If you have a large customer database then you will have to put aside some time once in a while to cleanse it, especially if you are going to be doing direct marketing. If you have several people inputting data into a database you will often get errors or duplicate content. Over time people move to a new house, changed their number or possibly even pass away, so if you do not keep your database up to date, you may end up wasting time and money emailing or sending out letters to incorrect email or postal addresses.
There are several ways to cleanse your database. You may decide to do it manually. Depending on what CRM system you use, you may be able to export your database into Excel, correct or remove accounts and then re upload. If you have a large database this may take many weeks’ worth of work.
There are also several data cleansing applications you can use. These may work really well if your data is organised correctly, but they may cause issues with records if information is not in the correct field or format. If you are going to use one of these applications then you need to ensure that you have a full back up of your database that could be reuploaded if needs be.
