Outdated, missing, or incorrect data can adversely impact customer experience. How can data hygiene streamline information and accelerate engagement?

Data forms the core of every business. Any gaps in it can hinder effective communication with the target audience. That’s why, all information needs to be accurate and error-free. Hygiene in data makes it possible for brands to seamlessly manage all critical information. When integrated with automation, it can swiftly improve customer experience and brand productivity.

For data hygiene, you need to focus on two types of data: dirty and clean. Dirty data refers to the information that piles up, duplicates, and eventually has no use. If most of your data is outdated and tough to access, it indicates that it’s time to implement a cleaning process. Dirty data can cost around $3 trillion per year in the US. The hygiene process must be implemented to maintain data quality. Clean data is clear, concise, and easy to access, increasing performance efficiency.

We have prepared a list of best practices to help you manage and maintain a clean business database.

How to implement Successful Data Hygiene

These 5 steps will enable you to minimize inaccurate information and maintain your brand’s integrity and reputation. Let’s dive in.

Audit data

As a B2B brand, your teams have most likely collated data from multiple sources, which can pool into siloes. And when this happens, the data is difficult to identify and may become prone to errors. Nearly 27% of business leaders have reported being unsure of their data accuracy. An audit helps to keep things in check and store high-quality data.

This step provides a clear overview of the brand’s database and finds gaps, if any.  It involves identifying data fields critical for integration and monitoring the quality and completeness of each field. With data audit, you can easily identify consistencies, duplicates, missing values, and outdated information. Since manual audits can be time-consuming and tedious, automating data hygiene can go a long way.

Eliminate unnecessary files

Brands deal with so much data daily that unnecessary records may pile up. Excess data can produce clutter if not managed properly. And when you have irrelevant information, it becomes cumbersome to analyze and audit the infrastructure. This can be avoided by conducting a periodic review of your data. Removing outdated information would streamline your customer database and make it concise.

Validate Accuracy

Data accuracy is an essential element that promotes customer satisfaction. You can ensure accuracy by incorporating validation rules that verify data integrity and adhere to predefined criteria. Validate email addresses, phone numbers, and postal codes to double-check if they are in the correct format. If you run a data check regularly, you can avoid messy and fragmented information, transforming it into accurate and unified records.

Establish Standardized rules & constraints.

When standardization is not regulated, it may lead to the piling of dirty data. Studies indicate that around 60% of dirty data is due to human error, and you can reduce these instances with automated data hygiene. Standardization can take you a long way in preventing dirty data. All you need to do is look into the input fields. Simply put, all numbers and monetary values require standardization. And there should be no case sensitivity, spelling errors, or abbreviations. Data standardization and consistency are crucial elements in creating uniform databases. Applying rules and standards filters out unnecessary information while delivering brand consistency.

Update your data

Data, if not maintained, can become outdated, which makes it frustrating to sort through. Your prospects may change addresses, get new designations, or change jobs altogether. Studies suggest that nearly 21%of CEOs change every year. You may be surprised to know how fast data can decay —at the rate of 70% per year. If the data is not updated, you may deliver messages to the wrong contact. Updating your customer database in real-time with data hygiene prevents your teams from chasing dead-end leads and helps build strong relationships with prospects. Since you cannot predict when data will go outdated, opt for an automated data cleaning tool.

Final thoughts

Data is an asset for your business. Without a concrete strategy in place, it can create inconsistencies/errors, and require investment of resources to get it in order. These practices will build a solid foundation for data accuracy and reliability. The best bet is to be proactive about data hygiene, ensuring that all information entering a system is accurate, reliable, and comprehensive. It allows efficient integration of data in your system. Keeping your company database clean and compliant with regulations minimizes your chance of poor data.

The key to garnering high-quality leads is an accurate database. How do you maintain it well to accomplish the desired sales growth?

