Author – Ken Hobson.
Accurate Data in, Value out: Why clean CRM data is the fuel for every AI workflow

Why AI Loves Clean Data

Artificial intelligence can only work with what you give it. Feed your AI tools messy, outdated, or duplicated contact records and you’ll get skewed insights, irrelevant property matches, and wasted marketing dollars. Give them well-organised, up-to-date data and they’ll:

• Predict seller and buyer intent with greater accuracy

• Generate hyper-personalised marketing that converts

• Automate admin without embarrassing errors

• Deliver better client experiences, boosting repeat and referral business

In short, pristine data turns AI from a gimmick into a genuine profit driver for your agency.

What Counts as “Dirty” Data?

Even the best CRMs collect clutter over time. Watch for these common culprits:

• Duplicates: Same person recorded twice under slight name or email variations

• Inaccurate details: Wrong phone numbers, misspelt street names, outdated suburbs after boundary changes

• Missing fields: Blank email addresses, unknown buyer criteria, no consent flags

• Inconsistent formats: “Tce” vs “Terrace”, “QLD” vs “Queensland”

• Stale contacts: Leads that bounced or haven’t engaged in years

Each issue chips away at your AI’s ability to learn patterns and make smart predictions.

How Bad Data Hurts Your AI—And Your Bottom Line

• Mis-scored leads: AI ranks an uncontactable prospect as “hot”, wasting call time

• Poor property matches: Buyers get listings outside their price range or location

• Spam complaints: Email sends to typos or opt-outs damage deliverability

• Wrong market insights: Price predictions miss the mark because past sales are mislabelled

• Compliance risk: Privacy Act breaches from emailing people without proper consent

Remember: garbage in, garbage out. A couple of minutes cleaning now can save hours—and headaches—later.

Quick Health Check: Is Your CRM Clean?

Run this five-minute audit:

1. Random sample: Pick 20 recent contacts—are names, numbers, and suburbs correct?

2. Duplicate finder: Does your CRM flag records with the same email or mobile?

3. Bounce rate: Check last month’s email campaign—anything over 2% needs attention.

4. Empty fields: What percentage of contacts lack a postcode or buyer type?

5. Opt-in status: Can you prove consent for every marketing email?

If you wince at any step, it’s time for a spring-clean.

Six-Step Data-Cleansing Routine 

Use this repeatable workflow to get (and keep) your data in peak condition:

1. Export and back-up

   • Always save a full copy before bulk editing.

2. Standardise formats

   • Pick one style: “New Farm QLD 4005” not “New Farm, Queensland”.

   • Use your CRM’s global replace tool or spreadsheet functions (e.g., Find/Replace “Tce” with “Terrace”).

3. Deduplicate

   • Match on email, mobile, and name.

   • Merge records so you keep notes, tags, and activity history.

4. Validate key fields

   • Phone verifier add-ons can flag disconnected numbers.

   • Australia-Post API lookups confirm address accuracy.

5. Enrich gaps

   • Append missing suburbs, property preferences, or anniversaries via quick calls, SMS check-ins, or data providers.

6. Set up ongoing rules

   • Mandatory fields for new leads (email, mobile, suburb).

   • Automated duplicate alerts.

   • Monthly report on bounced emails and inactive contacts.

Keeping It Clean: Everyday Habits

• Train the team—make “no junk data” part of your onboarding checklist.

• Use web forms that validate addresses and require essential fields.

• Automate reminders for agents to update notes after inspections.

• Schedule quarterly reviews—block one hour to run the six-step routine.

• Connect systems properly—sync your website, open-home apps, and marketing platforms so updates flow both ways.

Real-World Win: Clean Data in Action

Brisbane boutique agency Example Realty cleans its 15 000-contact CRM every quarter. After deduplicating and adding buyer price brackets:

• Their AI lead-scoring model pinpointed 27 “likely sellers” who listed within three months.

• Email open rates jumped 14% because stale addresses were pruned.

• AI-generated property alerts matched buyers’ budgets more closely, cutting days on market by seven days compared with last year.

The result? More listings, faster sales, and happier clients—all powered by tidy data.

Key Takeaways for Busy Agents

• AI is only as smart as the information you feed it.

• Regular data-cleansing is not boring admin—it’s revenue protection.

• Follow the six-step routine and build habits (mandatory fields, duplicate alerts).

• Clean CRM data boosts AI accuracy, marketing performance, compliance, and client trust.

Make “Accurate Data in, Value out” your motto, and watch every AI workflow – from lead scoring to personalised property matching—deliver results that move the needle for your business.