Data errors and inconsistencies can easily convert the advantages of big data into obstacles to the operational efficacy of a business. Data accuracy is key to the proper functioning of any initiative. Customer relationship management, for example, as well as automation such as Asana and Slack integrations, along with customer service in general, are reliant upon clean data to deliver the desired results.
What is Data Hygiene?
The process of ensuring sets of data is as accurate and organized as possible is referred to as data hygiene. Hygienic data is error-free, organized in a logical manner, simple to understand, and duplicated easily. Error-riddled data can trigger malfunctions and delays. It can also make databases vulnerable to viruses and introduce inaccuracies to business operations.
Obsolete intel, incomplete data, replicated information, sheer inaccuracies, poor organization, and flawed directives are among the leading causes of diminished data hygiene. Absolutely crucial to any data management approach, data hygiene should be performed on a regular basis, as data accumulates in a database.
Associated tasks include excising inaccurate or superseded records and jettisoning replicated archives. Implementing form standardization to ensure consistent data capture across all potential sources, and authenticating data against proven quality rules can also help ensure data hygiene.
Why Data Hygiene is Vital
According to the results of a survey of global enterprises conducted by Experian, more than 75% of its respondents said faulty data inhibited their abilities to respond to changes in the marketplace during the quarantines imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lacking effective data hygiene, organizations run the risk of implementing undertakings based on erroneous or invalid information, which can be both expensive and detrimental to the industry. Costs in the range of 15% to 25% of revenue are attributed directly to inaccurate data each year. This translates to U.S. economic losses exceeding $3 trillion annually.
An effective data hygiene plan should enable the identification, analysis, and resolution of problems with data rapidly and capably. Inadequate maintenance can result in imprecise consumer segmentation, improper reporting, and defective marketing operations—all of which can result in lost customers and/or income.
Meanwhile, an effective approach to data hygiene can deliver valuable insights into customer comportment, which can be used to produce better offerings, along with more effective strategies to promote them. Clean data also makes it easier for businesses to comply with privacy directives such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) by confirming consumers’ personal information is properly secured and employed in accordance with the law.
Implementing Data Hygiene
Auditing, automating, and updating data at prescribed intervals is key to ensuring the most effective data hygiene possible. These efforts to ensure data accuracy, comprehensiveness, and reliability will maximize its usefulness.
Auditing existing records should be accomplished before adding new files. This will enable the identification of discrepancies and inconsistencies before they can infect a larger swath of stored materials. Cross-referencing of multiple data points, as well as employing tools capable of quickly and correctly identifying inaccuracies, are useful in this regard.
Employing automation for this process as much as possible will result in time and money savings. This will also improve the accuracy of the effort. Readily automated tasks include data entry, data extraction, backup creation, and report generation.
Having a predetermined strategy for updates will help keep pace with changes in the marketplace and customer base. Meanwhile, performing backups at regular intervals—and especially before implementing updates—provides a fallback position should an operation go awry and data be lost.
In Summary
Data hygiene, especially in the era of big data, is a critical undertaking that should be taken very seriously. Key to the proper functioning of any initiative involving the storage, retrieval, and usage of information, poor data hygiene will hamper the effectiveness of any organization.
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