Customer data is all about collecting the right information about potential business prospects for application in sales and marketing operations. This includes data like the company’s name, contact information, industry, etc. Such details allow brands like yours to connect with potential prospects. When you can foster strong relationships with your target audience, it becomes easier to generate high-quality leads.

With B2B databases, you can quickly access target leads and procure necessary information about them. Since more and more relevant leads must be generated for sustained business growth, accurate databases offer a speedy and effective way to enhance your outreach strategy. If you opt for a dataset that is inaccurate or out of date, it can create complications. Searching through vast database options could be daunting, so we have compiled a list of the best tools for you to choose from.

Seven Best B2B Databases

In the digital age, customer databases are valuable tools that help brands drive B2B sales and accomplish their business goals. We have prepared a list of the best tools to help you find the right solution.

Saleshandy Lead Finder

It’s a comprehensive email outreach platform that helps you identify prospects and add them to your cold email sequences. With Saleshandy Lead Finder, acquiring contact information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, is simplified to a great extent. You can search leads with their rich database spanning different companies worldwide. It must be noted that this information is updated regularly to provide proactive and verified email addresses. Although they have a large resource, it makes it easier to narrow down targeted leads with advanced search filters. You can utilize this feature to find leads by their names, designation, department, role, etc.

Apollo

It is a cloud-based sales automation software that simplifies lead generation, contact database management, and email outreach. With over 2 million contributing data sources, this platform allows you to collect email addresses through a 7-step email verification process to ensure correct data delivery. Apollo refines your search with relevant filters, such as company name, size, industry, job role, location, etc. When you search data with these, it helps you reach the right prospects and acquire their contact information. Apollo enables targeting the right decision-makers to communicate based on filters, such as industry, designation, company headcount, etc.

Cognism

It is a sales intelligence tool that uses a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and human verification to provide you with accurate data. When you use Cognism, you can easily access advanced filters such as emails, technographics, and mobile numbers to filter the data and create a targeted lead list. This helps you attract ideal leads without wasting resources on prospects less likely to convert into paying accounts. Cognism is operational in Chrome as an extension and a mobile app. It is very particular about maintaining data compliance and keeps a ‘do not call list’ to avoid disturbing customers who have opted out of unsolicited phone calls. Through such innovative integrations, Cognism ranks among the top CRM and sales engagement platforms helping you build the sales pipeline and generate new leads.

Lusha

Lusha works perfectly for B2B companies of all sizes to supply precise data. It is a go-to-market platform promoting effective sales and marketing. This database offers you an easy-to-use prospecting tool that simplifies lead identification. You can access the latest and high-quality insights and data that promote communication with the right audience at the right time. The highlighting feature of this platform is its smooth operation while setting up, without involving any lengthy onboarding processes. Another distinguishing factor is that Lusha is accredited under ISO 27701- the highest international privacy standard in the world. What’s more— it allows you to be compliant with all GDPR and CCPA privacy regulations.

Lead 411

If you want to focus on targeted communication, this is your go-to database platform. It is powered by intent data, allowing you to find out the contact details of your prospects. Lead 411 supports easy integration with popular ESPs and CRMs, resulting in efficient and automated workflows. Its highlighting feature is unlimited email views in the basic plan while restricting the export to 200 per month. Additionally, it provides you with information on buyer intent.

Clearbit 

It offers data integrated with artificial intelligence, thus ensuring that you have accurate contact information. Clearbit adds to your records and helps you understand your prospects’ buying intent. This valuable information accelerates the lead generation process. With Clearbit, you can easily create, capture, and convert prospects into paying accounts by addressing their demands. You can access a range of business intelligence APIs and integrations that accelerate sales and marketing campaigns.

SalesIntel 

This business intelligence platform provides you with the data you seek. The key difference is—SalesIntel uses patented AI technology and human verification to source accurate contacts. What makes it stand out is the vast database of more than 100M contacts available with emails and mobile phone numbers. It also offers amazing features such as intent data to gain insights into who is researching your solution. SalesIntel also helps you visualize company technographics to understand their tech stack. Another highlighting feature is the company firmographics that promotes the identification of target accounts based on factors such as company size, location, industry, and more.

