Bad CRM Data Part 2: Reasons and Fixes
Bad / inconsistent data is the ax that will keep any great CRM system from bearing fruit. They sap not only your time, energy, and resources but your ability to grow as a company. An inaccurate view of the past and present state of your business will almost guarantee an uncertain future.
Useful pipelines and better forecasts need clean data. CRM systems need to know why CRM Data becomes dirty before they can avoid them.
3 Reasons For Bad CRM Data
Bad Forms
It’s not enough to set up a form that integrates with existing CRM systems. Companies have to make sure that not only do their customer forms have all the necessary fields we need but that it also has the right capabilities to weed out dirty data.
Prospective leads who either don’t complete the form or don’t do it correctly are regular sources of dirty data. Proper form-field validation capabilities lessen probable errors of customer information.
Data Entry Errors
Besides meeting prospective customers and closing deals, many sales teams struggle to fulfill the many administrative tasks assigned to them. The rush of things to do sometimes means missing out on acquiring important information during meetings. Before it gets integrated into the company CRM system, there are very few opportunities to validate data.
Obsolete Data
Due to their packed schedules, many salespeople take a long time to input information into the company CRM system. Should the lag time between their initial touchpoint and the succeeding follow-ups be too long, there is a chance that their lead becomes cold before it even begins.
Companies should avoid loss of leads because of improperly designed forms, late and wrong data entry at all costs. Dirty data creates inefficiencies, diminishes customer relationships, and can be a source of frustration from your sales teams who can’t rely on the company for important information. CRM systems populated with dirty data can cost companies thousands or even millions of dollars a year.
How to Avoid Bad Data
Customer data will inevitably change with time. However, there are still many ways to make sure the initial data integration process is flawless. Companies need to make sure their forms are unstructured, their data validated and logged into the CRM system promptly.
It may sound easy, but it’s not. Generally, the nature of their roles already stretches sales teams. From prospecting and meeting clients to the hassle of administrative duties that come with it, salespeople have limited time and energy.
However, these issues still need to be addressed for everyone’s benefit. One way to make sure that companies stay on track with their CRM Hygiene is to work with professionals who can do it for them. Using specialized sales enablement technology, companies like Hey DAN can help companies maximize their CRM efforts with just a call.
Hey DAN’s Voice to CRM technology that combines machine learning and human intelligence makes the form validation, data entry, and management a fuss-free, convenient experience.
Read about Bad CRM Data Part 1: What to Avoid
