The hidden cost of a messy client database (and how Orloff Jewelers took control)

In luxury retail, every detail matters. From the lighting in the showroom to the tone of a follow-up message, it all contributes to the experience you create for your clients. But what happens behind the scenes can be just as critical as what your clients see—especially when it comes to your customer data.

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We recently chatted with Mary Ann Orloff, owner of Orloff Jewelers, about the role data plays in her business. Her responses were packed with wisdom that any luxury retailer can learn from.

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"It’s the most important thing. I can’t stand having things unorganized," Mary Ann said about maintaining a clean, centralized client database. "When sales associates get lazy, we get duplicates of the same person."

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If you’ve ever had to sort through a CRM system riddled with duplicate entries, outdated phone numbers, or missing details, you know exactly what she means. Not only is it frustrating, it’s costly—in both time and missed sales.

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Why clean customer data matters

Imagine your sales associate is preparing for a consultation and pulls up the client profile, only to find two entries for the same person—one with their purchase history, the other with a note about their preferred diamond cut. Or worse, the profile is missing critical information like their ring size or wedding date.

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In a business built on relationships, clean data is non-negotiable. It ensures your team can personalize communication, remember important milestones, and offer tailored recommendations.

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"The more you know about your customers, the better," Mary Ann said. "Family and hobbies of customers" are the kinds of details she wishes she had better access to—because those are the kinds of things that make clienteling feel personal rather than pushy.

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The consequences of disorganization

A messy database can make your store feel less like a luxury experience and more like a guessing game. When data isn’t entered consistently or stored in one place, your associates are left to rely on memory or handwritten notes—a system that just doesn’t scale.

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Mary Ann shared that before adopting Clientbook, Orloff Jewelers used a physical calendar or book. “We would have to print up monthly reports,” she explained.

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While that worked for a time, it became clear that modernizing their client management system was key to staying organized and efficient.

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How Clientbook makes clean data easy

That’s where Clientbook comes in for stores like Orloff Jewelers. As a client management and digital clienteling platform built for luxury retail, it centralizes all your customer information in one place—and makes it easy for associates to keep it clean and updated.

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With Clientbook:

• Duplicate entries can be flagged and merged
• Customer details are easily searchable and editable
• Associates are prompted to fill out critical information
• Managers can track how often profiles are updated

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Mary Ann loves it so much, she wishes there were a way to make entering client data non-optional: "I would love it if they couldn’t move forward without that information!"

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While we can’t force associates to collect data, we can make it easy and intuitive—which is exactly what Clientbook is designed to do.

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Smart outreach starts with smart data

A clean database doesn’t just make your day-to-day easier; it supercharges your marketing efforts. Instead of blasting the same message to every customer, you can segment your outreach based on purchase history, preferences, or event attendance.

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"We do a lot in mass," Mary Ann said of their promotional strategy, "but we also group things by top buyers. We constantly change our criteria to match and target each month. So if we have a big watch event, we target all of our previous watch buyers."

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This kind of nimble, strategic outreach isn’t possible without organized, up-to-date client profiles. And it’s not just about efficiency—it’s about making every client feel remembered and valued.

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Daily habits that make a difference

Keeping a client database clean isn’t a one-and-done effort. It requires ongoing attention and consistent processes. At Orloff Jewelers, Mary Ann says, "We try to update it daily. With every new customer that comes in, we have our sales associate check that there’s a profile created for them in Clientbook."

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Creating that habit storewide isn’t always easy—but with tools like Clientbook that prompt and guide associates, it becomes second nature.

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Final thoughts

Mary Ann Orloff said it best: "It’s the most important thing."

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Customer data isn’t just a back-office task—it’s the backbone of personalized service. With a clean, centralized client database, you empower your team to build better relationships, close more sales, and deliver the kind of luxury experience your customers expect.

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Clientbook helps make that possible, turning the often messy world of client management into something streamlined, organized, and powerful.

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Ready to clean up your client data and elevate your clienteling game? Learn more about how Clientbook can help.

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