Data is everywhere and has helped to create almost everything we now rely on to live every single day. From the personal information on our phones and tablets to everything the internet has given us, data has taken over.
There has been more data created in the last 4 years than the entire previous history of the human race. It’s mind-boggling how much data not only exists now but is newly-created every second of every day.
With so much data floating around in the world, it’s important that the information we do use, both personally and especially from a business perspective, is properly maintained. That’s exactly where data cleansing comes in. Let’s explore why you should invest in data cleansing for your business:
Data Cleansing Importance
In this modern age, businesses large and small will use enormous amounts of data every day. Everything from spreadsheets, accounts, customer orders, payment information and personnel records; the list goes on. Data cleansing is the process of reviewing all of this data (and more) to ensure it’s correctly formatted, free from errors and conforms to a set of rules outlined in regulations, processes and policies.
When issues arise with data that might be wrong, missing or irrelevant, it’s the job of professional data cleansing experts to put it right and to ensure those errors don’t reoccur.
Because of our increasing reliance on data for almost every aspect of our modern-day living, the accuracy of that data is more important than ever. Data cleansing services are sometimes referred to as cleansing your data or data scrubbing and are becoming a vital tool for everyone involved.
You might be thinking that data cleansing isn’t that important to you, or that the data you hold is just as accurate as the day it was created, but think again. Studies have shown that B2B data decays at a rate of 30% a year. For example, in terms of customers, telephone numbers can change, job titles move, email addresses are closed and bank details change. All of these seemingly small changes can have a huge impact on your business when you’re trying to sell (or resell) your products to people who may have moved on. You might be chasing leads that are no longer valid.
For anyone running a business, the sheer list of things that need to be done daily is staggering. When you think about adding in data cleansing to the list, it’s easy to disregard it, but don’t. You can easily hire a professional data cleansing service to do the work for you.
Cleansing Your Data
We use the term investing carefully, but that’s exactly how you should think about it. Data cleansing is important to any business because it’s the data that is often maintaining your operations. When you hire a professional data cleaning service, you can trust them to identify errors that could start to cost you money. If, for instance, your invoices aren’t reaching the right person because the data is wrong, there will be a delay in you getting paid. This isn’t the only example.
A robust data cleansing process boosts customer acquisition because it helps to maintain the accuracy of your CRM, identifying leads and new prospects allow you to understand where they are in the chain, so you can target them accordingly.
Outsourcing this might sound risky, especially when dealing with your company’s sensitive data, but it’s a smart move. Data cleansing requires specialist knowledge and professionals who work in this field that is well-versed in the sector. This means you get dedicated, expert help in an area that can be daunting for most employees.
Companies providing these data cleansing services will have strict confidential policies, so you don’t need to worry about the confidentiality of the information they’ll address. All you’ll be left with is accurate data that can drive tangible business decisions.
Thank you for reading this month’s blog. To find out more about our data cleansing services, give us a call on 0330 058 0100 or please feel free to fill in the enquiry form on our contact page today.
