Duplicate data is one of the worst problems that can plague your company’s contact database. However, it often doesn’t get the same attention that inaccurate or incomplete data get in terms of planning priority and safeguard implementation.
The following is a look at some of the most important reasons that duplicate data is a big problem for your database, along with insights on safeguards and benefits of avoiding duplication!
Marketing Budget Waste
Duplicate records lead to wasteful marketing activities in a variety of ways. If you run a direct mail campaign, for instance, you might pay double, triple, or more for the design, development and delivery costs of sending pieces to the same recipient multiple times. Eliminating duplication helps you optimize marketing spend.
Unnecessary Data Storage
Another cost of duplication is unnecessary data storage. Whether you have your own internal tech infrastructure or utilize a cloud database, your costs are somewhat based on the amount of data you store. If you have 20 to 30 percent records duplication, you add significant unnecessary expenses to your investment.
Poor Branding
Beyond the costs, there are branding issues that result from duplicate emails, mailings, or other marketing campaigns. It looks bad to a consumer or business buyer when your company delivers two, three, or more repeat messages. Recent Gartner research even suggests a direct correlation between message duplication and revenue-generation.
A prospect who receives multiple mailers, specifically ones with intricate design, may ask themselves, “Would the price of this solution be lower if the company wasn’t wasting so much sending me multiple mail pieces?”
Negative Targeting Implications
Duplicate records create tremendous challenges for effective targeting. Analytics software and tools are used to match contact profiles with behaviors for optimization of campaigns based on indicated responses.
When you have duplicate records, it is more difficult for software to correctly match people to behaviors. You could have one individual represented through multiple profiles, which give increased weight to that particular person’s activities.
Ineffective Customer Service
Customer service is also rendered less efficient and effective because of duplicate data problems. If a customer calls in, a rep may have difficulty figuring out which of the five accounts attributed to the caller’s name or identifying traits is the right one. This issue leads to delays in response time, lower first-call resolution rates, alienated customers, and less opportunity for add-on selling. Avoiding duplication to reduce employee frustration and improve customer relationships.
Ways to Enhance Your List
Now that you understand why it’s important to keep your data free of duplication, let’s discuss how to make it happen for your business. As it turns out, there are various ways to keep your data clean—not a one-size-fits-all approach. Here are four data enhancement routes you can choose from when you work with Salesgenie®:
Merge/Purge & De-duplication
Quickly remove duplicate records from your database or combine separate files. This service leaves your database with only the highest data quality so your marketing efforts are more efficient.
Postal Processing
Using the latest generation of USPS® change-of-address software and proprietary change-of-address database for bulk address verification, ensure your letters, postcards, and brochures arrive at the right mailboxes.
Data Suppression/Data Hygiene
Move unwanted prospects off your list more easily. Flag records on the DMA Do Not Call list, Do Not Mail suppression, Moved Away list, Inmate suppression, Deceased list, and more.
Data Enhancement
Update sparse or out-of-date records by adding in information like email addresses or important demographic or firmographic information.
Conclusions
Needless to say, if your data isn’t clean, it could be seriously costing your business. These are some of the most compelling branding and financial implications of duplicate data problems.
At Salesgenie we understand how difficult it is for companies to manage data duplication without an expensive infrastructure. That’s why we make it easy to build or enhance your customer data file. Use data enhancement services annually and you can maintain a healthy list that works for your business.
The quality of data you receive from Salesgenie is important. That’s why we invest millions of dollars every single year and dedicate over 300 full-time researchers who make over 24 million calls each year to gather and verify valuable information and ensure your data is current, accurate, and relevant. In other words, when you purchase our mailing and email lists, you can expect to get the highest data quality for your sales, marketing, research, and reference needs.