Final thoughts

Various factors play a role in an efficient database, such as data accuracy, customer intent, data availability, and integration capabilities. Before you make an informed decision, you need to weigh the pros and cons of each platform. The database you select must align with your business goals. The best-fitted tool must allow you to effectively communicate with potential customers, engage with them, and drive the sales funnel.

IoT is facilitating better data collection and sharing. From cost savings to enhanced customer experiences, how is IoT revolutionizing business operations?

The Internet of Things is the fastest-evolving technology, opening new perspectives and business opportunities in almost every industry, including manufacturing, retail, healthcare products, transportation, tourism, and logistics. This technology provides us with real-time information, rather than predicting the future or reporting on the past. Globally, there are more than 13 billion linked IoT devices, and by 2024, it is anticipated that the market will be worth more than $1 trillion. We live in a smart world today. The internet is being connected to more and more formerly standalone devices and technologies every day. All smart devices contain sensors that let users watch and operate them from a distance while gathering lots of data. The Internet of Things (IoT), which includes all of these devices, is revolutionizing contemporary industries.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things, often known as IoT, is a cutting-edge idea transforming how businesses operate worldwide. IoT is the concept of linking devices to one another and the internet. It’s a network of intelligent technology that facilitates better data collection and sharing. IoT technology can significantly affect many aspects of a business. For instance, devices that monitor global supply chains encompass IoT technology. In addition to data recorders, this can also apply to phones, RFID tags, sensors, GPS trackers, and other devices.

Benefits of IoT for businesses

The Internet of Things (IoT) has the power to change industries and provide organizations with the competitive edge they need. IoT helps businesses cut expenses, improve customer experiences, optimize operational performances, and make smarter business decisions due to its intelligent applications.

Reduced Costs: 

For organizations, this is one of the IoT’s most appealing advantages. Smart technology and embedded sensors can reduce expenses and help identify potential problems. IoT’s role in machine management is to assist in finding a more efficient way to operate them so businesses can lower operating costs. Additionally, maintenance procedures will be simpler, which can mean that some technological issues won’t need a professional’s assistance.

Enhanced Efficiency: 

IoT enables businesses to gather and evaluate customer data, giving them the capacity to foresee demands and provide tailored experiences. Additionally, IoT may help coordinate a significant amount of automation and offer immediate feedback on operational effectiveness. These upgrades will empower businesses to run more efficiently, leading to immense growth as insertion costs decrease and production becomes more feasible.

Improved Customer Experience: 

Ensuring users don’t get frustrated, perplexed, or run into issues when using the product is essential to creating a great user experience. One needs to make necessary, user-friendly improvements to give users the most pleasant experience possible. IoT is crucial to improving the customer experience as devices collect data from all accessible touchpoints. The process considers the user’s demands while analyzing data from mobile apps, home gadgets, social media interactions, customer communications, website surfing, and sales history to create tailored customer experiences.

Summing Up

The Internet of Things is here to stay due to the necessity for global connectivity. It is currently a component of all business technology, and in the coming years, its market is anticipated to grow even more. Therefore, implementing this cutting-edge technology in enterprises has numerous advantages, particularly in terms of productivity and profitability.

IoT fundamentally transforms businesses and the way they operate. Technology advancements and the integration of both physical and digital systems are driving the growth of IoT. Businesses can benefit from IoT in a number of ways, including increased productivity, better data analysis, cost savings, better customer experiences, fresh revenue opportunities, automated monitoring and regular upkeep, and enhanced security. The adoption of IoT does, however, come with some drawbacks. The two main issues are undoubtedly cybersecurity and privacy. In light of this, businesses attempting to use IoT in their operations should likewise plan to increase their network security.