Provider data refresh cadence
Ben Argeband, Founder & CEO of Heartbeat.ai — Simple weekly/monthly routine recruiters can follow.
What’s on this page:
Who this is for
If you run recruiting ops or you’re a sourcer carrying a heavy outreach load, this is for you. You’re not trying to “collect data.” You’re trying to reduce dead ends, protect deliverability, and get to conversations faster.
Phone/email decay is normal; refresh is workflow. The point of provider data refresh cadence is to decide when to re-check contact points and when to stop spending attempts.
Quick Answer
- Core Answer
- Use trigger-based refresh: re-check contact points when recency is unknown/old, after an email bounce, or after repeated no-answer across call windows.
- Key Statistic
- Heartbeat observed typicals: connect rate ~10% typical; placements 1 per 100–200 attempts; include “refresh ROI math.”
- Best For
- Recruiting leaders and sourcers needing fewer dead ends.
Compliance & Safety
This method is for legitimate recruiting outreach only. Always respect candidate privacy, opt-out requests, and local data laws. Heartbeat does not provide medical advice or legal counsel.
Framework: The Refresh Triggers Playbook: When to re-check vs move on
Most teams ask, “How often should we refresh?” The better question is: “What should force a refresh, and what should force a stop?” A clean cadence is a set of triggers tied to outcomes (connects, replies, deliverability) and to operational cost (time per attempt).
If leadership demands a calendar rule
Use a calendar rhythm only as a backstop for records that never generate signals (no bounces, no call outcomes, no stage changes). Your day-to-day should still be trigger-driven: bounces and repeated no-answer should force refresh immediately, and recruiter handoffs should force a recency check.
Three trigger types (use all three)
- Recency trigger (time-based): refresh because the record is old relative to your outreach cycle.
- Signal trigger (event-based): refresh because the channel told you it’s broken (bounce) or likely wrong (repeated no-answer).
- Workflow trigger (stage-based): refresh because you’re about to spend more effort (new sequence, recruiter handoff, interview scheduling).
Stop conditions: when to move on
- Opt-out: suppress and stop. Refresh does not override consent or opt-out.
- Wrong person / role mismatch: stop outreach and correct the record before any new sequence.
- Repeated wrong-number or disconnected outcomes: suppress that phone and refresh before any further dials.
- Compliance uncertainty: pause outreach until you can document consent/opt-out handling for the channel you plan to use.
Recency vs refresh cadence (don’t confuse them)
- Recency is a property of a specific contact point (email/phone): when it was last verified or last successfully used.
- Refresh cadence is your operating rule: which events or stages force you to re-check that contact point.
- If you need a shared definition across teams, align on recency first, then build triggers around it. See: recency definition for recruiting contact data.
Canonical metric definitions (use these consistently)
- Recency = time since the contact point (email/phone) was last verified or last successfully used (e.g., delivered email or connected call). Always store a date.
- Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials (per 100 dials).
- Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls (per 100 connected calls).
- Deliverability Rate = delivered emails / sent emails (per 100 sent emails).
- Bounce Rate = bounced emails / sent emails (per 100 sent emails).
- Reply Rate = replies / delivered emails (per 100 delivered emails).
Why cadence matters more than “database size”
In recruiting, you don’t get paid for having records. You get paid for connects, conversations, and starts. Stale records create two costs: wasted attempts and downstream workflow drag (notes, duplicate tasks, recruiter frustration). The trade-off is… you can refresh aggressively (higher data ops cost) or refresh only when signals demand it (higher wasted outreach cost). The right answer depends on your throughput and channel mix.
If you want a broader view of how contact data fits into your sourcing stack, start at the provider contact data resource hub.
