Article
Clean your CRM so AI can actually use it.
Garbage data turns AI features into expensive noise. Fix the data first.
Why this matters
Every AI feature your CRM ships (auto-summaries, next-best-action, lead scoring) depends on the data underneath. If half your contacts have no company, your owner field is stale, and notes live in someone's Notion, AI will confidently surface nonsense.
What to do
- Pick 5–10 fields that actually matter (company, owner, stage, last-contact, ICP fit) and make them required where it makes sense.
- Run a one-time cleanup pass to fill or archive bad records.
- Add a weekly "data hygiene" check: 15 minutes for a designated owner.
- Only after the data is clean should you turn on AI features.
Common pitfalls
- Don't track 40 fields; you won't maintain them.
- Don't let reps invent their own values; use dropdowns.
- Don't merge contacts blindly with AI; review merges manually until you trust the tool.
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- Roll out AI coding assistants without chaos. — Make engineers more productive with Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot, without breaking review.
- Prototype with AI before committing to a roadmap. — Build a throwaway version in days to validate the idea before quarter-long builds.
