You want your CRM contacts up to date, but manual updates are a slog. Maybe your sales reps are “forgetting” to enter details, or you’re tired of chasing down bounced emails. You’ve heard about tools that promise to keep your CRM squeaky clean, but most of them are either pricey, clunky, or both.
If you’re looking for a practical way to automate contact updates in your CRM—without losing your mind—this guide is for you. We’ll walk through using Dropcontact to pull in fresh, accurate contact info and keep your CRM from turning into a graveyard of stale leads.
Why Automate CRM Contact Updates?
Before we dive in, let’s be blunt: most CRMs are only as good as the data you put in. Sales and marketing teams are notorious for cutting corners on data entry. Contacts get out of date. Typos sneak in. And syncing between LinkedIn, spreadsheets, and your CRM is a recipe for disaster.
Automating contact updates means:
- Less manual data entry (no more copy-paste hell)
- Fewer bounced emails and dead phone numbers
- No more “Who the heck is this?” when a lead calls you back
- Less time cleaning lists, more time actually working leads
But automation isn’t magic. You’ll still need to sense-check things now and then, and not every tool is worth your money or attention. So let’s get to what actually works.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Want to Automate
Don’t buy or set up anything yet. First, decide exactly what you want Dropcontact to do for you.
Ask yourself: - Do I want to enrich existing contacts (add missing data)? - Clean up duplicates? - Validate emails? - Sync new leads in real time?
Pro tip:
Start small. Pick one pain point—like updating missing emails or deduplicating contacts. You can always expand later.
Step 2: Check Your CRM’s Compatibility
Dropcontact can integrate with a bunch of CRMs (like HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, and others), but not all features are available everywhere.
What to check: - Is your CRM natively supported by Dropcontact? (Check their docs or integrations page.) - If not, can you use Zapier, Make, or another automation tool to bridge the gap? - Does your CRM allow API access at your subscription level? (Some “basic” plans won’t cut it.)
If your CRM isn’t supported:
You might be stuck with CSV imports/exports. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s not as slick as a live sync.
Step 3: Set Up Your Dropcontact Account
Head over to Dropcontact and sign up. You’ll need to pick a plan based on how many contacts you want to update per month.
What you actually need: - A valid email (no, they don’t require a work email) - API access if you want to integrate via Zapier/Make
Honest take:
Dropcontact isn’t the cheapest tool out there, but it does a better job than most at sourcing verified emails and cleaning up duplicates—especially for European contacts.
Step 4: Connect Dropcontact to Your CRM
If your CRM has native integration:
- Log into Dropcontact.
- Go to Integrations, pick your CRM, and follow the prompts.
- Authorize access when asked (expect to enter an API key or log in to your CRM).
If you need to use Zapier or Make:
- Set up a Zap (or scenario) with your CRM as the trigger (e.g., “New contact added”).
- Add the Dropcontact action (usually “Enrich Contact” or similar).
- Map the fields you want Dropcontact to update.
- Test the flow with a dummy contact.
If you’re stuck with CSVs:
- Export your contacts from your CRM (CSV format).
- Upload the file to Dropcontact’s dashboard.
- Wait for processing (could take a few minutes to a few hours, depending on volume).
- Download the enriched/cleaned CSV.
- Import back into your CRM.
Things to ignore:
- Don’t bother with “manual enrichment” unless you have a tiny contact list.
- Skip browser plugins—they’re usually half-baked and unreliable.
Step 5: Configure Your Update Rules
Don’t just turn everything on and hope for the best. Decide what Dropcontact should update and when.
Decisions to make: - Should Dropcontact overwrite existing data, or only fill blanks? - What fields do you actually care about? (Name, job title, company, email, phone…) - How should duplicates be merged? (Pick the newest, the oldest, or ask for review?)
Pro tip:
Start with “enrich only if blank.” That way, you’re not overwriting your own notes or custom fields.
Step 6: Test With a Small Batch
Whatever you do, don’t run Dropcontact on your entire CRM right away.
How to test: - Create a segment, filter, or export of 50–100 contacts with missing or outdated info. - Run Dropcontact enrichment/cleaning only on this batch. - Review the results: Are emails accurate? Are phone numbers in the right format? Did it merge any contacts you didn’t want merged? - Spot-check a few contacts manually (look them up on LinkedIn, see if the data matches).
What works well:
Dropcontact is solid at finding missing business emails and deduplicating based on email/domain.
What to watch out for:
- Sometimes job titles or company names get weird formatting—don’t blindly trust everything.
- For non-European contacts, results can be hit or miss.
Step 7: Set Up Ongoing Automation
Once you’re happy with the results, it’s time to automate.
For live CRMs: - Enable continuous enrichment (if supported) so new contacts are automatically updated. - Schedule regular deduplication (weekly or monthly is usually enough). - Set alerts for failed updates—so you’re not flying blind.
For CSV/manual setups: - Build a habit: Export, upload, import—once a week or month. - Create a checklist so you don’t skip steps.
Honest tip:
Don’t try to “set and forget” on day one. Check the first few runs, fix mistakes, then let it run.
Step 8: Review and Iterate
Automation isn’t magic. Make time every month or quarter to review what Dropcontact is actually updating.
What to check: - Are you getting fewer bounces and more replies? - Is your CRM cleaner, or just differently messy? - Are your sales/marketing teams actually using the new data?
If something’s off:
Tweak your rules, update your mapping, or try a different workflow. Sometimes it’s as simple as fixing a field mismatch.
What to Ignore (and What Not to Expect)
- Don’t expect 100% accuracy. No tool gets everything right, especially with job titles or phone numbers.
- Don’t buy the hype about “AI-powered enrichment.” Dropcontact is good, but the “AI” is mostly just a fancy way of saying “we cross-check a lot of sources.”
- Don’t pay for features you don’t need. Stick to core enrichment/cleaning unless you have a very specific workflow.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple
Automating CRM contact updates with Dropcontact works best when you keep it straightforward. Start with your biggest pain point, test on a small batch, and build up from there. Automation is here to save you time, not create more busywork. Don’t get sucked into over-engineering—iterate as you go, and keep your CRM useful, not just full.
Now go make your CRM a little less of a mess.