8 Signs your CRM needs a cleanup
When we work with clients to fix their HubSpot setup, these are the main signs that their CRM needs some serious cleaning:
1. Sales and marketing complaints: duplicate records and missing info waste hours and frustrate teams
If your sales and marketing teams are always grumbling about duplicate records or missing info, it means they’re spending more time fixing data than selling or marketing, which hits productivity hard.
Tip: Listen to your team's feedback regularly and make data cleanliness a priority by giving them the tools they need.
2. Inconsistent reports: mismatched sales data leads to poor forecasts and misallocated resources
When your sales reports and customer insights don’t add up, it leads to bad decisions and wrong forecasts, messing up your plans and resource allocation.
Tip: Regularly audit your reports in HubSpot for accuracy and use automated tools to ensure clean, standardized data in your CRM.
3. High email bounce rates: outdated addresses cause wasted campaigns and lower conversions
Lots of marketing emails bouncing back because of incorrect or outdated addresses waste your marketing efforts and lower engagement and conversion rates.
Tip: Keep your contact information updated and verified, using email verification tools to clean your email lists before sending campaigns.
4. Lots of manual workarounds: employees rely on personal systems, causing data chaos
If employees are using their own spreadsheets or tracking systems because they can't trust the CRM data, it leads to inefficiency and errors, as important data isn’t centralized or easy to find.
Tip: Streamline CRM processes to make it the go-to place for data and provide training to ensure everyone knows how to use the CRM correctly and understands why data integrity matters.
5. Wasted time handling errors: your teams spend days cleaning data instead of closing deals
Teams spending a lot of time searching for, correcting, or cleaning data divert their attention from more important tasks like engaging with customers and closing deals.
Tip: Use automation tools to handle routine data maintenance tasks, freeing up your team to focus on higher-value work and reducing human error.
6. Low CRM adoption rates: messy CRM discourages use, leading to scattered, unreliable data
If HubSpot is messy, users are often reluctant to use it, or use it properly, and are usually less likely to bother updating data or logging activities (a “what’s the point?” mentality). When many team members avoid using the CRM because they find it unreliable or hard to use, it means your CRM isn’t being used to its full potential, leading to scattered data and missed opportunities.
Tip: Make the CRM user-friendly by simplifying data entry forms and providing good training, encouraging a culture that values data quality.
7. Customer complaints: Incorrect info and duplicate messages damage customer trust and loyalty
Customers getting incorrect info, duplicate messages, or irrelevant offers erodes trust and hurts your brand reputation, possibly losing you business.
Tip: Regularly check customer communication logs for errors, implement strict data validation rules, and make sure all customer-facing teams know the importance of accurate data entry.
8. You’re not using lifecycle stages: untracked sales stages lead to missed follow-ups and lost sales
If your team isn’t using lifecycle stages, you’re likely losing track of where contacts are in your sales process. This can lead to missed opportunities and sloppy follow-ups.
Tip: Make sure all contacts are properly categorized by their lifecycle stage to keep your sales efforts on point and your communication clear.
Make sure you’re building a scalable system
It’s easy for your CRM to become a tangled web of messy data, underutilized features, and overly complicated processes. Make sure your managing it effectively:
- Standardize your processes: Develop and implement standardized processes for managing data, such as how leads are labelled, categorized, and moved through your system. This also means making sure all team members have a clear understanding of your customer journey map!
- Update database regularly: Keeping your database updated and logging activities is key to making HubSpot work for you.
- Track everything: Accurate records help you understand what’s effective and with whom, so you can repeat your successes as you grow.
- Audit for accuracy: Regularly review your CRM data to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date.
- Eliminate duplicates: Use your CRM’s automated tools to find and remove duplicate entries.
If your HubSpot CRM is messy and you know it, don’t wait: fix it now. The longer you wait, the further you fall behind, and the more broken and convoluted your setup will become.
Get started with our Fix My HubSpot service today to transform your CRM experience, turning it from a source of frustration into a powerhouse of efficiency and results. We dive deep into your current setup, identify key issues, and restructure your CRM environment to align with your business goals.