Your customer database is one of the most valuable assets in your business — but only if the data inside it is accurate, current, and complete. The problem is that customer information changes constantly. People switch phone numbers, update email addresses, move to new homes, change jobs, and evolve in their buying behaviors.
This natural deterioration of records is known as data decay, and if you’re not updating your database regularly, it can quickly reduce the effectiveness of your marketing and sales efforts.
So how often should you update your customer database? The short answer: more often than you think. Let’s break it down.
What Causes Your Customer Data to Go Out of Date?
Customer data rarely stays stable for long. On average:
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Email addresses decay at 20–30% per year
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Phone numbers change at 25% per year
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Direct mail addresses shift at 15–20% per year
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B2B job roles and titles change at 60–70% per year
These natural changes make it essential to keep your CRM, marketing list, or customer dataset refreshed.
If you want a deeper understanding of why data becomes inaccurate, you can read Data Decay Explained: Why Your Lists Go Stale (And How to Fix It).
How Often Should You Update Your Customer Database? (Recommended Frequency)
The right update schedule depends on your industry, campaign volume, and data sources — but here’s the general standard most successful marketers follow:
✔ Every 90 Days
This is ideal for businesses that rely heavily on:
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outbound sales
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telemarketing
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high-volume email campaigns
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direct mail
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data-driven segmentation
If you’re actively marketing, updating every quarter helps keep contact rates high and bounce rates low.
✔ Every 180 Days
This works well for:
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moderate outbound teams
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seasonal campaigns
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businesses with steady, predictable customer engagement
✔ Once Per Year (Minimum)
This is the bare minimum for any company storing customer or prospect data, even if outreach is infrequent.
If you wait longer than 12 months, your CRM accuracy can drop below 50%.
Signs Your Customer Database Needs an Update Now
Even if you're on a schedule, your data may need updating sooner. Look for:
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rising email bounce rates
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declining telemarketing contact rates
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poor response to direct mail
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segmentation becoming less accurate
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duplicate or inconsistent records
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sales reps complaining about “bad leads”
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mismatched data across systems
If any of these sound familiar, your data is aging faster than expected.
You can also reference Understanding the Importance of Data Quality in Marketing Campaigns for a deeper look into how poor data impacts results.
How to Keep Your Customer Database Updated
Updating customer data isn’t just about fixing mistakes — it's about strengthening the entire dataset so it stays reliable for future campaigns.
Here are the best methods:
1. Use Data Enrichment to Fill In Missing Details
Data enrichment adds updated contact information, demographics, firmographic details, or other attributes to your existing records.
It helps turn incomplete data into actionable profiles.
To learn more, check out What Is Data Enrichment? Turn Raw Data Into Sales Conversations.
2. Append Missing Contact Information
Appending is one of the fastest ways to restore usability to your CRM.
You can append:
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phone numbers
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email addresses
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mailing addresses
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demographic fields
If you want to expand your multichannel outreach, enrichment and append services work extremely well together.
For more details, see Comprehensive Data Append Services.
3. Validate and Clean Your Existing Records
Validation identifies and removes:
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invalid phone numbers
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dead email addresses
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outdated mailing addresses
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duplicates
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inconsistent formatting
Clean data reduces waste across every marketing channel.
A great follow-up guide is Telemarketing List Hygiene: How to Clean and Optimize Your Contact Data.
4. Refresh Your Purchased Lists
If you're relying on data you bought in the past, remember that:
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even great data only stays fresh for a limited time
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high-volume outreach accelerates decay
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active campaigns require active updates
A refreshed list will always outperform an aging one.
Before purchasing new data or refreshing old lists, it's worth reviewing Your Ultimate Guide to Purchasing Marketing Lists.
5. Use High-Quality, Frequently Updated Data Sources
The better your provider’s refresh cycle, the less you have to worry about outdated records.
Gemstone Data regularly updates consumer and business databases so your campaigns start with cleaner, higher-quality information.
If you're preparing for your next campaign, consider requesting Get a Custom Quote for Accurate, Up-to-Date Consumer Leads.
Final Thoughts
Customer data is living data — it’s always changing. The companies that update their databases regularly experience:
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higher email deliverability
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stronger segmentation
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better phone contact rates
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improved personalization
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fewer wasted marketing dollars
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more efficient sales operations
If you want your marketing and sales efforts to produce real results, keeping your customer database updated is one of the smartest investments you can make.