It is easy to think that having bad data on your database just means sending out letters and emails to the wrong people or to places where they aren’t expected. You might also make some mistakes when phoning customers or new leads, but you will be extra careful about this, right?
Yet, the truth is that there are some other side-effects that you might not expect but that have even more disastrous consequences for your business. Some of these could have far-reaching impacts that cause you massive problems later on.
Which of the following problems could you be suffering from right now without realising that poor data is the real reason behind it?
Invalid Reports and Success Metrics
Have you noticed that your reports and success metrics aren’t always in line with what you expected? This can be an infuriating problem to come across, as it can seem virtually impossible to work out why the details aren’t right.
Well, one of the big reasons for this cropping up is when there is some form of corruption of the data. After all, if what you put into the system isn’t correct then the stuff that comes out of it is most likely going to be of poor quality as well.
Of course, there is a good chance that you base a lot of your future projects, training, campaigns and other ideas on what you can see in these reports. If you can’t trust them because of data issues then this will make it extremely difficult to work out how to proceed.
Making Wrong Decisions
Most of the big decisions that you take over time are probably also largely based on the information that originates with your data and ends up on your desk or on your screen. Again, if the data is bad to start with then there is little chance of being able to make decisions in the way you would like to.
Even a relatively minor-seeming change such as adding address search uk to your data capture process could make a huge difference to the decisions that you make in the future. Getting information that you can trust also means that you can feel more confident about getting it right each time. Companies such as Hopewiser can help you with this.
You might also decide that the quality of the data you now have allows you to push the decision-making to a lower level rather than feeling that you have to do it all yourself.
Plummeting Productivity Rates
Having poor data can make life far more difficult for the staff who have to work with it. If they need to double-check everything, waste their time on pointless phone calls or make changes as they go then this will eat in their time far more than you would like it to.
It might be that no one in the team notices that this is the reason for their poorer productivity rates. Yet, if your data is out of date or was badly captured in the first place then this is a likely reason for people in your team having unproductive days.
By starting to carry out regular address data cleansing you should find that this frees up a fair bit of time for your staff to do other stuff. This could be exactly what is needed to give your company a huge boost and to stop wasted time from holding back your progress.
Bad Reviews on Social Media
Not every company takes into account the huge power of social media when it comes to bad reviews. If someone who deals with you is upset about how you communicate with them then they can very quickly spread the word.
In the worst-case scenario, you might find that in a question of hours or day, their scathing review travels far and wide. It has to be noted that one of the things that most upsets people and forces them into action is when they see that their personal details are incorrect in a letter or email.
Encouraging your team to take their time and get things right is one part of the solution. However, you will also want to make some sort of improvement to your processes in order to ensure that you keep future problems to an absolute minimum.
All of this means that keeping your data correct and up to date is more vital than ever before. It shouldn’t be too difficult or time-consuming to do this once you work out the best approach for your business and then put the wheels in motion.
