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Spring Cleaning: Decluttering your CRM System

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CRM System
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It is common for data to get corrupt over time. In the world of CRM system, it is referred to as bad or corrupt data and the same rule can be applied to your customer database as well.

There is only one option to address this problem and that is to declutter and cleanse the data in your CRM system. This is very true when it comes to database cleaning. In case of a newly established company or startup, the best time to kick-off the data cleansing work is right after the first year of its establishment.

According to a recent study, CRM system databases tend to get corrupt right from the first year of a company’s operations. One of out of 10 entries in the CRM will cause a problem. Nowadays, most of the organisation’s business depends on CRM and incorrect entry problems automatically effects the sales and marketing campaigns.

Also Read: 10 Warning Signs that indicate a dry and poor Sales Pipeline

The first step is to look out for duplicate entries. These are easy to find in your CRM system tool. Some duplicate entries are difficult to identify, as the system might fail to recognise these. For example, “Avenue” and “Ave.” are two different entries in your CRM system without special data filtering.

Duplicate entries are the main sign of a poor database. This results in sending multiple offers to the same prospects, which dilutes the impact of your campaign. They are also deadly when it comes to building strong relationships with customers, as they tend to sabotage the essence of personalisation that you are trying to build into your messages. Active databases tend to accumulate entries that are outdated or just plain irrelevant. These represent waste of effort and resources.

Typical problem are inactive records. These records might be leads i.e. these are prospects that once showed interest in your business, but never responded for years. It is advisable to eliminate these from your database and free up some space.

Another instance you will notice is the problem of fake entries often keyed in by folks who just wanted access to the resources, but didn’t intend to offer the information you were seeking. Such entries should be cleared out anyway.

Cross verify structure of your database with respect to structure of your company. Companies can grow or change over the time, hence it is necessary that their data structures should grow and change. For instance, in case you change the assigned jobs or add a new department, your customer database should change to reflect the new reality. At the very least, this should make it easier for your customers to reach the right people in case of queries or any support.

Finally make sure that the entire database is cleaned. All the customers should be assigned to the right salespersons so that they can continue with their daily activity.

To know more about decluttering your CRM system or maintain a healthy sales pipeline, contact us. You can also give us a shout out at Facebook or Twitter or write to us at sales@sagesoftware.co.in
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