Founded in 2009, TOLERANT Software has been strongly focused on customer data quality assurance and its application in IT systems, as well as areas like Big Data and Cloud Computing, and to this day it’s successfully serving 89 active clients, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Telefónica, public orgs and more.
Website Planet interviewed Stefan Sedlacek, Managing Director, TOLERANT Software GmbH & Co. KG, to understand exactly what are the biggest problems with data quality and management nowadays, and how TOLERANT tools help solve these problems to save budget, time and potential legal problems for their customers.
Introduce yourself and your company
TOLERANT Software offers innovative data quality and management tools, such as address validation, duplicate detection, and data analysis, that assist companies across all sectors in efficiently cleaning, organizing, and optimizing their data holdings, thereby
enhancing the accuracy of customer information and facilitating more effective business decisions.
The commercial success of TOLERANT Software can be measured by various factors that are closely linked to its corporate vision and the certification of its products.
With its core competence in the quality assurance of customer data, TOLERANT Software supports companies and organizations in addressing their customers effectively and in a targeted manner. This is reflected in the
successful cooperation with 89 active customers, including well-known companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Telefónica as well as various public organizations and NGOs.
A key aspect of this success is TL Match’s certification with the fair.digital seal of approval. This certification emphasizes compliance with data protection regulations in accordance with the EU GDPR, the guarantee of transparency in use and fairness in the handling of user data. TL Match’s ability to create a central search index for data protection queries and enable cross-system customer research offers customers considerable added value. This in turn contributes to customer satisfaction and loyalty, which ultimately contributes to the economic success of the company in the form of customer growth, reputation and increased sales.
Since its founding in 2009, TOLERANT Software has continuously developed and grown in the data quality tools sector. With a strong focus on customer data quality assurance and its application in IT systems, as well as areas like Big Data and Cloud Computing, the company has expanded its market presence. Today, more than a decade in the business, TOLERANT Software successfully serves 89 active clients, including significant companies and public institutions, underscoring its position as a respected provider in the data quality industry.
What problems are you solving for your customers and audience?
Many companies face challenges such as
inaccurate data capture, inefficient data migration, complex customer searches, and issues in data protection and compliance.
These challenges often lead to inaccurate customer profiles, which can impede the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes.
If these issues remain unaddressed, they can lead to wasting time and resources, compliance violations, customer dissatisfaction, and ultimately financial losses. In particular, the duplication of customer data (duplicates) can lead to inconsistent data, increasing the risk of poor decision-making and ineffective marketing strategies.
Competitors often offer standard solutions that are not flexible enough to adapt to the specific needs of different businesses. These one-size-fits-all solutions may not effectively address specific industry nuances or individual company requirements, leading to suboptimal results in data management and quality.
In contrast, TOLERANT Software offers customized solutions that are specifically tailored to the individual requirements of its customers:
- TOLERANT Software’s data quality tools provide effective support for data capture, data migration, customer search, data protection and compliance.
- The auto-complete function and error-tolerant search make it possible to capture and validate customer data at the point of sale, avoiding duplicates from the outset.
- Integration with CRM systems ensures that data is continuously checked and cleansed.
Customers who use TOLERANT software benefit from considerable time savings and more efficient work processes. The clear identification of customers and the avoidance of duplicates increase data quality and the efficiency of marketing and sales strategies.
By utilising TOLERANT Software’s compliance products, you can also rely on systematic management of their permission marketing and gain security for foreign trade and banking transactions. Overall, TOLERANT software enables its customers to manage and utilise their data more effectively, leading to improved business results.
Our products include:
- TL Match, a tool for detecting and preventing duplicates in address data
- TL Move for updating and maintaining address data during relocations
- TL Post, which is used for the validation and standardization of postal addresses.
- For the standardization and validation of customer names, TL Name is available
- TL Bank is used for validating and standardizing bank data.
In the area of compliance and data protection, TOLERANT Software provides:
- TL Sanction, a tool for sanctions list checks
- TL PEP for verifying and meeting PEP compliance requirements (Politically Exposed Persons)
- TL MPM, specifically developed for managing marketing permissions to support data protection and compliance requirements.
Which types of companies benefit the most from what you offer?
Companies that benefit the most from TOLERANT Software’s data quality tools are primarily those managing
large customer bases or operating in data-intensive industries. This includes financial institutions, insurance companies, e-commerce platforms, and marketing agencies. Specifically, roles involved in customer relationship management, compliance, and direct marketing often face challenges caused by inaccurate or outdated data.
In these sectors,
inaccurate, outdated, or duplicate data can lead to significant issues. Financial institutions and insurance companies need precise data for risk assessments and to comply with strict regulatory requirements. E-commerce businesses and marketing agencies rely on accurate customer information to conduct targeted advertising campaigns and enhance customer satisfaction. Incorrect data in these fields can result in ineffective campaigns and loss of customers.
TOLERANT Software aims to address these specific challenges by providing tools for data cleansing, duplicate detection, and validation of address and contact data. Their goal is to improve data quality, enhance the efficiency of business processes, and minimize compliance risks. In doing so, TOLERANT Software helps companies optimize their customer relationships, make marketing strategies more effective, and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction and business growth.
What makes them eventually choose you over your competitors?
