Why Don’t You Clean Your Data

Dirty data is a problem every business will have a problem with at some point during their lifetime. It is not unusual, nor is it something to be embarrassed about. There are plenty of things to do which can help., and the benefits of cleaning your data, and subsequently keeping it clean, though, are numerous.

Clean data can provide better analysis as employees won’t be using incorrect data. With better analysis comes better application, which means businesses can target customers with greater accuracy and success. These have an effect on the bottom line: there will be less wasted budget and more of a return on the investment. There are wins and more wins.

With these results in mind as a defined goal, here are some tips for data cleaning:

Standardise Data As It Comes In

Imagine someone cleaning their house. They’re giving it a proper good go: carpet cleaner, blind brushing, scrubbing the skirting boards, and finding specific homes for things rather than stuffing it in an empty closet or draw. When it’s all done, they have a friend over. The friend asks if they should take their shoes off. The homeowner says, “don’t worry about it .” And so the friend deposits bits of mud and leaf around the beautifully clean house, and the homeowner cares enough to know they’ll have to clean it up tomorrow but not enough now to do anything. It seems silly, right? Well, if you data comes in messy – that is, in a way that isn’t standardised – then you’ll have to clean the data again and again and again. Ensuring data is standardised saves time and effort.

Validate the Data

Making sure the data is verified and valid is essential. There are online tools available that automate the process, as doing it manually will take some time. Without validating the data, a business would run the risk of basing their decision on data which is incorrect. Doing it before its inputted is valuable.

Duplicates

Duplicates are of no use to anyone. They are unnecessary and potentially damaging. Having two records for one customer means you will lack a single customer view. It will be very difficult to track a customer’s history with your business. Additionally, you could waste time and money by sending more than one communications that person. All this can have a negative effect on a business’s brand as customers could grow frustrated.