What is data cleansing?
Data cleansing is the way to find and put right, or remove,
dirty data. Dirty data is anything irrelevant, incorrect, incomplete or
inaccurate in a database (or a record, set or table). The process of data
cleansing results in data sets consistent with the other sets in the system. To
put it simply, the single greatest benefit that can come from a business having
its data cleansed is accuracy, and especially in accuracy of communication.
Why is it important?
A business with corrupt addresses in its database will waste
money with mail shots that go nowhere and lose custom from those clients whose
details have become scrambled. Potential customers may be put off if a business
sends them duplicated information. Equally, they will not be impressed by a business
that sends letters to the previous occupiers of their new house. Nor will they
be pleased if they receive advertising matter when they have specifically
requested that such information not be sent to them, or if they receive
telephone calls or faxes when they have indicated they do not wish for this to
occur. As for a business that continues to communicate with a person who has
died - well, the term public relations disaster is not too strong. Data
cleansing can help businesses avoid all these mistakes.
Data cleansing techniques can help businesses locate old
customers who have moved to a new location.
Some types of Data Cleansing:
Postcode and Address Enhancement
A business's database of addresses is compared to the Royal
Mail Postal Address File and corrected. Wrong addresses are removed and
replaced by the correct addresses. This is so a company's mail goes to the
person who is supposed to receive it.
Databases tend to retain redundant information, especially
that which has been recorded several times. As well as using up storage space,
this duplicated data can lead to confusion and multiple mailings that irritate
and annoy those who receive them. Data Cleansing detects and then removes the
duplicated information, freeing up space and making it easier to achieve
effective communication.
Goneaway Suppression
This data cleansing technique helps companies to keep track
of their customers and ensure that mail is sent to the correct address. Again,
the company's address database is compared with large national resources that
record changes of address and errors rectified.
Deceased Suppression
The names of a company's customers are checked against
national registers of the deceased and the names of customers who have died are
removed. The company thus avoids badgering the recently bereaved, a worthy
enough aim and also, incidentally, avoids making an error which reflects
adversely on its professionalism.
Movers
Information collected by the Royal Mail from their mail
redirection request forms is used to update and correct the company's database.
This enables the company to re-establish contact with old customers who have
moved away.
MPS, TPS and FPS Suppression
The Mailing Preference Service, the Telephone Preference
Service and the Faxes Preference Service all provide customers with a way of
saying that they do not wish to receive mail, telephone calls or faxes from
companies. The company that ignores these preferences will at best look
unprofessional and will at worst be in fact breaking the law.
Telephone Number Appending
This enables companies to find the personal telephone number
of a customer.
Clearly, there are many benefits for the company which
engages in data cleansing. With an up-to-date database, a company can direct
its time and resources where they are most needed - on serving the needs of
existing customers.
Databases tend to retain redundant information, especially
that which has been recorded several times. As well as using up storage space,
this duplicated data can lead to confusion and multiple mailings that irritate
and annoy those who receive them. Data Cleansing detects and then removes the
duplicated information, freeing up space and making it easier to achieve
effective communication.
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