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ZoomInfo data is mostly accurate — except when it is not. This walks through the common quality issues, how to diagnose, and when to escalate to your ZoomInfo CSM.
Who this is forRevOps + sales-ops leads dealing with bad ZoomInfo data complaints. If reps are saying "ZoomInfo is wrong about this contact," this tutorial gives you the diagnostic path.
What you'll need
Step 1
Cross-check the bad ZoomInfo data against LinkedIn (most reliable source for titles + companies).
Open the contact in ZoomInfo. Note the field that seems wrong.
Open the person's LinkedIn profile. Verify current title + company.
If LinkedIn agrees with ZoomInfo, the rep is wrong — train them on the data.
If LinkedIn disagrees with ZoomInfo, you have a real data issue. Continue diagnosis.
Step 2
In ZoomInfo, every field has a "Last Updated" date. If outdated, refresh manually before reporting.
In the ZoomInfo contact profile, find "Last Updated" date for the problematic field.
If older than 4 weeks: trigger manual refresh (Admin → Refresh Contact).
After refresh, recheck. ZoomInfo often pulls the latest LinkedIn data on refresh.
If still wrong after refresh, ZoomInfo's database is stale on this contact. Continue to next step.
Step 3
In the contact profile, click 'Report Bad Data' → describe the issue + correct value. ZoomInfo reviews within 5-10 business days.
In the contact profile, click the "Report Bad Data" button.
Describe the issue: "Title shows VP Marketing, LinkedIn shows VP Growth."
Provide the correct value.
ZoomInfo reviews and updates within 5-10 business days. You get an email when updated.
For high-volume bad-data reports, escalate to CSM — there may be a coverage issue in your ICP.
Step 4
If 50+ contacts have the same field wrong, you have a systemic issue. Escalate to ZoomInfo CSM.
Audit 50-100 contacts in your ICP. Check the problematic field against LinkedIn.
If <5% have issues: normal accuracy. Use process for individual reports.
If 5-15%: borderline. Escalate to CSM if specific to your ICP.
If >15%: systemic. ZoomInfo coverage is weak in your ICP. Escalate to CSM and consider supplementing with another tool (Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator).
Step 5
For C-suite or top-target contacts, cross-verify ZoomInfo data with LinkedIn + a second tool (Apollo or Cognism).
Define your high-stakes contact tier (CEOs, target enterprise CxOs).
For each: pull ZoomInfo data + LinkedIn manually + run through Apollo or Cognism as a second source.
If two sources agree: trust. If they disagree: verify directly (call the company switchboard).
This takes 5-10 min per contact but is worth it for $100K+ deals.
Common mistakes
Trusting ZoomInfo without verification on high-stakes outreach
What goes wrong: You email a CEO with the wrong title. They reply 'I left that company 8 months ago.' Embarrassing + relationship damage.
How to avoid: For top 50-100 priority contacts, always cross-verify with LinkedIn. For top 10, also use a second tool.
Not reporting bad data
What goes wrong: You see bad data, fix it locally in CRM, never report to ZoomInfo. ZoomInfo never improves. The same bad data hits your CRM again on next refresh.
How to avoid: Always click "Report Bad Data" in ZoomInfo. The crowdsourced corrections improve coverage for everyone.
Refreshing individually when bulk refresh would fix it
What goes wrong: You manually refresh 50 contacts one at a time. Takes 2 hours. Bulk refresh would have done it in 10 min.
How to avoid: Bulk refresh: Admin → Enrichment → Refresh Selected. Targets dozens of contacts at once.
Blaming ZoomInfo when the rep was wrong
What goes wrong: Rep says 'ZoomInfo is wrong.' You report. ZoomInfo replies 'data is correct per LinkedIn.' Time wasted; rep doubts the tool.
How to avoid: Always cross-check LinkedIn first. Only escalate confirmed mismatches.
Not escalating systemic coverage issues to CSM
What goes wrong: Your ICP has 15% bad-data rate. You complain internally but never tell ZoomInfo. CSM cannot help if not asked.
How to avoid: Pull an audit. If systemic, send to CSM with examples. They can sometimes prioritize coverage improvements or recommend supplementary tools.
Recap
Done — what's next
How to set up ZoomInfo Data Enrichment for Salesforce or HubSpot
Read the next tutorial
Hand it off
Diagnosing data quality is tactical work. Running a clean RevOps system with cross-source verification, refresh schedules, and quality SLAs is a job. A vetted specialist will own the system. From $14-16/hr.
See specialist rates
Title + Company: 90-95% accurate. Phone: 80-85%. Email: 85-92%. Revenue: 70-80%. Higher accuracy for US tech + finance, lower for SMB and international.
5-10 business days typically. Urgent issues (legal/compliance) can be escalated via CSM for 24-48 hour fixes.
Phone data is harder to maintain than email/title. ZoomInfo often shows switchboard numbers when direct dials are not available. For exec outreach, validate with a second tool or call the switchboard.
Not directly. ZoomInfo does not refund per-contact. For systemic coverage issues, you can renegotiate contract terms at renewal.
For high-stakes outreach: yes. Cross-verify with LinkedIn + Apollo or Cognism. Adds cost but reduces send-to-wrong-person risk for $$$$ deals.
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