Brenda Linhares - Partner & CMO @Insight Sales
TL;DR
HubSpot’s Data Quality Command Center centralizes duplicate detection, formatting suggestions, missing/enrichment gaps, and property anomaly monitoring. Turn on weekly digests and command-center alerts, fix issues with a lightweight remediation workflow (native first, partner apps when you scale), enforce property governance at creation time, and track a small set of data-quality KPIs on an exec-facing dashboard.
What the Data Quality Command Center Actually Does
The Command Center provides one place to monitor and clean CRM data: duplicate contacts/companies, formatting issues, missing data / enrichment coverage, and property anomalies (Pro/Enterprise). It’s permission-controlled—admins can grant Data quality tools access so non-super-admins can use it.
Why it matters: It turns “hunt-and-peck” cleanup into a repeatable operational routine with alerts, tables you can filter, and quick actions for fixes.
Turn On the Signals: Alerts & Weekly Digest
- Alerts from the Command Center. Since March 2024 you can configure notifications for new duplicates and other data issues directly in the Command Center.
- Weekly Data Quality Digest. HubSpot emails a weekly summary: data alerts, duplicates, formatting suggestions, and properties, so you spot trends and prioritize workload.
Remediation Playbook: From Alert → Fix → Audit
1) Duplicates (Contacts/Companies/etc.)
Start with HubSpot’s Manage duplicates flow to review and merge, then document “match rules” you trust (email, domain, phone). When volume/edge cases grow, extend with partner tools that add bulk jobs, custom matching, and automation (e.g., Insycle).
Why Insycle at scale: It supports bulk merges and advanced matching (similar/partial field logic), and covers tickets/deals too—useful beyond the basic UI.
2) Formatting & Missing Data
Use the Formatting issues view to normalize names, phones, addresses, and more. 2025 updates added more control over which issue types HubSpot monitors—lean on that to reduce noise. For Missing data, list incomplete records and fix in bulk or loop in ops owners.
3) Workflow-Driven Fixes (Make Clean the Default)
Create workflows that normalize values on the way in (e.g., title-case names, standardize countries, strip punctuation in phones). That way, every import/form sync lands clean by design—not just after a cleanup sprint.
4) Audit & Momentum
Use the Command Center’s tables + your weekly digest to track issue volume over time and confirm merges/fixes are trending down. Keep short notes of what you fixed and why (your ops runbook).
Property Governance: Create, Control, and Sunset
Strong data quality starts with who can create/edit properties and how. In 2025, HubSpot made it easier to set view/edit access—including choosing access at property creation—so you can restrict noisy, duplicative fields from day one. Apply this for contacts, companies, deals, tickets, and custom objects.
If you’re leaning into Breeze (HubSpot’s AI updates from INBOUND 2024), fold those workflows into your governance: define allowed property types/naming patterns and how enrichment feeds the Command Center.
Data-Quality KPIs That Actually Matter
Track a focused set tied to Command Center signals and your SLA:
- Duplicate rate = records with duplicate alerts / total records
- Formatting issue rate = records flagged / total records
- Missing-data rate for required properties (by object)
- Property anomaly count (weekly)
- Median time-to-remediate (alert → resolved)
- Automation coverage = % of fixes done by workflows
Use the weekly data quality digest for top-line trend and combine with command-center tables + reports to build your month-over-month view.
Dashboards & Digest: Executive Visibility
Create a simple dashboard for leadership that shows:
- Open issues by type (duplicates, formatting, missing, anomalies),
- Aging (how long issues sit),
- Owner accountability (who’s fixing), and
- SLA compliance (median time-to-remediate vs. goal).
Pair that with the weekly digest to keep momentum between reviews.
When to Extend Native Tools (and With Whom)
Native first, partners when you outgrow the UI or need nuanced matching:
- Scale dedupe & complex matching: Insycle adds bulk merge, fuzzy/partial matching, and multi-object coverage (contacts/companies/deals/tickets). Ideal when duplicate inflow is persistent or multi-source.
- Services & governance at the program level: Specialist partners can set up the Command Center, write your property governance, and productionize automations (Huble, award-winning HubSpot partner).
- Feature walkthroughs / enablement: Short partner explainers on “Missing data” and related features help onboard your team faster (Six & Flow).
Change Management: Make Clean Data Stick
Codify SOPs: who can create properties, naming conventions, required fields by object/stage, and when to add vs. reuse fields. Give Data quality tools access only to the right users, and review data-quality KPIs monthly with Sales/Marketing/CS leaders.
Step-by-Step: Your First 30-Day Plan
Week 1 — Baseline & Signals
- Turn on weekly digest and Command Center alerts.
- Snapshot current issue counts/rates.
- Grant Data quality tools access to the ops team.
Week 2 — Fast Wins
- Merge the top 100 duplicate clusters (contacts/companies).
- Fix the top 3 formatting issues globally (e.g., phones, name case).
- Create 2–3 workflows that normalize new data at ingestion.
Week 3 — Governance
- Lock down property view/edit for critical fields; stop ad-hoc property creation.
- Publish naming standards + lifecycle (create → use → deprecate).
Week 4 — Reporting & Handoff
- Build an exec dashboard with issue volume, aging, and SLA.
- Document the remediation cadence (weekly) and owners.
- If volume remains high, pilot a partner tool (Insycle) for bulk/fuzzy dedupe.
FAQs
Where do I enable the Weekly Data Quality Digest?
In the Command Center: enable the weekly email that summarizes alerts, duplicates, formatting suggestions, and properties changes.
Can non-admins access the Command Center?
Yes—admins can toggle Data quality tools access in user permissions.
Can I control which formatting issues HubSpot monitors?
Yes—HubSpot’s newer controls let you manage tracked issue types, streamlining your queue.
Do I need a partner app for dedupe?
Start native. If you’re facing large volumes or need advanced matching/automation, tools like Insycle extend HubSpot effectively.
