Due Diligence · 5 min read
CRM and ERP Data Quality in Technical Due Diligence
How duplicate accounts, conflicting catalogs, and integration error queues quietly break PE synergy models — and what to sample before close.
Synergy models assume one customer, product, and invoice truth after close. CRM and ERP data quality is where that assumption dies quietly.
This expands the data section of Foundation5 technical due diligence and the PE technical due diligence checklist. The same patterns appeared supporting Smarsh from diligence into Day-100 Salesforce and NetSuite work.
Why logo inventories miss the risk
Architecture slides can hide duplicate Accounts, closed-won Opportunities with blank amounts, and billing SKUs that do not match CRM products. Ask for the board pack and the queries behind revenue charts. If finance needs a war room to reconcile, price remediation — do not footnote it.
What to sample before close
Walk those deals with commercial and finance operators present. Manual hops are Day-100 cost. Document systems of record for customer, product, price, and invoice.
- Duplicate rates on Accounts and Contacts
- Required-field completion on ninety days of closed-won deals
- Aged Cases and entitlement mismatches
- CRM↔billing error queue depth and age
- Ten deals traced quote → order → invoice → cash → recognition
CRM and ERP failure modes
Stale stages, free-text required fields, and automation nobody trusts degrade forecasts and any future Voice AI layer — see why CRM data wins for AI. Multi-org estates after prior deals deserve extra scrutiny. On the ERP side, chart-of-accounts drift and off-ledger adjustments break shared finance assumptions — see ERP integration.
Writing the finding and Day-100 link
Rank severity with cost ranges tied to the growth thesis. List unknowns when access was limited. Convert findings into owned workstreams per Day-100 tech integration rather than leaving operating partners to rediscover issues in month three.
Related reading
Key-person risk in tech diligence. Schedule a diligence conversation.
Practical interview agenda (90 minutes)
Spend thirty minutes with commercial leadership on where opportunities and renewals actually live. Spend thirty with finance on invoice adjustments and recognition. Spend thirty with IT on integration failures and who is paged. Cross-check answers — inconsistencies are findings.
Bring a printed system-of-record draft and force edits in the room. Ambiguity left unresolved becomes dual entry after close.
What good diligence looks like in the memo
Committees should see severity, cost ranges, thesis impact, and Day-100 owners. Soft language without numbers invites underpricing remediation. Attach sample queries and screenshots where allowed so debates stay factual.
Operators who skip these steps usually rediscover them under executive pressure. Document decisions, name owners, and revisit metrics monthly so gains compound instead of eroding with turnover. Foundation5 stays accountable to named business outcomes — coverage, forecast trust, diligence clarity, throughput — not tool checklists.
Related reading
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What PE Technical Due Diligence Should Cover Before Close
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Day-100 Tech Integration Plan After Acquisition
A practical hundred-day plan for identity, Salesforce, billing, and integrations — so diligence findings become operating reality.
Put these ideas to work
Schedule a consultation to discuss technical due diligence for your team.