Duplicates Part 1 - Prevention can help with the cure!

This is the first post in a three-part series about duplicate management.

Aaah! Duplicates! When it comes to duplicates and databases, I am reminded of the weeds in my garden. (It has been an unusually wet spring in my home base of Iowa.) However much I try, they seem to keep coming back!

Now in terms of “weeding” our Altru database, we have some great resources to help us manage duplicates. Some of my favs are the Masters Workshops on constituent record maintenance (notes and video) and duplicate management (notes and video). I should not forget to also mention Altru Champion Stephanie Henke’s excellent blog post on keeping data clean  - really useful!

I thought it would be helpful to approach duplicates from a different direction and tackle them at the source - even before they are created in the database. Constituent records are basically created through two processes based on who is doing the data entry: either by constituents themselves (online) or by staff/volunteers (sales/back office). Let us review the online process first.

Web forms are an invaluable channel in adding efficiency to your ticketing, membership, and fundraising operations because they connect directly with your Altru database and therefore eliminate the need for your staff to import data or assist in completing transactions. The challenge of this channel is it can result in duplicate constituent records being created because we do not have direct control on the data being entered by the Web form user. That being said, Altru does have built in mechanisms to reduce the number of duplicates: Altru will automatically connect the online transaction to an existing constituent if there is a more than a 93% match between the personal data in the form and an existing constituent record in Altru. However, it is inevitable that with variances in data entry that some existing constituents will slip through this match filter (how many times have you entered your information exactly the same way on a form?). One mechanism to eliminate these duplicates is to enable User Registration whereby Web form users can log in so Altru can pre-fill their personal information and connect the transaction to their original constituent record. We have a great Masters Workshop on this feature (notes and video). Let us review options on how we can be proactive in recruiting our most frequent users to sign up and log in.

Typically our most common online form users are members, as they are the most likely to use Web forms to renew their membership, but also to sign up for various activities and programs on offer. We can use the appeal process in Altru to send out an email blast to all of our active members that have an email address, but have not registered. This email (as in sample screenshot below) includes a convenient link for member to register online. By using this link within the email, Altru will directly connect the recipient’s constituent record to the online registration just entered.
If you are still in your implementation or customer success phase, please inquire with your consultant on how they can assist you with the set up. If you have already graduated from these phases, please use this how-to document to set up the process. Please contact Altru Support to review your configuration before sending out this first email. This way we can make sure all the selections and exceptions are set up correctly! We recommend sending this email on a monthly basis to make sure you are targeting all your members on a regular basis. As you fold this process into your communications schedule, you could also adjust your schedule to send out this email after a popular program so members have an incentive to register and therefore save themselves some time and pick up automatic discounts when they sign up for the next program.

One of the ways you can encourage members to register online is to set your ticketing membership discounts to automatic. This way members have to login to get the discounts through the online process. Be sure to include a brief, but noticeable, statement in the Web description of your programs eligible for member discounts explaining this functionality so members are not caught off guard. I recommend also slipping in a link to your membership Web form on these program forms; you should not be surprised if some non-members read about the automatic discount and decide to become members!

In your user registration sign up email, I would not be shy in explaining how registering online will benefit the member. By registering online, members will not only receive automatic discounts, but they will also have their information pre-filled into the Web form. You can also assure the member that they can reset their own password and will not have to contact you. It would not hurt to also slip in a mention that when members use online registration, it saves staff time and therefore gives them more time to focus on your institution’s mission. Remember, members are a core group of your supporters and most will not hesitate taking an extra step to support your cause.

Do not restrict your recruiting of online registration to just these emails. Include a reference to online registration in all your membership and program promotional materials. The convenience of an online channel and automatic discounts can be a great incentive for even non-members. So slip in a mention that non-members will receive the automatic discounts if they sign up for membership in the same transaction as they purchase tickets.

Let us switch to the other channel for data entry by staff or volunteers. This is much more manageable because we have greater control on the process. The first step is to make it easier for your team by including the tasks for adding constituent data into the script you have set up for team members to welcome visitors and process transactions at front line locations such as the admissions desk, gift shop, or even over the phone. For example the script to welcome visitors should include an inquiry if they are members or if they have visited before. This is especially important if the transaction is going to include collecting information such as program registration. Staff and volunteers also appreciate some built-in flexibility in the script so they can adjust this process if things get really busy. It is important that team members use the search function to see if the constituent already exist in the database. This way if the visitor has a record because they registered for a program or made a donation a couple of years ago, we can makes sure we are not creating unnecessary duplicates.

Team members should also become familiar with the mechanics of the search process in Altru. Remind those managing data entry that not all visitors introduce themselves or fill out every form the same way. For example a patron may mention their first name as “Ted” ─ but we may have him in the database as “Edward”. So while including first names in search fields is effective in reducing search results, it can also omit records.

Also be sure that your data entry protocol for front line staff includes some additional basic information such the patron phone number, email address, or full address.  The reason for this is that Altru will use that information to compare this record in real time against existing records and immediately alert the user with a duplicate resolution screen. In the screenshot below we can see how the same last name and phone number have triggered an alert for potential matches and therefore avoid entry of a duplicate:
If they get a large list of results they should refer to the additional fields provided in search results such as membership and address to identify if the record exists or there is an existing match. In any case, it would be a good idea that if time permits, the team member makes a note of this record and advises the development or membership teams to follow up and confirm the constituent record data is correct. I recommend leveraging the Altru help files on how to prevent duplicates  with best practices and workflow.

Hope these tips help you get an early start on preventing duplicates before they are created in your database and therefore saves you even more time on database maintenance. Now if I only had some similar tools to help with my garden...

Next time: Part 2: Identifying Duplicates in your Altru Database.