Duplicate data in Salesforce (or “dupes”) are hands-down the commonest challenge that we’re known as in to wash up at Iceberg.
You would possibly suppose resolving duplicate data needs to be a fast and simple repair.
However as we’ll see on this article, deduping your data really takes extra tactical work than you’d anticipate.
As an example:
- How do you outline a reproduction lead should you promote to separate accounts who’re a part of the identical franchise?
- How do you retain your knowledge clear and duplicates at bay when a reproduction could be created by way of an API?
- Do it’s essential to automate the method? If that’s the case, what are the proper instruments for the job?
I’ll be masking these tactical gremlins on this article, in addition to providing you some sensible options to stopping and cleansing up duplicate leads in Salesforce.
Be part of the dialog: The right way to clear up duplicate data in Outreach.io 💬
What are duplicate leads?
Duplicate leads or data in Salesforce occur when the identical particular person or firm is entered into Salesforce greater than as soon as.
…proper?
Really, the definition of duplicate leads relies on your group.
I’ll provide you with two concrete eventualities to indicate you that I’m not intentionally nitpicking right here.
State of affairs 1: You promote ERP (Enterprise Useful resource Planning) software program to Fortune 100 corporations.
There’s no motive you’d ever deliberately create a number of accounts for an organization like GE. On this state of affairs, you can use the Account Identify subject to verify for duplicates. You understand that ‘GE’, ‘Normal Electrical’, and ‘GE Inc’ are all duplicates—a simple repair. Crafting your definition of a reproduction will likely be a comparatively simple course of.
State of affairs 2: You promote POS (Level of Sale) programs to particular person franchises.
There have been over 13,000 McDonald’s places within the US in 2019, so discovering two accounts with McDonald’s within the title doesn’t imply you’ve discovered a reproduction. On this state of affairs, your definition of a reproduction will have to be extra complicated.
Try my article: Do I Want Salesforce? Guidelines 📚
Finest practices for outlining duplicate leads in your org
It’s essential to assemble a clear, written definition of what a reproduction is earlier than shifting ahead.
Whereas “fuzzy” definitions could be helpful in some cases, they’ll’t be relied on. In case your definition leaves any room for interpretation or subjective judgment, you’ll wrestle to remove duplicates in a programmatic method.
Lastly, you also needs to bear in mind that there are various levels of duplicate leads. Some are full carbon copies of each other. Others include solely partially copied info.
And, as time goes on, one of many data could also be up to date — and the others not.
For instance, two data would possibly include the identical title, cellphone quantity, e mail, and many others. However as time goes on, solely a kind of data is up to date with new details about the shopper.
So watch out to maintain essentially the most up-to-date and correct report.
The right way to repair duplicate leads in Salesforce
The way in which you’ll resolve duplicates — and stop them within the first place — will rely on just a few components:
- What number of data you’re coping with
- What varieties of objects you’re working with (commonplace or customized)
- The numerous methods new data could be entered into Salesforce
Bear in mind after I stated the fixing duplicate leads was extra tactical than you’d think about?
You could be tremendous simply leveraging Salesforce’s built-in Duplicate Administration. However this instrument is certainly not with out its limitations. In lots of instances, you’ll want a customized repair (extra on that in a minute).
I’ll stroll you thru methods for managing duplicate data in Salesforce, each natively inside Salesforce and by way of third-party apps.
Associated: Information Governance: Salesforce Objects in Lead-to-Money Course of 📚
SALESFORCE NATIVE DUPLICATE MANAGEMENT
Salesforce has its personal native duplicate administration system for customers on the ‘Efficiency’ and ‘Limitless’ plans.
This might effectively be sufficient for many SMBs, who use commonplace objects and aren’t coping with enormous quantities of information.
If that is you, you’ll be able to arrange your personal guidelines instantly inside Salesforce for Accounts, Leads, and Contacts to assist keep away from duplication of data.
Professional tip: Bear in mind, establishing cross-object guidelines is essential as a result of many Leads can exist as Contacts and vice versa.
The right way to handle duplicates in Salesforce
Relying on the kind of report you’re making an attempt to dedupe (e.g. accounts, contacts, offers, and many others), the you’ll almost certainly need to give attention to e mail tackle and firm area.
Precise matches
For instance, you’ll be able to create a normal “Account Precise Identify” match that mechanically blocks or alerts a person if an account already exists with the identical title.
Professional: Easy and easy to arrange
Con: If in case you have slight variation in your account names, you’ll be able to nonetheless find yourself with a reproduction report. For instance, one SDR enters an organization’s title as “IBM,” however one other enters it as “Worldwide Enterprise Machines.”
