Every CRM decays. People change jobs, companies move, and every rep types data in their own way. After a year or two, nobody trusts the records, so nobody uses them, so they decay faster.
The good news is that most of the damage comes from a handful of problems, and each has a fix. Here are five, in the order we'd tackle them.
1. Standardise company names, then de-duplicate on UEN
Duplicate accounts are the most expensive data problem you have. Two reps call the same company. Reports double-count pipeline. Nobody knows which record is right.
Most duplicates come from inconsistent company names:
| What's in your CRM | What it really is |
|---|---|
| ABC Logistics Pte Ltd | ABC Logistics |
| ABC Logistics Pte. Ltd. | ABC Logistics |
| A.B.C. Logistics Private Limited | ABC Logistics |
| abc logistics (s) | ABC Logistics |
The fix:
- Create a clean version of each name for matching. Lower-case it, strip punctuation, and remove legal suffixes such as "Pte Ltd", "Pte. Ltd.", "Private Limited" and "(S)".
- Add a UEN field to every account and make it the primary key. Two records with the same UEN are the same company, whatever they're called.
- Merge duplicates, keeping the most complete record and its full activity history.
Once UEN is the key, set your CRM to warn or block when someone creates an account with a UEN that already exists.
2. Put every phone number in one format
"9123 4567", "+65-9123-4567", "65 91234567" and "(65) 9123 4567" are the same number. Your dialler, WhatsApp and de-duplication logic can't tell.
The fix: store every Singapore number in international format with no spaces, for example +6591234567. It's the format phone systems expect, and it makes matching exact.
While you're there, separate mobile numbers from office lines. In Singapore:
- numbers starting with 8 or 9 are mobile
- numbers starting with 6 are fixed lines
- numbers starting with 3 are typically internet-based lines
Knowing which is which matters for DNC checks, for whether WhatsApp is an option, and for your connect rates.
3. Fill the gaps with enrichment
Once records are clean, look at what's missing. The usual gaps are:
- no phone number, or only the main office line
- no industry or headcount, so you can't segment
- no UEN, so you can't de-duplicate or verify
- a contact name but no job title
The fix: enrich the records against a reliable source. Export the incomplete records, match them, and bring the missing fields back in.
Good matching works from the most reliable identifier down:
- UEN, an exact match
- Website domain, a very strong match
- Cleaned company name, a strong match
- Fuzzy company name, a possible match that needs review
Treat fuzzy matches with care. Review a sample before importing them.
4. Re-verify on a schedule, and archive what's stale
Data doesn't stay correct. A good rule of thumb: if a contact hasn't been verified in 12 months, treat it as suspect.
The fix:
- Add a "last verified" date to contacts and accounts.
- Re-verify key accounts every year, and before any big campaign.
- Check company status. If a company has been struck off, archive it.
- When a call reveals someone has left, update the record there and then, and ask who replaced them.
- Archive rather than delete stale records, so you keep the history.
5. Keep a suppression list and honour opt-outs
This is the one that keeps you out of trouble. If someone asks not to be contacted, that request needs to reach everyone on your team, in every tool you use.
The fix:
- Keep a single suppression list of phone numbers, emails and companies that must not be contacted.
- Sync unsubscribes from your email tool into your CRM automatically.
- Record DNC Registry check results with the date checked. Results are valid for 30 days.
- Check the suppression list before every campaign, list import and calling session.
Our PDPA and DNC guide covers the rules behind this in more detail.
Bonus: stop the mess coming back
Clean data only stays clean if you change how it's entered.
- Make key fields required, such as company, UEN and phone.
- Use dropdowns, not free text, for industry, country and company size.
- Validate phone numbers on entry.
- Give one person ownership of data quality, with a monthly review.
How SG Best Leads helps
Upload a CSV or Excel file and SG Best Leads fills in the gaps: UEN, industry, headcount, website, office and mobile numbers. We match by UEN first, then website domain, then company name, and show you a free preview of how many rows matched before you pay.
You're charged only for rows where we found data. You get your original file back with the new columns added, including a match status and confidence for every row.