Best practice: How do I keep my data tidy?
Maintaining clean, organised contact data in the correct fields is one of the best ways to keep your system running smoothly. Good data habits improve efficiency, reduce errors, and make day‑to‑day administration quicker and easier for your whole team
Why keeping your data tidy matters
Improved search and reporting
Clean data makes it easier to find the right people quickly and ensures your search results are more reliable.
Information stored in the right place
When details are entered correctly, you always know where to look for names, emails, phone numbers, and other key information.
Accurate communications
Placeholders used in emails and messages will display the correct names and personal details, helping communications look professional and personalised.
Better accuracy for bulk updates
Mass updates, imports, and data mapping are much more reliable when contact data is consistent and correctly formatted.
Reduced admin time
Accurate records prevent duplicate entries and reduce the need for manual corrections later.
Improved member experience
Members are less likely to encounter issues when their information is correct and up to date.
Keeping contact details accurate
Contact names should reflect the real name of the person, without additional notes, symbols, or extra words. Here are some examples of what to avoid putting in contacts’ name fields:
- Membership notes or numbers
- Team names
- Payment references
- Unnecessary characters or placeholders
Your contacts can manage their own personal details via the Thrive4 member portal or app. However, if you notice inaccuracies, full admins can update these on their behalf:
- Search for a contact and click their name
- Within the ‘Details’ section, click the pen icon
- Update the field as needed and ‘Save’
Gymnastics insurance
If your organisation uses the Gymnastics insurance feature, keeping contact names accurate is even more important.
When importing insurance data, Thrive4 matches contacts based on first and last name, date of birth, and postcode. Accurate contact details (especially names) help ensure the import process runs smoothly.
Before importing your insurance provider’s data for the first time, we recommend reviewing your contacts to:
- Correct typos
- Remove unnecessary characters or words
- Ensure names in Thrive4 match your insurance file format
The more closely aligned your contact names are across systems, the less time you will need to spend manually matching records during the import.