Data Enrichment

Data enrichment is the process of taking your existing CRM records and filling in the blanks with third-party data. You have a company name and domain — enrichment adds employee count, revenue range, industry, tech stack, and funding data. You have a contact name and email — enrichment adds title, phone number, LinkedIn URL, and seniority level. The goal is complete, accurate records that power routing, scoring, segmentation, and outreach.

Enrichment is distinct from data cleansing (fixing what you have) and data hygiene (ongoing maintenance). Cleansing corrects errors in existing fields. Enrichment fills fields that were never populated. In practice, you need both — cleanse first, then enrich, then maintain through ongoing data hygiene processes.

Enrichment Approaches

• Single-source enrichment: One provider covers all your needs. ZoomInfo is the classic example — massive database, broad coverage, one contract. Simple to manage but you're locked into one provider's data quality and coverage gaps.
• Waterfall enrichment: Query multiple providers in sequence — if Provider A doesn't have the data, try Provider B, then C. Clay popularized this approach, letting you chain 50+ enrichment sources in a single workflow. Higher match rates but more complex to build and maintain.
• Managed enrichment services: Outsource the entire enrichment process to a team that handles provider selection, waterfall logic, validation, and ongoing refresh. Higher cost but zero operational burden on your RevOps team.

When to Enrich

• Inbound lead capture: Enrich immediately on form submission to enable real-time routing and scoring. A lead with just an email becomes a fully qualified record with company size, tech stack, and seniority in seconds.
• Pre-outbound: Enrich target account lists before SDR sequences. Reps armed with technographic and intent data write better emails and prioritize the right accounts.
• Ongoing refresh: Schedule quarterly re-enrichment of your active database. People change jobs, companies grow, tech stacks evolve. Stale data degrades everything downstream.

For tool comparisons, see Clay, ZoomInfo, and the full tools directory.