There has been much talk about Big Data which, to me, only emphasizes the importance of clean data. According to Kurt Bollacker, “Data that is loved tends to survive.” Having clean data is necessary to extract revenue from your most precious resource: your customer and prospect database. Clean data increases opportunities, saves money, and helps you maintain a positive reputation with satisfied customers.
Luckily, there are tools available that can help keep data clean and updated with the NCOA, CASS, DNC, Phone/Email Validation and Phone/Email Append. Increased opportunities come when you send your direct mail piece to the contact’s correct address. Your mailer arrives at the proper address because your data has been updated with the National Change of Address (NCOA). Your mailer is received prior to the event, not after, because your data has gone through the CASS Standardization process with the USPS.
Data Leads to Success
Your salespeople can set appointments instead of throwing away the lead due to lack of phone numbers. Ensure you have appended cell numbers and landlines that are incorrect or missing in your database. You are able to append/add email addresses to customer records, helping your next email marketing campaign be successful.
Money Is Saved
You recently sent a mailer; a few weeks later, you don’t have a huge pile of returned mail sitting on your desk because your data was scrubbed against the NCOA. Your BDC or Call Center is not wasting time calling bad numbers because your database has had the phone numbers validated. You can now send an email to your customer/prospect instead of a letter due to the appended email addresses you now have because of email appends.
Your Reputation is Maintained
Your mailers are making it directly to their intended recipient, rather than being forwarded from their previous address, or thrown away by the new homeowner at the old address. Your Sales or BDC Team is not calling on customers and prospects that are on the “Do Not Call List.” Invalid email addresses are eliminated, effectively reducing the number of “hard bounces” on transmission. The email validation process helps protect the broadcasting IP from domain-level filtration and IP “blacklisting.”
If hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, are spent annually to market to prospects and get them in your database, shouldn’t a fraction of that money be budgeted to show your data the love?
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