field, email in another, and so on. Fields shape the kind of information your team members look for, so be sure you’ve defined relevant fields that give you complete information.
Remove Contacts Without Information
Whenever contacts volunteer information, there’s sure to be a few duds. Remove blank entries as well as those with obviously false information, like that joker who wrote “None of Your Business” in the name field while downloading your latest e-book.
Remove Duplicates
Duplicates can happen for many different reasons. For example, a contact may have intended to update his or her phone number, but instead created an all-new account. Or a representative may accidentally enter a contact’s data twice. Whatever the case, eliminate duplicates as soon as you notice them.
Delete Unused Email Templates
Many CRMs provide email templates to facilitate rapid communication with a contact or a subset of your contacts – essentially giving you email marketing power at your fingertips. You can make these features easier to use by eliminating unused templates so your favorites are easier to find.
Analyze Reports
CRMs come with a variety of reporting functions. They can update you on recent activities among your contacts or even, in some cases, run data hygiene diagnostics on their own database. Learn what your CRM is capable of and use its reporting to optimize your data.
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