Ah, duplicate records… We all have them. We all know they need to be merged and removed. But did you know that by not following through on cleanup, you not only risk alienating students but are also creating a roadblock to accurately measuring the success of your outreach efforts?
It’s true. Unmanaged duplicates can cause widespread issues, such as:
- Inaccurate ROI reports and analysis
- Impossible source attribution
- Poor user experience
- Decreased brand reputation
While the cause for these multiple records can be simple (a missing birthdate, multiple email addresses, parents filling out forms on behalf of their students — wait, that never happens, right? 😉 — misspelled names, etc.), finding and merging them can be anything but.
In fact, it can be tedious and time-consuming work that eats up your already limited resources. But, that being said, it’s critical work that must be completed while also focusing on how to prevent dupes from happening in the first place. Let’s dig in.
How Duplicates Are Created
Let’s take a look at just how easy it is for duplicates to be created.
Fred’s Journey With Spark University in Slate
October
Action: Fred appears in a purchased search list
Name: Fred McTesterson
Email: [email protected]
DOB: 1/1/2000
Result: Prospect Record Created
Source: Purchased List
November
Action: Fred meets a counselor on the road
Name: Fred McTesterson
Email: [email protected]
DOB: n/a
Result: NEW Prospect Record Created
Source: College Fair
Action: Fred registers for an event
Name: Fred McTesterson
Email: [email protected]
DOB: 1/1/2000
Result: NEW Prospect Record Created
Source: Visit
December
Action: Fred submits an application
Name: Frederick McTesterson
Email: [email protected]
DOB: 1/1/2000
Result: NEW Applicant Record Created
Now, if you’re using Slate, these four records will live separately until merged through the “consolidate records” tool. This means:
- Your ROI analysis for the purchased search list would not count Fred as an applicant
- Your visit stats would not show Fred engaging further down the funnel (post-visit)
- Your travel reports would not show Fred as an applicant
- Your applicant analysis would show Fred as a stealth app
This may seem like an extreme case, but even if you cut it down to two duplicates, Fred would be receiving two overlapping communication flows, possibly to the same email address. Not something we want to have happening.
What You Can Do About It
During recent conversations, we’ve noticed that people tend to think their CRM creates more duplicates than other or previous CRMs. But our team doesn’t think that’s true. The more advanced CRMs become, the more engagement channels students have with our institutions. Surveys, forms, landing pages, imported data — dozens of opportunities to connect means just as many opportunities to create bad data. So what can you do?
Actionable Next Steps
- Tackle the Hard Work
Maintain and constantly evaluate your database for duplicates - Collect Key Information Up Front
The four core fields include First Name, Last Name, Email, and DOB - Prepopulate Forms Whenever Possible
This goes for inquiry forms, event forms, and even your applications - Set Up More Robust Checks
What queries do you have that search your database for bad or missing data? - Gather Input
Who on campus has reported that their data seems a bit off? Dive into the root cause of these mismatches.
👉 Slate Users: Check your forms. Understand the key matching criteria (the four core fields listed above). Be sure you understand this process so you won’t need to clean up records later.
👉 Element451 Users: Automated data collection processes, like form submissions or API integrations, can create duplicates if not properly managed.
Call in Support
If you want to go a step further, reach out to the Spark451 team. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we’d be thrilled to share with you:
Deduplication Outside of Slate & Element451
Our experienced team of data professionals can screen your lead generation sources prior to import, removing any duplicates and helping ensure you’re importing clean data — the foundation of accurate and effective analysis!
Data Append Services
With our data append services, we can fill in the blanks when a student’s lead generation source includes incomplete information, leading to fewer missing email addresses and birthdates.
We’re Here to Help
At Spark451, we understand that admissions teams are spread thinner than ever, and that you may need a helping hand in order to implement new tactics or approaches. That’s where our flexible SparkAssist service comes in. Whether you want to learn with us to become an expert on all things Slate, Salesforce, or Element451, or hand us a project for onetime completion, no project is too big or too small. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out today!