We’ve found that on average a typical contact database that spans over 24 months has an accuracy rate of 70% and is missing some key data fields necessary for personalized communications. What’s more, an incomplete or inaccurate mailing list will degrade further over time without regular data hygiene to keep it up-to-date, losing as much as 3 percent of its validity per month on average.
From de-duplication and merge/purge operations to data append processes that complete missing fields in existing records, data enhancement is an essential part of proper digital hygiene. Data hygiene starts with having a yardstick against which to measure the accuracy and quality of your data, updating it as needed. For example, the U.S. Postal Service provides access to their National Change of Address (NCOA) registry to companies that provide data enhancement services. Other record sources are also verified and vetted to provide the most up-to-date information for your database, including proprietary databases from marketing firms that provide data enrichment.
Your database management team should set up a schedule for data hygiene processes and implement programs that keep data updated in real time where possible.
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