Clean data is vital to the success of your business

Data sucks. Even writing an article about data sucks. But that does not change the fact that clean data is vital to the success of your business. Unorganized and messy data is like a loaded M-16 without a trained Marine to pull the trigger...it’s useless.  It is up to you. Up to you to use your tech platforms to their full potential. Keeping data clean and consistent will help you sell more insurance, service more efficiently, and have the ability to leverage integrations that will supercharge your business.  

Data can get messy. The most important and most detrimental part of your business centers around client contact info. Without accurate and properly entered contact info, you are dead in the water. You can’t do anything. 

Does the following look familiar in your system? I hope not. Too often we see agencies using phone and email fields to record additional information.

Using the phone or email fields for anything other than that info is a major no-no. Understandably so, additional details need to be logged, but making notes in these fields messes up your data. More importantly, when you try to use this data in any other place, there is a high probability it will not transfer over and you will lose that contact info. If you are using phone and email fields incorrectly, stop doing this. Right now. Use them only for the contact info.

One helpful tip to implement when speaking to any client is to ask them if you have the most up-to-date info. This will keep you and your data in the know with the most accurate information, and also shows your clients you take communication seriously.

Maybe you’re wondering, how does accurate and clean data help me sell more insurance? Having the proper and up-to-date contact info along with details about what policies need following up on and when allows you to reach out to clients and prospects at the perfect time. The time when they are thinking about their insurance. If your data is messy you are going to miss out on the low-hanging fruit.

How does accurate and clean data help you service more efficiently? Without accurate contact info, how do you reach out to clients for anything? How do you contact them when a bill is past due, or when you have a product that will fit their needs, or anything really. If you are not able to get in touch, you are left waiting for the phone to ring.

Maybe the most important reason for keeping your data clean is to keep your agency nimble with what technology you decide to use. Insuretechs are growing, and growing fast. Without flawless data to use with these tools, they are useless. Designed to help you be more efficient in your day-to-day, these tools are making it easier for clients to engage with you, and that means more revenue. But these products are not miracle workers, they are not one click and done… there is an integration process to have your data flowing between systems. Remember this, if your data is not clean in one spot, it is not clean in all spots.

For your agency to succeed in this quickly changing landscape that is this digital age of insurance, make a conscious effort to clean up your data. Update the processes for how to use your systems and record data. What info will you put in each field, how will it be entered, what notes will you take, where will those be found? Once you have a clear system in place, you and your team will free up so much time and energy which can all be focussed on running a high-end agency of the future. 

Need any ideas for processes and procedures that can help your business with data? Find me on LinkedIn and let's get connected.