PBS Data Clean: Clear Unknown Contacts
Clear Unknown Contacts is a utility run by the PBS Client Services team, designed to improve operational efficiency and contact data quality by soft-deleting records that have no viable method of communication.
Rather than permanently removing records, the utility applies a soft-delete. This means contacts are excluded from active searches and workflows, while all historical data, transaction records, and vehicle associations remain fully intact for audit and compliance purposes.
The utility is available for both single-division and multi-division databases. It requires Sys Admin access to run and must be authorized by a Dealer Principal, Controller, or General Manager before proceeding.
Note: Soft-deleted contacts can be located and reactivated at any time through Find Contact Advanced Search.
Eligibility Criteria
A contact must meet all of the following requirements to be soft-deleted:
No communication method on file (phone number, email address, or civic address)
No transaction history after the specified date
No accounting association (AP, AR, Auto Billing, or outstanding schedule activity using Contact Code as the Control)
No user record association (i.e., not an employee record)
No open SOPs
Additional Features
Date prompt to define the eligibility cutoff. Only contacts with all activity before the entered date are soft-deleted.
Progress indicator displayed during processing, with a completion summary showing the total number of contacts marked as IsDeleted.
Audit Log Report to review all contacts marked as IsDeleted during the run.
Find Contact Advanced Search to reactivate contacts or pull lists of inactive/deleted records.
Benefits
Cleaner, more reliable customer data by removing obsolete, non-actionable contacts while preserving audit history.
Improved user experience and productivity through reduced search noise and clearer operational workflows.
Reduced wasted marketing spend and improved campaign response rates by eliminating unreachable contacts from active lists.
Greater operational efficiency by excluding inactive contacts from billing, SOPs, scheduling, and reporting.
Stronger governance and compliance through rule-based, non-destructive (soft-delete) data hygiene.
If you would like to proceed with the Data Clean, please contact our Support Desk at 1-800-665-6304.
