Clean, accurate data is a key component for generating a return on investment for AI deployments. New data from Convertr, a global leader in contact data governance integrity software, finds that organizations with documented data governance processes are far more likely to achieve their expected return on investment (ROI) from AI deployments than those without them.
Eighty-four percent of teams with documented data governance hit or exceeded their expected ROI from their AI deployments, compared with just 27% of teams with significant data governance gaps, or nothing in place at all, according to a Convertr survey of 176 marketing and revenue operations leaders at U.S. companies, conducted from May 2026 to August 2026.
The findings also point to a disconnect between sales and marketing. Ninety-five percent of teams report that unenforced and missing standards create a misalignment between sales and marketing, costing them pipeline and revenue each quarter. Seventy percent call the impact moderate to severe.
Convertr also unearthed a disconnect between decision-making around lead and contact data and marketing teams’ perception of the accuracy of that data. Seventy-six percent of teams have made a significant marketing or pipeline decision based on data that later turned out to be incorrect, or was suspected as incorrect. This despite 71% reporting that they trust their CRM data.
“AI acts on lead and contact data within seconds of it arriving, so a gap in governance can shape pipeline and revenue decisions before anyone has a chance to catch it,” said Emma Bowkett, CEO of Convertr. “The teams seeing a return on AI have made data governance a leadership decision. Sales and marketing agree the standard together, and every record that feeds the pipeline is held to it.”
AI in the loop
Traditionally, data governance has had a reputation for slowing marketing down. In reality, the teams with a documented data governance process are more than three times as likely to see a return on their AI investment. That’s the good news.
But as AI moves further downstream in the process, it bypasses human judgement and extends the reach of bad records. For instance, 28% of teams using AI for lead scoring have never agreed on the required fields for an inbound record.
AI-driven workflows also move much faster than humans can correct. Inaccurate or incomplete data streaming into the system though an event or third-party provider can ripple through scoring, routing and outreach before a human ever sees it.
Organizations must move human judgment earlier in the process, with an agreed standard for contact data verification that applies to every campaign and source at the point of entry. Convertr’s research found that teams with a documented data governance process are more than three times as likely to see a return on their AI investment.
Three steps to better data governance and achieving AI ROI
Converter identified three elements that separate the teams seeing AI ROI from those who don’t:
- An agreed standard between sales and marketing, covering fields an inbound record must carry, documented and signed off by both sides.
- A control at the point of arrival. Every record must pass a test before it reaches the CRM.
- A named owner. One function accountable for accuracy, rather than a guessing game between marketing, revenue ops and IT if a record fails.
When records arrive with an approved standard, the CRM and go-to-market systems receive the same input and behave predictably. But when they don’t, the same tool performs well on the complete records but poorly on the rest.
Ultimately, the research proves that as AI becomes more deeply embedded in go-to-market operations, organizations need confidence not only in the outputs AI generates, but also in the quality, provenance and governance of the data those outputs are built upon.
Convertr helps teams build that confidence by validating every record, applying rules, tracking where data originated, recording the checks carried out, and providing evidence of the decisions made.
For additional best practices, see Convertr’s new lead and contact data benchmark report, “Why trusted contact data is the foundation of AI ROI,” linked here.
About Convertr
Convertr is the world’s leading AI-ready data governance integrity platform for enterprises. It provides the infrastructure businesses need to generate verified lead and contact data and to power agentic workflows. By validating, governing, and orchestrating data before it enters downstream systems, Convertr helps businesses improve performance, reduce risk, and maximize the value of their go-to-market investments. For more information about Convertr, visit https://www.convertr.io/.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110923775/en/
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