Data cleansing might sound like an odd turn of phrase, but it’s actually a fairly accurate description of the process. Data cleansing corrects or removes data that is either inaccurate or of poor quality from databases or mailing lists, hence cleaning, or tidying, them up. The data may be inaccurate due to being formatted or typed incorrectly. Also changed addresses and phone numbers can result in poor quality data. Regular cleansing of data ensures that the quality and accuracy of data remains consistent. Improvements in accuracy help drive improved engagement with prospects and customers. This leads to better returns through higher response rates from your direct marketing.

Associated with data cleansing is data enhancement, which is about adding to a customer profile. It’s easy for databases to have a lot of gaps, which means when selecting your audience for a marketing campaign you may be missing out potential customers. You might also be including customers who are less likely to respond to your marketing message. There are lots of fields in a CRM database, many of which aren’t filled out by sales people whilst making their calls. You might struggle to get a clear picture of what your best customers look like if there are holes in your database. The more detailed your data, the better your can tailor your marketing message.

Corpdata can help

You could go through your database by hand, checking for inaccuracies and calling up companies to add in missing data. However, it is very time consuming. You probably don't have anyone with enough time on their hands to tackle the job, when you consider the days or weeks it takes them to go through the data. Most of our customers find it is quicker and more cost effective to pay an external company. Here at Corpdata we offer a B2B data cleansing and enhancement service. Find out more here.