How often do you clean your contacts database?

[JorieMunroe]

We’re in a data-driven era, where datasets are shared between marketing, sales, and customer service teams to increase organizational effectiveness and facilitate alignment. When you have high levels of inconsistent data, it’s not just one team taking the hit. It’s everyone. The entire company. The fallout from that bad data extends to every corner of your business that the data touches. With that in mind, how often do you currently audit and clean your contacts database? Once a month? Every quarter? Once a year? What does the process look like? Share your thoughts and current schedule.

[rajsharma159]

Cleaning the contacts database is a must have activity. Because, if it keeps growing that may cost a lot for renewals. There is no such timeline which should be considered as a standard to clean database. But, in my views system should reviewed every quarter and keep creating some contact views to segragate the non active contacts. And every year before renewal review these lists and remove such contacts.

[DNash1]

All the time. (constantly)

[kml]

Our database is just being formed, but I anticipate quaterly clean ups and probably an annual deep clean.

[ADauksa]

I have tried annually to clean it up but I am hoping with HubSpot and workflows we'll be a lot more consistent. I usually clean up duplicate accounts, duplicate contacts but we don't do much we people who aren't at the company or unsubscribed. They just sit in SFDC not sure what best practice is with those contacts.

[NGalbraith]

Not at all yet lol, just migrating

[trangnguyen]

Constantly, but we've also been doing a deep clean annually. Our goal is to do it a deep clean quarterly

[JerAlexander]

I would say it depends on the customer timeline for your business. Understanding a typical lifecycle for a customer and the latency and recency of your customers can help determine when someone can be considered disengaged. 

[martapinov]

It depends on business

[Jen-VanAntwerp]

The cadence that I find works best for most of the organizations I've worked with is whatever coincides with your newsletter or largest mailing, as long as that is no longer than once every quarter. If there is a mass mail or email that goes out more frequently (i.e., monthly), then the data should be scrubbed prior to that activity.  If the organization doesn't conduct any mass mailings or emails (or that activity takes place at longer than quarterly intervals), then best practice would be to clean up the database quarterly.

[NOReilly]

Interesting to see if there is a difference between B2B and B2C

[JohnAceti]

Full audits/reviews are quarterly, but there's an element of constant oversight to ensure there aren't duplicates, old/dead contacts, etc.

[lcharriez]

Every 2 months we need to ensure there is no duplication of members 

[davidtfg]

I think this is a constant process.  If you see something, say something (or correct something).  Whether they have the wrong persona assigned, contact isn't there anymore, or other reasons, clean it up as you go.

[CJeremiason]

Our ideal timing is quarterly. 

[MariaN3]

Quarterly is our goal, but so far we are doing it yearly

[SKjolby]

quarterly 

[ADubey]

Quarterly

[VBulava]

I believe it is important to sort contacts at least every 3 months. 

[ClaudiaC]

I try to clean out our contacts as often as I can - at least a couple of times a year. Due to the type of data we handle, I have set up custom lists to identify contacts that should not be deleted (they have an existing relationship with us, but have opted out of all communications) to be compared with contacts opted out or having low engagement. 

[DGladwell]

Currently about once a year for major changes, but on an adhoc basis when we have bot attacks or incorrect data loaded.

[idelgado]

Ideally every six months