Nobody sets out to have a messy database. It just happens. Someone types a postcode with a space missing, a reader subscribes twice with two email addresses, an office moves and three people at the old address carry on getting copies. Ten years later you've got duplicates, gone-aways and circulation figures you'd rather not defend in front of an auditor.
Avio doesn't wait for a big clean-up project. It checks the data, fixes what it safely can, and gives your team the tools to sort out the rest as they go.
Data quality scans
Pick a scan from the list, run it, and Avio shows you the records it flags. Scans cover:
- stray spaces in names and addresses;
- invalid email syntax and duplicate emails;
- invalid countries and bad UK postcodes;
- missing address lines;
- issues that haven't been run.
Many scans have a one-click AutoClean, so the dull fixes (trimming spaces, for instance) happen in a batch. Where a fix needs judgement, the scan gives you the list and a person decides.
The dashboard shows a summary of outstanding data quality issues, such as gone-aways and contacts with no email. Seeing the number every morning has a way of keeping it down.
Merge duplicates, keep the history
Duplicates are the classic problem. Two records for the same reader means two renewal notices, two copies, a confused customer and an inflated count.
Avio compares two contacts (or two addresses) side by side. You pick which record to keep, and the address and history are merged across. Nothing is thrown away: there's a full merge history, so you can always see what was merged into what.
Because people and addresses are separate records in Avio, you can also merge two versions of the same address without touching the people at it. More on that on the single customer view page.
The clipboard: gather, then act
Some tidy-ups don't come from a scan. You notice a pattern while working: half a dozen readers at a company that's rebranded, say. The clipboard lets you gather records as you go, then bulk-update names, emails or addresses in one go, or save them as a list for later. You can also add clipboard records straight to a corporate licence.
Preferences and status rules
Each contact has a dated, per-brand marketing preference history. Every opt-in and opt-out is recorded with its date, so you can show when consent was given or withdrawn.
Status rules take care of the cases nobody wants to get wrong. Mark a contact as deceased, for example, and Avio opts them out everywhere automatically. No relying on someone remembering to update each brand.
Gone-aways
Returned mail is flagged quickly, with separate flags for print and digital, and the flag clears when the address is fixed. That keeps your fulfilment files clean and stops postage being wasted on addresses that don't work. We've written more about the hidden cost in gone-aways and why they cost you.
Why it matters
Clean data isn't housekeeping for its own sake.
- Deliverability. Valid, de-duplicated email addresses mean your emails arrive.
- Accurate circulation. Duplicates and gone-aways distort your figures. Auditors notice. If an audit's coming, see how to prepare for an ABC audit.
- Compliant marketing. Dated preferences and automatic opt-outs mean you can defend who you contacted and why.
- Lower costs. Fewer wasted copies, fewer duplicate renewal notices.
Who uses this
Usually the circulation or data team, with customer service fixing records as they talk to readers. If you'd rather hand it over, our circulation and subscriptions bureau team does this kind of work every day.
Book an Avio demo and we'll run a scan and a merge for you.
Questions
What does Avio check for?
Stray spaces in names and addresses, invalid email syntax, duplicate emails, invalid countries, bad UK postcodes, missing address lines and issues that haven't been run.
Does it fix problems automatically?
Many scans have a one-click AutoClean. Others list the records for someone to check, because some fixes need a human.
Do we lose history when we merge two contacts?
No. You choose which record to keep, the history is merged across and Avio keeps a full merge history.
What happens when we mark someone as deceased?
Status rules opt the contact out of marketing everywhere, across every brand, automatically.