Cleanup and Audit

Quarterly CRM audit

A repeatable review of pipelines, tags, and workflows.

Intermediate90 min

Purpose

This SOP helps you run a repeatable quarterly audit of the CRM so it stays clean, organized, and safe to use. Every CRM drifts over time. Tags multiply. Workflows overlap. Forms get outdated. Pipelines lose their purpose. Custom fields become inconsistent. Imports get messy. Old campaigns keep firing. A quarterly audit prevents small issues from becoming large problems. It also gives the operator or team a chance to review, cleanup, and improve the CRM without waiting for something to break. The goal is not to rebuild the CRM. The goal is to reset the foundation so the CRM continues to support the business.

When to Use This SOP

Every 90 days as a scheduled audit
After major growth periods
After onboarding new team members
After large imports
After multiple campaigns
After changes to pipelines or workflows
When automations feel unpredictable
When reporting no longer feels accurate
When the CRM has become messy over time

Before You Start

Do not open the CRM and start clicking.
Prepare for the audit first.

You should have:

A pipeline map
A tag map
A custom field map
A custom value map
A workflow list
A form and calendar list
A recent import log
A recent campaign list
A reporting overview
Audits work best when they follow a structure instead of jumping between screens.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1
Audit pipelines
Review each pipeline.
Check:
- Purpose is still valid
- Stages still reflect real steps
- No duplicate or unused stages
- No mixed sales and delivery logic
- Exit stages exist
- Ownership is clear
- Stage movement rules are followed
Flag pipelines that need cleanup, retirement, or restructuring.
2
Audit tags
Review the tag list.
Check for:
- Duplicate tags
- Inconsistent naming
- Old campaign tags
- Old import tags
- One-off tags
- Tags that no longer serve a purpose
- Missing categories (source, interest, status, campaign, service, internal)
- Tags that should be replaced by custom fields
Do not delete tags that are used by workflows without reviewing dependencies first.
3
Audit custom fields
Review the custom field list.
Check:
- Each field is still used
- Field labels are clear
- Field types are correct
- No duplicate fields exist
- No abandoned fields exist
- Personal data fields are still necessary
- Fields are grouped logically
Flag fields that need renaming, retiring, or replacing.
4
Audit custom values
Review the custom value list.
Check:
- Contact info is up to date
- Booking links are correct
- Business hours are accurate
- Offer names are current
- Legal or footer copy is up to date
- No unused values exist
- No hard-coded values remain in workflows that should use custom values
Custom values are one of the highest-leverage things to keep clean.
5
Audit calendars
Review each calendar.
Check:
- Calendar is still needed
- Availability is correct
- Buffer times are correct
- Intake questions are correct
- Reminder timing is correct
- Confirmation and rescheduling links work
- Calendar is connected to the correct workflow
- Calendar is connected to the correct pipeline stage
Retire calendars that are no longer used.
6
Audit workflows
Review the workflow list.
Check:
- Every workflow has an owner
- Every workflow has a clear purpose
- Naming convention is consistent
- Folders are organized
- Status is correct (draft, testing, live, archive)
- Duplicate workflows do not exist
- Old test workflows are archived
- Broken workflows are fixed or archived
- Trigger filters are correct
- Stop conditions are respected
Workflows are one of the most common sources of long-term CRM damage.
7
Audit forms and lead capture assets
Review forms, documents, QR codes, social links, and inbound sources.
Check:
- Forms still submit correctly
- Fields match the workflow
- Thank-you actions work
- Documents are current
- QR codes route correctly
- Social links point to active destinations
- Old campaigns are retired
- Every asset has a source or campaign tag
Retire assets that no longer support the business.
8
Audit imports
Review recent import history.
Check:
- Each import has a batch tag
- Source is documented
- Consent/source status is documented
- Records were spot-checked
- No accidental workflow triggers occurred
- Duplicate handling is understood
Imports without documentation are one of the biggest sources of long-term data problems.
9
Audit email and SMS campaigns
Review recent email and SMS campaign performance.
Check:
- Delivery rate
- Bounce rate
- Complaint rate
- Unsubscribe rate
- Reply rate
- Booking rate
- Conversion rate
- Sending domain reputation
- SMS opt-in status
- SMS message clarity
Look for patterns instead of judging any single campaign.
10
Audit reporting
Review reporting.
Check:
- Baseline reports still work
- Pipeline value is accurate
- Opportunity conversion looks correct
- Campaign performance is trackable
- Team activity is visible
- Custom dashboards still reflect the business
If reporting no longer feels accurate, cleanup is usually needed elsewhere first.
11
Audit team activity
Review team behavior in the CRM.
Check:
- Notes are being written
- Tasks are being completed
- Opportunities are moving stages
- Response times are reasonable
- Ownership is clear
- No contacts are being ignored
- No pipelines are stuck
The CRM only works when the team uses it consistently.
12
Document audit findings
Write an audit summary.
Include:
- Date of audit
- Who performed it
- Areas reviewed
- Issues found
- Cleanup priorities
- Recommended changes
- Retired assets
- Retired tags or fields
- Retired workflows
- Planned next steps
Documentation makes future audits faster.
13
Prioritize cleanup actions
Sort findings into three levels.
Level 1 – Fix now:
- Broken automations
- Broken links
- Broken forms
- Deliverability issues
- Pipeline conflicts
- Duplicate workflows
Level 2 – Fix soon:
- Naming inconsistencies
- Old tags
- Old fields
- Old campaigns
- Outdated custom values
Level 3 – Fix over time:
- Structural improvements
- Renaming projects
- Consolidation
- Retiring old systems
- Documentation updates
14
Execute cleanup carefully
When cleaning up, move slowly.
Before deleting or changing anything, confirm:
- It is not tied to a live workflow
- It is not tied to a live form or calendar
- It is not tied to reporting
- It is not tied to active campaigns
- It is safe to remove
- It has been documented
Cleanup should be intentional, not aggressive.
15
Schedule the next audit
Add the next audit date to the calendar.
Quarterly audits work best when they are recurring, not reactive.

Checks Before You Finish

✓Pipelines audited
✓Tags audited
✓Custom fields audited
✓Custom values audited
✓Calendars audited
✓Workflows audited
✓Forms and lead capture assets audited
✓Imports audited
✓Campaigns audited
✓Reporting audited
✓Team activity audited
✓Findings documented
✓Cleanup priorities defined
✓Cleanup executed safely
✓Next audit scheduled

Common Mistakes

Watch for these

Skipping the audit entirely
Auditing only when something breaks
Deleting tags or fields without reviewing dependencies
Retiring workflows without checking connected assets
Ignoring imports and consent
Ignoring reporting drift
Trying to fix everything at once
Not documenting findings
Not scheduling the next audit

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