CRM data entry: 10 best practices to ensure CRM data quality

barista editorial board

April 24, 2023 / 4 Min Read

Welcome, revenue operations superheroes! We all know that you have a lot on your plate. From making sure sales and marketing teams are aligned to creating scalable processes and optimizing revenue growth, your job is crucial to the success of the organization. But there’s one thing that often gets overlooked in the hustle and bustle of daily operations, and that’s CRM data quality. Yes, we know it sounds boring, but trust us, it’s important! That’s why we’ve put together this guide on 10 CRM data entry best practices for better CRM data.

 

What is CRM data quality and why it is important?

 

CRM data quality (or CRM hygiene) refers to the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data stored in a CRM system. In other words, it’s how reliable and trustworthy the data is. Why is this important? Well, if your CRM data is inaccurate, incomplete, or inconsistent, it can lead to a number of issues, such as misaligned sales and marketing efforts, poor customer experiences, and missed revenue opportunities. On the other hand, high-quality CRM data can help you make informed business decisions, improve customer relationships, and increase revenue. Every Revenue Operations organization is dealing with CRM data quality all the time.

 

What is CRM data entry and why it is important?

 

Now, let’s talk about CRM data entry. It’s the process of manually entering data into a CRM system, such as contact information, lead status, and customer interactions. While it may seem like a straightforward task, it can actually be quite challenging. First of all, it’s time-consuming, and in a fast-paced business environment, time is a precious resource. Secondly, it’s prone to human error. Typos, missing information, and inconsistent formatting can all lead to poor data quality. Lastly, different team members may have different interpretations of how to enter data, which can lead to inconsistencies and confusion.

 

10 CRM data entry best practices that can help you ensure high-quality data in your CRM:

 

1. Standardize CRM data entry fields: 

 

Standardizing CRM data entry fields is the first step towards ensuring high-quality CRM data. Salesforce Research shows that using standardized fields for each type of CRM data entry can lead to a more than 30% increase in data accuracy and less data leakage. By creating a set of standardized fields for each type of CRM data entry, such as contact information or lead status, you can ensure that all team members are entering data in a consistent format.

 

2. Use dropdown menus: 

 

Instead of free-form text fields, use dropdown menus wherever possible. Research shows that dropdown menus can reduce data entry errors significantly . Dropdown menus help reduce the likelihood of typos and inconsistencies, and ensure that the CRM data entered is in the correct format.

 

3. Set CRM data entry guidelines:

 

 Establishing guidelines for how data should be entered can go a long way towards ensuring high-quality data. Research shows that providing clear instructions can lead to a 30% increase in data accuracy. Guidelines can include whether to use abbreviations or not, how to format phone numbers, and other pertinent details. Ensure that all team members are aware of these guidelines.

 

4. Provide CRM data entry training and coaching: 

 

Providing training to new team members on CRM data entry processes can help ensure that they have the knowledge necessary to enter data accurately. Coaching and feedback can help team members improve their data entry skills over time

 

5. Use CRM automation: 

 

Automating data entry wherever possible can help reduce the workload on team members and ensure that data is entered consistently. You can try to automate CRM data entry tasks based on Sales Activity data. According to Salesforce using automation can lead to an increase in productivity. Automating data entry can include integrations with other systems, lead capture forms, and chatbots.

 

6. Assign CRM ownership: 

 

Assigning ownership of specific CRM data entry fields or types to individual team members can help ensure accountability and reduce the likelihood of duplicate or inconsistent entries. Research shows that clear ownership of data leads to a significant reduction in data entry errors .

 

7. Regularly audit CRM data quality: 

 

Scheduling regular audits of your CRM data can help you identify inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and CRM duplicates before they become bigger problems and implement CRM duplicates management tools. Research shows that organizations that regularly audit their data have higher revenue growth than those that don’t.

 

8. Implement CRM validation rules: 

 

Validation rules can help ensure that data is entered correctly and consistently. For example, you can require that email addresses include an “@” symbol. Research shows that implementing validation rules are crucial reduction in data entry errors .

 

9. Monitor CRM data entry metrics:

 

 Tracking data entry metrics, such as completion rate and time to entry, can help you identify areas for improvement and optimize processes over time.

 

10.Continuously improve: 

 

Finally, make continuous improvement a priority. Regularly assessing your CRM data entry processes and making adjustments as needed can help ensure high-quality data. 

 

CRM data entry doesn’t need to be so bad

 

Maintaining high-quality CRM data is critical for the success of any revenue operations team. From standardized CRM data entry fields to automation and ongoing coaching, there are many best practices that can help ensure accurate and consistent data entry. By implementing these 10 CRM data entry best practices, you can ensure that your team is working with the best possible data, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and drive growth for your organization. Remember to continuously assess and improve your data entry processes to stay ahead of the curve and achieve even greater success. Let’s get those CRM data quality scores up!

 

Automate CRM data entry with barista AI

 

When you manually manage data entry, the risk of human error and bad CRM data goes up substantially, leading to duplicate records, poor data, validating errors, and data integrity problems.

Barista AI free up reps from CRM data entry tasks by automatically populating the right CRM fields from your inbox and calendar information.  

Every email message, calendar meeting, and contact is automatically imported into barista AI, and CRM data is updated instantly.