65% Fewer Duplicates in 3 Weeks: How a B2B Insurance Team Cleaned Up HubSpot Data Chaos

Background: Duplicates Were Undermining CRM Accuracy

A fast-growing B2B insurance operation managing multiple policy types faced a surge in duplicate contacts inside HubSpot. As automation scaled, so did inconsistencies — small differences in policy fields, customer numbers, or creation dates caused duplicate records that inflated reports, broke segmentation, and confused sales teams.

The Problem: Broken Data = Broken Workflows

Duplicates weren’t just a reporting issue — they were disrupting every layer of operations:

• Contacts were duplicated when create dates or policy values varied slightly
  
• Blank or mismatched policy types led to contacts being dropped from workflows
  
• Customer numbers were missing or inconsistently entered, triggering false duplicates
  
• Sales and marketing teams lost confidence in reporting, automation, and contact ownership 

The team needed a scalable, proactive approach to detect, prevent, and clean up duplicates — without manual firefighting.

The Solution: Deduplication Logic Built Into HubSpot Workflows

We launched a comprehensive data hygiene initiative using HubSpot’s native tools, automation workflows, and field validation logic to stop duplicate contacts at the source — and clean up the existing CRM mess.

What We Built (Step-by-Step)

Found the Root of the Problem

• Audited duplicate records with mismatched create dates, blank policy types, or inconsistent customer numbers
  
• Identified high-risk duplication patterns caused by form fills across devices and CRM sync conflicts 

Standardized Policy Fields at the Form Level

• Created a canonical list of accepted policy types
  
• Applied dropdown menus and required fields to all relevant forms
  
• Enforced inclusion of customer numbers to ensure proper contact matching 

Added Smarter Contact Creation Logic

• Built HubSpot workflows to scan for existing contacts based on email, or name + customer number
  
• Triggered internal alerts for manual review when duplicates were flagged — especially for records with similar timestamps
  
• Used a multi-field match to reduce false positives and protect legitimate new contacts 

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Automated Cleanup with Recurring Dedupe Checks

• Created a smart list of suspected duplicates refreshed weekly
  
• Documented a rule-based process to identify which records to merge, suppress, or prioritize
  
• Enabled the marketing team to handle cleanup proactively, not reactively 

Results: Cleaner CRM, Clearer Reports, Happier Teams

• Duplicate contact rate dropped by 65% within three weeks
  
• Reporting and segmentation accuracy improved immediately with standardized fields
  
• New duplicates were proactively caught before they entered the system
  
• Sales and marketing experienced fewer conflicts and more reliable contact ownership

Key Takeaways

• Small data differences create big CRM problems — especially at scale
  
• Dropdown menus and required fields are the first defense against dirty data
  
• Building automated deduplication logic into HubSpot workflows creates sustainable hygiene 

Best Practices to Borrow

• Use multiple identifiers (email + customer number) in deduplication logic
  
• Lock down high-risk fields like policy type and customer ID at both form and workflow levels
• Implement real-time alerts and recurring checks to catch issues before they spread