Diagnostic Table:
Use this table to decide whether to refresh now, later, or stop. It’s designed for a LOOKUP decision: “Do we re-check this contact point before the next sequence?”
| What you observe | Likely cause | Refresh trigger | What to do next (workflow) | What to log in ATS/CRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email bounces | Mailbox removed, domain policy change, typo, role-based address retired | Immediate (signal trigger) | Suppress bounced email; refresh email; switch to phone/SMS only if you have appropriate consent where required, a clear opt-out path, and your outreach complies with applicable laws and employer policy | Bounce type + date; suppression flag; new email source + verified date |
| Repeated no-answer across multiple call windows | Wrong number, gatekeeper line, clinic hours mismatch, voicemail-only line | After repeated no-answer (signal trigger) | Refresh phone; try alternate line; adjust call windows; keep opt-out available | Attempts count; call windows tried; outcome codes; new phone + verified date |
| Low connects but normal email delivery | Phone line quality issue or wrong line type | Before next call sequence (workflow trigger) | Refresh phone; prioritize numbers that are line tested | Line type + test date; connect outcomes |
| Low email delivery (high bounces) | List aging, poor domain hygiene, sending practices | Before next email sequence (workflow trigger) | Refresh emails that are deliverability tested; tighten suppression; review sending domain health | Deliverability status + date; suppression reason; sending domain used |
| Record hasn’t been touched in a while | Normal decay + job changes + practice moves | Time since last touch (recency trigger) | Refresh before re-activating; don’t restart sequences on unknown recency | Last verified date; last outreach date; channel used |
Operational rule: if you can’t explain why a contact point is “fresh” (method + date), treat it as unknown and refresh before you spend recruiter time on it.
Step-by-step method
This is the routine I’d put in place for a recruiting team that needs fewer dead ends and faster connects. It’s built around refresh cadence, recency, and suppression.
Step 1: Store the minimum fields that make refresh possible
- Last verified date for email and phone (separately).
- Last successful use date (delivered email date; connected call date).
- Suppression flags: opt-out, bounced email, wrong number, do-not-contact.
- Consent notes where applicable (how/when consent was obtained) and an opt-out mechanism for each channel you use.
Step 2: Set your refresh triggers (your actual cadence)
Instead of a single calendar rule, use three triggers:
- Time since last touch: if you’re re-opening a record after it’s been idle, refresh before you restart outreach.
- Bounced email: treat as a hard stop for that address; suppress and refresh immediately.
- Repeated no-answer: after you’ve tried multiple call windows and still can’t connect, refresh the phone line before more dials.
Refresh trigger thresholds worksheet (fill in your thresholds)
Use this worksheet to make your cadence consistent across the team without inventing “universal” numbers. Pick thresholds that match your workflow and document them.
| Trigger | Threshold (your team) | Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recency (reactivation) | Refresh if last verified date is older than: ______ | Refresh email + phone before sequence restart | Ops / Sourcer |
| Email bounce | Any bounce event | Suppress email; refresh email; do not retry bounced address | Automation |
| No-answer | After ______ attempts across ______ call windows | Refresh phone; add alternate line; adjust call windows | Sourcer |
| Stage change | Before recruiter handoff / scheduling | Check recency; refresh if unknown/old | Recruiter |
| Opt-out | Any opt-out request | Suppress across channels; stop outreach | Automation / Ops |
Step 3: Run a weekly + monthly routine (sample schedule)
Keep it simple so it survives busy weeks.
| Cadence | Queue | What you do | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Bounces | Suppress bounced emails; refresh email; re-queue only refreshed addresses | Cleaner deliverability metrics; fewer repeat bounces |
| Weekly | No-answer threshold | Refresh phone; add alternate line if available; adjust call windows | Higher connect efficiency; fewer wasted dials |
| Monthly | Reactivation pool | Refresh contact points before restarting sequences on older records | Less recruiter time spent on stale records |
| Monthly | Compliance review | Audit opt-outs and suppression logic; confirm consent notes where required | Lower compliance risk; fewer repeat contacts after opt-out |
Step 4: Automate the triggers (Zapier/Make mapping)
You don’t need a custom engineering project. You need event-driven refresh tasks and consistent field updates. For implementation patterns, see ATS enrichment workflows for automation.