Users who switch to TOLERANT software notice a significant improvement in the accuracy and efficiency of their data processing, particularly in duplicate detection and address validation. Considering the strict data protection regulations, especially the EU GDPR, users appreciate TOLERANT Software’s ability to effectively fulfill compliance requirements.
Customers often choose TOLERANT Software’s data quality tools due to their customized solutions developed based on direct customer feedback. Tools like TL Match stand out for enabling efficient and error-free data searching and management. These tools are designed to address specific challenges such as the rapid and accurate processing of data protection inquiries in accordance with the EU GDPR.
A significant result that TOLERANT Software has achieved is the considerable time savings in data research. Using TL Match, datasets can be located approximately 60 times faster than traditional search methods. While an employee might take at least 10 minutes to perform a comprehensive data search across multiple systems, TL Match can accomplish this in up to 2 seconds. This leads to quicker and error-free handling of inquiries, which is crucial in complying with GDPR deadlines.
Since implementing TOLERANT Software’s data quality tools, clients have experienced significant changes. These include more efficient data management, reduction of errors, and improved compliance with data protection regulations. Clients benefit from increased productivity and an enhanced ability to quickly respond to inquiries and market demands.
Feedback from clients using TOLERANT Software products is consistently positive. They often mention the time savings, data reliability, and user-friendliness of the software. Many recommend TOLERANT Software for their innovative solutions and the noticeable improvements in daily data management. These positive experiences and associated success stories contribute to TOLERANT Software being valued as a trustworthy and effective partner in the field of data quality.
Olaf Bechtold, Head of Key Account Management at WGV-Informatik und Media GmbH, sees the TL Sanction tool from TOLERANT Software as a significant relief for his employees when it comes to identifying business partners. He emphasizes that the tool also makes it possible to check compliance guidelines without employees having to deal directly with political lists or resolutions. This is achieved by a clearly defined search algorithm that works silently in the background.
The TL Sanction tool of TOLERANT Software makes it much easier for our clerks to identify our business partners and at the same time check compliance guidelines without having to deal with lists or the latest resolutions at the political level. This task is performed quite silently in the background by a clearly defined search algorithm. «
Olaf Bechtold, Process manager for ICIS and ICIS-Mobile and head of key account management at WGV-Informatik und Media GmbH
Since you started, what helped you grow and retain your audience?
TOLERANT Software has implemented various strategies to boost visitor numbers and convert them into sales. These include weekly postings on social networks Xing and LinkedIn, enhancing presence and visibility among the target audience. Advertising in Handelsblatt has allowed reaching a broader and more professional audience. Press releases for product launches serve to announce new offerings and features, sparking the interest of existing and potential customers. The planned introduction of a newsletter aims to regularly share information and updates, while the search engine optimized website relaunch in 2022 was intended to strengthen online presence and improve user experience.
These strategies have been successful for several reasons. Social media helped establish a direct connection with current and potential customers and build brand awareness. Ads in Handelsblatt increased credibility and visibility among a professional readership. Press releases and the newsletter acted as effective communication tools to inform about company developments, while the website relaunch improved findability and user experience.
To retain and win back customers, TOLERANT Software focuses on personalized services, customer support, and regular updates. Personalized services tailored to the specific needs of customers increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Reliable and accessible customer support contributes to resolving issues and enhancing customer relationships. Regular updates about products and services keep customers engaged and informed about new offerings that could meet their needs.
What perspective do you have about where your industry is headed?
Despite advancing technological developments and a growing awareness of data management, many companies have still not fully realized that high
data quality is an essential prerequisite for effective customer relationship management.
Data errors, inconsistencies and outdated information can lead to inaccurate analysis and decisions, which affects the customer relationship and ultimately business success.
Future challenges in the area of data quality include
dealing with ever-increasing amounts of data, integrating different data sources and complying with strict data protection regulations. Opportunities arise from the use of advanced technologies such as fault-tolerant search and associative memory, which can improve data quality and enable more efficient data management.
An alternative could be the increased use of data quality tools that continuously monitor and improve data quality. These systems are efficient as they reduce duplicates and enable adaptation to data protection requirements.
What’s in the roadmap for your future?
TOLERANT Software plans to increase its focus on the Asian market. In a globalized world where business strategies transcend local borders, it is critical that quality software takes into account cultural, linguistic, programmatic and business process differences.
While the Asia-Pacific region is still undergoing developments in terms of CRM and data management, countries such as China, Japan, Singapore and India offer increasing opportunities for the use of data capture and maintenance software. TOLERANT Software’s data quality tools also recognize duplicates in Asian character sets and thus meet the specific challenges of these markets.
In the short term, TOLERANT Software aims to establish its presence in the Asian market and adapt its products to local needs. In the long term, the company aims to become a leading provider of data quality tools in global markets, with a focus on continuous innovation and adaptation to different market requirements. This includes the development of new tools and services tailored to the specific requirements of different regions.
TOLERANT Software is closely monitoring trends and technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data analytics as they will have a significant impact on the data quality industry. These technologies enable more efficient data processing, improved data analysis and more accurate prediction of customer behavior. Long before the current hype around artificial intelligence, TOLERANT Software integrated associative memory technology into data quality tools. This technology has significantly improved data quality for many customers, resulting in more efficient business processes. In the future, TOLERANT Software will continue to respond to the specific needs of its customers and adapt to new market conditions.
