Consolidate fifty separate Outlook files into a usable marketing database

Challenge  

A legal firm needed to consolidate their marketing contact information into one usable marketing database. The information was currently stored in fifty individual Outlook database files. After consolidation and the removal of duplicates, the marketing file was to be rationalized based on criteria provided by the firm. The contact information in the remaining records would then need to be standardized and enhanced.  

Solution  

Butler Data Solutions worked with the Director of Marketing to establish the easiest method for administrative assistants to export data out of each attorney’s personal Outlook file. The fifty individual files were sent to us and imported into a uniform file structure and manipulated so that the data was in the correct fields. Each individual file had a data element added to identify the source attorney. The fifty files were then combined into one file.  

Records in this file were reduced per criteria provided by the customer. Email addresses were verified with the non-deliverable and unsubscribes marked for updating. Mailing addresses in the file were standardized to conform to USPS element requirements, matched to the USPS master address list, and updated using the National Change of Address file. Those records without an email address and containing a non-deliverable postal address were deleted.

Duplicate records from within a source attorney's file were removed. Duplicates identified as having multiple source attorneys, were retained but marked for reconciliation. What was left became the master marketing file. 

Results  

There were a total of 31,000 records in the fifty Outlook files. 24,300 were eliminated using various criteria provided by the customer. Of the rest 1,021 were identified as non-deliverable by the USPS. 322 were identical duplicates from the same source attorney. Forty were foreign address and moved into a separate file. The 5,317 that remained became a solid foundation upon which the firm could build its future marketing.

 

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