It’s not just your closets and drawers that need spring cleaning – your database does, too! Cleaning and organizing your database may not be the most exciting thing on your to-do list, but it’s one that you will thank yourself later for. By completing this task, you can improve your data’s health, reduce costs and improve your marketing campaigns’ ROI.
Below are the steps to follow when spring cleaning your organization’s database.
Backup Your Database
Before you do any type of cleanup to your database, backup your files first. You should be backing up your data regularly, but this step is especially important when you start making major changes to your system.
Identify Duplicate Records
Identify any duplicates in your database by running a search. Duplicates are often inevitable, but it’s important to catch them before they cause problems. For example, you don’t want to email the same contact twice or waste your marketing dollars on people who aren’t interested in your products.
Update Key Information
When was the last time you updated your data? It’s possible that you need to solicit new or updated information, such as email addresses or purchase histories. Your database should keep on top of important details. This will make reporting easier and more accurate.
Remove Inactive Contacts
In terms of the information in your customer relationship management (CRM) system, now is a good time to remove inactive contacts. Filter your contacts by activity date to see who’s engaging with your brand and who isn’t. For those who aren’t interacting with your brand, you can remove them from your database or attempt to re-engage them with a new campaign.
Go to the Source
If you do find a great deal of outdated information, duplicate records and other errors, identify the source. It’s possible that there’s a deeper issue going on within your organization that needs to be addressed, such as automated imports or volunteer data entry staff.
Consider Training Your Staff
Now is a good time to train your staff to improve the quality of data in your database. More people are working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so you can ask employees to watch videos, participate in an online training course and more. This will help improve the quality of your data, reduce errors and limit employee turnover.
Commit to New Processes
Depending on what you find in your database cleanup, it may be time to implement new processes. For example, automating certain tasks is helpful, but there are some tasks that require a human to make decisions. You may also want to enlist help from a database consultant who can help design and document processes for your database.
By spring cleaning your database, you can make a huge difference in reducing clutter, simplifying day-to-day activities and improving the accuracy of data reporting. To discuss a new or improved database for your organization, contact Arkware today.