Content
- Understanding LeanData's Fuzzy Matching Algorithm
- Primary Matching Fields
- Matching Rules
- Advanced Algorithm Capabilities
- Additional Matching Settings
- Domain Only Matching
- Custom Matching Fields
- Special Fields in Lead-to-Account Matching
- Important Notes
Understanding LeanData's Fuzzy Matching Algorithm
LeanData's fuzzy matching algorithm connects Leads to Accounts by evaluating multiple data points together. This matching algorithm is used across LeanData’s products.
Here are the key components:
Primary Matching Fields
In order to evaluate potential Lead-Account matches, LeanData primarily compares the following fields:
| Lead Field | Account Field |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Account Name |
| Email & Website (extracted domains) | Website & Contacts’ Emails (extracted domains) |
| Phone Number | Phone Number |
| Address (Zip code) | Billing Address (ZIP code) |
Matching Rules
A match will typically occur in one of two scenarios:
- Exact company name match to account name (no additional criteria needed)
- Close company name match plus one supporting criterion (domain, phone, or address)
Please note: While these rules govern most matches, there are less common cases where matches may be made using a different combination of criteria.
Advanced Algorithm Capabilities
The algorithm includes several sophisticated capabilities:
- Normalizes company suffixes before comparing company names (Inc., LLC, etc.)
- Recognizes word components (e.g., "Chevron" vs "ChevronTexaco")
- Identifies acronyms as potential matches (”ELT” vs “Express Logistics Transport”)
- Large recognizable company names may be matched based on LeanData’s extensive library of company synonyms. (”Google” = “Alphabet”). LeanData cannot provide
- Associations and relationships between companies (”Disney” vs “ESPN”) may also be recognized
Additional Matching Settings
In addition to LeanData's fuzzy matching algorithm, there are other matching settings that can determine how LeanData finds a potential Account match such as Domain Only Matching for Tagging and Routing, Matching Fields, and Special Field in Lead-to-Account Matching.
Domain Only Matching
The Domain Only Matching for Tagging and Routing setting can be found in Matching > Matching Settings. If this setting is enabled, this will also allow matches based solely on domains like email addresses or websites. If the domain is the only matching criteria, LeanData will allow a Lead to Account match, even if the Company names are completely unrelated.
For more information please see the Match Settings Guide.
Custom Matching Fields
LeanData will typically look at Company Name, Email, Website, Phone, and Address field when matching records. In the rare case that your organization does not utilize these standard fields on your Leads, Contacts and Accounts, you can specify custom fields you would like to utilize in addition to these.
To do so, navigate to Matching > Matching Settings > Matching Fields Tab.
For more information please see the Match Settings Guide.
Special Fields in Lead-to-Account Matching
In addition to the matching fields configured above, you also have the option to add one additional field to consider when matching Leads and Accounts. LeanData will look for an exact match on the values between these special fields and will consider any Leads and Accounts that have matching value to be a potential match, regardless of any other criteria. Typically, this is used to incorporate a Unique Identifier or external ID field into LeanData matching.
To configure this, enable the Special Fields in Lead-to-Account Matching setting on the Leads tab. Then select the field you wish to use as an additional matching criteria.
For more information please see the Match Settings Guide.
Important Notes
- Free or bulk email domains (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not used for matching. LeanData cannot provide a list of these domains.
- Certain words are designated as stop words (test, N/A, etc) and will be ignored. LeanData cannot provide a list of these stop words.
- Parent-subsidiary relationships are recognized for major companies
- The algorithm is regularly updated with new company associations.
- Tiebreakers and filters can be used in LeanData Tagging and Routing to further refine matches.
- Languages that use double-byte characters (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc), can be matched by LeanData, but LeanData can only identify exact matches for these values.
For questions or additional assistance, please submit a ticket with LeanData Support.