Duplicate information in Salesforce (or “dupes”) are hands-down the most typical difficulty that we’re referred to as in to wash up at Iceberg.
You would possibly assume resolving duplicate information must be a fast and straightforward repair.
However as we’ll see on this article, deduping your information really takes extra tactical work than you’d count on.
For example:
- How do you outline a replica lead in the event 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 replica could be created by way of an API?
- Do you might want to automate the method? In that 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: clear up duplicate information in Outreach.io 💬
What are duplicate leads?
Duplicate leads or information in Salesforce occur when the identical individual 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 point out 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’ll ever deliberately create a number of accounts for a corporation like GE. On this state of affairs, you could possibly use the Account Title discipline to test for duplicates. You already know that ‘GE’, ‘Common Electrical’, and ‘GE Inc’ are all duplicates—a straightforward repair. Crafting your definition of a replica will likely be a comparatively easy course of.
State of affairs 2: You promote POS (Level of Sale) methods to particular person franchises.
There have been over 13,000 McDonald’s areas within the US in 2019, so discovering two accounts with McDonald’s within the identify doesn’t imply you’ve discovered a replica. On this state of affairs, your definition of a replica will should be extra complicated.
Take a look at my article: Do I Want Salesforce? Guidelines 📚
Greatest practices for outlining duplicate leads in your org
It’s essential to assemble a clear, written definition of what a replica is earlier than transferring ahead.
Whereas “fuzzy” definitions may be helpful in some situations, they’ll’t be relied on. In case your definition leaves any room for interpretation or subjective judgment, you’ll wrestle to eradicate duplicates in a programmatic means.
Lastly, you must also remember that there are various levels of duplicate leads. Some are full carbon copies of each other. Others include solely partially copied data.
And, as time goes on, one of many information could also be up to date — and the others not.
For instance, two information would possibly include the identical identify, telephone quantity, electronic mail, and so on. However as time goes on, solely a type of information is up to date with new details about the shopper.
So watch out to maintain probably the most up-to-date and correct file.
repair duplicate leads in Salesforce
The best way you’ll resolve duplicates — and forestall them within the first place — will rely upon a couple of elements:
- What number of information you’re coping with
- What varieties of objects you’re working with (customary or customized)
- The numerous methods new information may be entered into Salesforce
Keep in mind once I mentioned the fixing duplicate leads was extra tactical than you’d think about?
You could be high quality simply leveraging Salesforce’s built-in Duplicate Administration. However this software is certainly not with out its limitations. In lots of circumstances, you’ll want a customized repair (extra on that in a minute).
I’ll stroll you thru methods for managing duplicate information in Salesforce, each natively inside Salesforce and by way of third-party apps.
Associated: Knowledge 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 nicely be sufficient for many SMBs, who use customary objects and aren’t coping with enormous quantities of information.
If that is you, you possibly can arrange your individual guidelines immediately inside Salesforce for Accounts, Leads, and Contacts to assist keep away from duplication of information.
Professional tip: Keep in mind, establishing cross-object guidelines is essential as a result of many Leads can exist as Contacts and vice versa.
handle duplicates in Salesforce
Relying on the kind of file you’re making an attempt to dedupe (e.g. accounts, contacts, offers, and so on), the you’ll most certainly wish to concentrate on electronic mail tackle and firm area.
Actual matches
For instance, you possibly can create a typical “Account Actual Title” match that mechanically blocks or alerts a consumer if an account already exists with the identical identify.
Professional: Easy and easy to arrange
Con: When you have slight variation in your account names, you possibly can nonetheless find yourself with a replica file. For instance, one SDR enters an organization’s identify 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 a precise match.
Professional: Fuzzy guidelines can floor duplicate accounts that “precise match” searches miss.
Con: Fuzzy logic, particularly when utilized to an object like Account Title, is much from precise. So in the event you’re utilizing a fuzzy rule, pair it with further matching standards, like an tackle or electronic mail precise match. This may help be certain that duplicates are returned from the server when using fuzzy logic.
Utilizing the info import wizard
One other simple method to keep away from creating duplicate contacts and leads is to import them by way of Salesforce’s Knowledge Import Wizard.
This characteristic mechanically prevents the creation of duplicate information utilizing the file’s electronic mail tackle as a singular identifier.
Avoiding cross-object duplication
Lastly, to keep away from cross-object duplication, you possibly can arrange guidelines reminiscent of “Lead-to-Contact electronic mail precise 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 may then probably lose essential knowledge with no third occasion answer that may merge the 2 information
- It solely permits you to create guidelines for normal objects so in the event you use customized objects you’ll want one other answer
- It requires guide evaluate: any batch job completed with Salesforce would require a guide evaluate which generally is a enormous time suck and drain your assets. It may be possible for small corporations, nevertheless it’s not scalable
Conclusion: Moreover its Knowledge Import Wizard, Salesforce doesn’t do an awesome job of offering out-of-the field deduplication instruments. So most organizations will find yourself buying third occasion software program/extensions.
I’ll stroll you thru my two favorites:
APPEXCHANGE – TAKING THINGS A STEP FURTHER
At Iceberg, we’ve experimented with a couple of instruments from the Appexchange for duplication administration.
Finally, we’re fairly pleased with each Cloudingo (4.79 common ranking) & Leandata (4.93 common ranking).
Cloudingo
You need to use Cloudingo to wash and dedupe massive portions of information which were entered previous to any creation of duplicate guidelines. It may well 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 subsequent automation runs.
Think about this state of affairs:
You may have your every day cleanup automation scheduled to run at midnight.
Earlier within the day, a decision-maker at an present account with an essential, energetic alternative downloads a whitepaper as a part of their analysis.
This motion triggers the creation of a brand new lead file in Salesforce, nevertheless it’s a replica of the prevailing account file.
The brand new lead is mechanically routed to a Gross sales Growth Rep, who fails to test the system for duplicates (after all, 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’d 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 nicely. Fortuitously, there are applied sciences obtainable to assist with this, too.
LeanData
LeanData permits you to create a workflow in your information which may be triggered at particular instances — like when a brand new file is created or when the info in a file is up to date.
These workflows may be configured to test for duplicates, merge matching information, convert leads, replace fields, ship electronic mail alerts, and extra.
Professional: LeanData is tremendous strong, and its workflows supply complete duplicate decision and prevention.
Con: This software is so strong that attending to grips with a few of the logic may be difficult.
…however we actually suggest sticking it out as it will probably develop into a useful software in your group.
Which answer is best for you?
I hope by now you possibly can see that deduping your information isn’t a easy in-and-out course of and with out taking the time to think about your necessities you possibly can find yourself paying huge by way of knowledge integrity and wasted assets.
Nobody individual, plan, or software can assure a duplicate-free Salesforce occasion. However with the appropriate applied sciences and implementation plan, it’s potential to seek out and proper nearly all of duplications.
So earlier than leaping into begin deduplicating your information bear in mind these key factors:
- Create a transparent definition of what a replica file is
- Analyze your wants, the way you’re getting into knowledge, and what number of information you’re dealing with to know what answer(s) will work finest for you
- Make use of a software that may retroactively clear present duplicates and rapidly discover and repair future duplicates
Iceberg is all the time joyful to assist scaling corporations clear up their Salesforce situations and assist them construct options to assist their progress.
