Widely touted as an organisation’s biggest asset, data is on the minds of a lot of companies. It’s being hailed as the secret to customer satisfaction, sales and marketing efforts, and a bird’s eye view of an organisation’s customer base.
However, too many companies are relying on dirty data, which is giving them a view of their customers that is inaccurate, and leading to bad marketing initiatives. “Regular data cleaning can resolve these issues, and there’s no better time to do this than in December, to hit the ground running in the new year,” says Louise Robinson, MD of CG Consulting.
She says data cleaning means cleaning out a database to make sure only the highest quality of data stays behind. “Over the course of time, any database will become clogged with outdated datasets, including data that’s plain wrong, duplicated, or just old. Getting rid of bad data ensures you can focus on current and relevant information alone.”
Any database that is full of ‘bad’ data won’t be able to offer value to the business. “With incorrect data comes incorrect insights. Any analysis will prove incorrect, which will see marketing Rands wasted and inefficient campaigns take place. It can end up costing a business a fortune over time,” Robinson says.
“Data cleaning services are a much better, more simple and more strategic approach to higher analytical productivity. Outsourcing data cleansing services will guarantee that you can direct your time and resources to focus on your core business, or activities such as innovation.”
She says a good outsourcing partner will have years of valuable experience and the skills and knowledge needed to work efficiently on data cleansing. “They also have a better grasp of complex projects due to their practice and expertise. This translates into increased efficiency and productivity. Accuracy should be their speciality, and they must pay attention to detail to scrub the data and find the qualified leads that a verified database brings.”
According to her, one of the most compelling reasons for outsourcing data cleansing is its cost effectiveness. “Organisations will get a higher quality work at a much lower cost. The outsourcing partner has the tools, infrastructure, expertise and technology in place to take your project and finish it quickly and efficiently. In this way, you won’t have a massive capital outlay on developing the infrastructure to do it yourself.”
An outsourcing partner has the years of experience it takes to resolve an issue in very short space of time, she adds, and they have the knowledge necessary to present data in a professional format. “When you decide to go the outsourcing company route for data cleansing, there will be no delay in data updating, again, saving time and money. It’s all about quality data — quality is more important than quantity, so it’s important to maintain data hygiene. Too many companies collect data for years and just keep adding to their database. Now is the time to scrub the data — out with the old, and in with the new! A good data cleaning service will remove duplicates and verify email addresses to ensure that a database provides qualified leads.”
In terms of human resources, bringing a partner on board means you do not need to hire employees and invest in their training and development. “The outsourcing provider has a team of skilled employees who already have the skills and expertise to deliver high quality results.”
Every way you look at it, outsourcing data cleansing makes sense, she says. “The money you free up with outsourcing can be directed at growing your business, and money won’t be wasted on poor marketing campaigns. You are guaranteed a verified high quality database, which is undeniably the most valued asset for any business.”
