Data quality errors ‘can have a heavy cost’

Data quality errors affecting customer information can potentially have serious consequences for businesses.

This is according to a warning from Rick Sherman, founder of consultancy Athena IT Solutions, who told the Smart Data Collective website the issue is one that affects many organisations, including those in the financial and retail sectors.

He went on to point out some of the problems that can occur when data quality standards are not up to scratch at companies.

"There is a heavy cost when they annoy or outright lose customers because they can’t get all their account information correct," Mr Sherman said.

"It’s even more embarrassing to the firm when they cannot even get their customers’ names correct."

Earlier this week, Forrester analyst Rob Karel told Information Week that companies need to be clear on who in their organisation is responsible for dealing with data quality issues.

He suggested IT teams encourage all employees of a company to think about how they can help to improve standards.