Fuzzy guidelines
To keep away from the error above, attempt establishing a “fuzzy rule.” This rule will return matches when two fields are comparable, however not an actual match.
Professional: Fuzzy guidelines can floor duplicate accounts that “actual match” searches miss.
Con: Fuzzy logic, particularly when utilized to an object like Account Identify, is way from actual. So should you’re utilizing a fuzzy rule, pair it with further matching standards, like an tackle or e mail actual match. This can assist be sure that duplicates are returned from the server when using fuzzy logic.
Utilizing the information import wizard
One other straightforward method to keep away from creating duplicate contacts and leads is to import them by way of Salesforce’s Information Import Wizard.
This function mechanically prevents the creation of duplicate data utilizing the report’s e mail tackle as a singular identifier.
Avoiding cross-object duplication
Lastly, to keep away from cross-object duplication, you’ll be able to arrange guidelines corresponding to “Lead-to-Contact e mail actual match” and “Contact-to-Lead match” to alert customers to a possible cross-object duplicate.
Abstract: Limitations of Salesforce’s native duplication administration:
- It solely alerts when knowledge is entered manually. Which means if a possible duplicate is entered by way of an API, Salesforce will mechanically block it. You can then probably lose necessary knowledge with no third celebration resolution that may merge the 2 data
- It solely lets you create guidelines for normal objects so should you use customized objects you’ll want one other resolution
- It requires handbook assessment: any batch job carried out with Salesforce would require a handbook assessment which could be a enormous time suck and drain your assets. It may be possible for small corporations, nevertheless it’s not scalable
Conclusion: In addition to its Information Import Wizard, Salesforce doesn’t do an incredible job of offering out-of-the field deduplication instruments. So most organizations will find yourself buying third celebration software program/extensions.
I’ll stroll you thru my two favorites:
APPEXCHANGE – TAKING THINGS A STEP FURTHER
At Iceberg, we’ve experimented with just a few instruments from the Appexchange for duplication administration.
In the end, we’re fairly pleased with each Cloudingo (4.79 common ranking) & Leandata (4.93 common ranking).
Cloudingo
You should utilize Cloudingo to wash and dedupe giant portions of information which were entered previous to any creation of duplicate guidelines. It might additionally deal with mass dumps the dupe guidelines missed.
Professional: You’ll be able to scan your knowledge and auto-merge duplicates each week, day-after-day, and even each hour.
Con: A brand new duplicate can nonetheless trigger an issue throughout a small window of time earlier than the following automation runs.
Think about this situation:
You have got your each day cleanup automation scheduled to run at midnight.
Earlier within the day, a decision-maker at an present account with an necessary, energetic alternative downloads a whitepaper as a part of their analysis.
This motion triggers the creation of a brand new lead report in Salesforce, nevertheless it’s a reproduction of the present account report.
The brand new lead is mechanically routed to a Gross sales Growth Rep, who fails to verify the system for duplicates (in fact, this by no means occurs… proper?).
The SDR contacts the choice maker, which ends up in an embarrassing dialog—and an offended account govt.
What to do: If you would like your Salesforce occasion to remain clear sufficient to keep away from awkward eventualities like this, you’ll have to implement a system for real-time cleansing as effectively. Thankfully, there are applied sciences out there to assist with this, too.
LeanData
LeanData lets you create a workflow in your data which could be triggered at particular instances — like when a brand new report is created or when the information in a report is up to date.
These workflows could be configured to verify for duplicates, merge matching data, convert leads, replace fields, ship e mail alerts, and extra.
Professional: LeanData is tremendous strong, and its workflows supply complete duplicate decision and prevention.
Con: This instrument is so strong that attending to grips with among the logic could be difficult.
…however we actually suggest sticking it out as it could turn into a useful instrument in your group.
Which resolution is best for you?
I hope by now you’ll be able to see that deduping your data isn’t a easy in-and-out course of and with out taking the time to contemplate your necessities you’ll be able to find yourself paying huge when it comes to knowledge integrity and wasted assets.
Nobody particular person, plan, or instrument can assure a duplicate-free Salesforce occasion. However with the proper applied sciences and implementation plan, it’s attainable to search out and proper nearly all of duplications.
So earlier than leaping into begin deduplicating your data bear in mind these key factors:
- Create a transparent definition of what a reproduction report is
- Analyze your wants, the way you’re getting into knowledge, and what number of data you’re dealing with to grasp what resolution(s) will work greatest for you
- Make use of a instrument that can retroactively clear present duplicates and shortly discover and repair future duplicates
Iceberg is all the time completely satisfied to assist scaling corporations clear up their Salesforce cases and assist them construct options to assist their progress.
