Why Your CRM Is Full of Outdated Information
Customer records are only useful when they're accurate. Discover why CRM information becomes outdated and how connected systems can help keep it current.
In this guideJump straight to what you need3 sections
A customer calls to update their phone number. Someone changes it in the booking system, but the invoicing software still has the old number. A month later, another employee opens the CRM and finds a third version.
All three applications are working as intended. The problem is that nobody has decided which one contains the correct information.
Businesses often invest considerable effort in collecting customer details. Keeping those details accurate over time can be surprisingly difficult.
Customer information doesn't stay still
A customer database can look organised when it is first introduced. Names, email addresses, telephone numbers and notes all have their proper places.
Then the business gets busy.
Customers move premises, change contact details, request different services and communicate with different employees. New information arrives through phone calls, website forms, emails and booking systems.
If every application maintains its own customer record, those details begin to drift apart.
An employee might update the information in the system they use every day without realising another department depends on a separate copy.
Eventually, staff lose confidence in the records. They start checking details manually, asking colleagues which number is correct or contacting customers to confirm information already supplied.
At that point, the CRM is no longer reducing administrative work as effectively as it should.
The issue may not be the CRM itself. It may be the way information reaches it.
Decide where the truth lives
Connecting business applications can help, but integration requires more thought than simply copying every field between systems.
Suppose a customer changes their email address through an online booking form.
Should the booking system update the CRM? Should the CRM then update the invoicing software? What happens if an employee has already entered a different address elsewhere?
These questions need clear answers.
For many businesses, it makes sense to nominate one application as the authoritative source for particular information. Other systems can then receive updates according to defined rules.
Customer contact details might be maintained in the CRM, while invoice payment information remains authoritative in the accounting system.
An integration can move relevant changes between them without requiring employees to enter the same details repeatedly.
However, automatic synchronisation must be designed carefully. A poorly configured integration can spread an incorrect value just as efficiently as a correct one.
Validation, duplicate detection, error handling and a clear record of changes are all important considerations.
Better records begin with better habits
Technology can reduce inconsistencies, but it cannot determine the correct information when nobody knows it.
Before connecting applications, examine how customer details are collected and updated.
Which system does your team trust? Who is allowed to change a record? How are duplicate customers identified? What happens when two sources disagree?
Sometimes the first improvement is as simple as standardising how employees record telephone numbers or deciding that customer changes must be entered in one place.
Once those rules are established, automation can help enforce them.
At Software Logic, we help businesses explore integrations that make their existing applications work together more reliably, without automatically assuming they need to replace their CRM.
When someone in your business opens a customer record, how confident are they that the information is actually correct?
Have a question about your business? Talk to Liam.
Counting readers…