| Event source | Trigger | Automation action | Fields to update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email tool | Bounce logged | Create “Refresh Email” task; add email to suppression list | Email suppression = true; bounce date; refresh_queue = email |
| Dialer | Repeated no-answer outcomes | Create “Refresh Phone” task; pause call sequence until refreshed | Phone status = needs_refresh; last_attempt_date; refresh_queue = phone |
| ATS/CRM | Stage change to recruiter review / scheduling | Check recency; if unknown/old, create refresh task before handoff | last_verified_date check; refresh_queue = email/phone; owner assigned |
| ATS/CRM | Opt-out captured | Suppress across channels; close open outreach tasks | opt_out = true; suppression_reason; do_not_contact = true |
Step 5: Use refresh outputs correctly (don’t just overwrite)
- Keep history: store old values as “previous” with dates. It helps with compliance, troubleshooting, and avoiding re-adding suppressed data.
- Prefer tested channels: prioritize contact points that are deliverability tested (email) and line tested (phone).
- Respect opt-out: suppression beats refresh. Refreshing doesn’t override consent.
Weighted Checklist:
Score a record before you spend more attempts. This keeps refresh cadence consistent across sourcers and recruiters.
| Factor | Weight | Score (0–2) | How to score it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email status | 3 | 2 = deliverability tested with a date; 1 = unknown; 0 = bounced/suppressed | |
| Phone status | 3 | 2 = line tested with a date; 1 = unknown; 0 = wrong number/suppressed | |
| Recency | 2 | 2 = recent verified/used; 1 = older; 0 = no date | |
| Outreach signals | 2 | 2 = recent connect/reply; 1 = neutral; 0 = repeated no-answer or bounce | |
| Compliance readiness | 3 | 2 = consent/opt-out path documented; 1 = partial; 0 = unclear |
Decision rule:
- High score: proceed with outreach.
- Mid score: refresh the weakest channel (email or phone) before the next sequence.
- Low score: stop and refresh first, or move on if the req is time-sensitive and you have better leads.
Common pitfalls
Common mistake: treating refresh as a one-time “data cleanup project.” Then the team goes right back to working stale records because nothing in the workflow forces re-checks.
- Overwriting without suppression: if you don’t suppress bounced emails and opt-outs, you’ll re-import bad addresses and keep hurting deliverability.
- One cadence for every channel: email and phone fail differently. Your triggers should be channel-specific.
- Ignoring repeated no-answer: if you keep dialing the same line with the same call windows, you’re paying for the same outcome.
- “Fresh” with no timestamp: if you can’t see a last verified date, you can’t manage recency.
- No owner for the refresh queue: if nobody owns it (or it isn’t automated), refresh cadence collapses under load.
How to improve results
Improvement comes from measuring the cost of stale data and tightening triggers until wasted attempts drop without slowing submissions.
Stop vs refresh (decision mini-table)
| Situation | Decision | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Opt-out request received | Stop | Consent overrides data quality; suppression must win. |
| Email bounced | Refresh | The address is unusable; suppress and replace before emailing again. |
| Repeated no-answer across call windows | Refresh | Likely wrong line or wrong window; refresh phone before more dials. |
| Wrong person / role mismatch | Stop | Continuing outreach wastes attempts and increases complaint risk. |
Uniqueness hook (CALCULATOR): Refresh ROI math worksheet
This worksheet turns refresh cadence into a margin decision. Fill it in with your own numbers (no guessing).
| Input | How to get it | Your value |
|---|---|---|
| Attempts per placement | From your ATS: total outreach attempts / placements (reference: Heartbeat observed typicals include 1 per 100–200 attempts) | |
| Connect Rate (per 100 dials) | Connected calls / total dials (reference: Heartbeat observed typicals include ~10% typical) | |
| Recruiter minutes per failed attempt | Time study: logging + follow-up + task switching | |
| Cost per recruiter minute | Fully loaded cost / working minutes | |
| Refresh cost per record | Your vendor/tooling cost or internal ops cost |
Compute:
- Wasted attempt cost = failed attempts × minutes per failed attempt × cost per minute.
- Refresh investment = records refreshed × refresh cost per record.
- Net impact = wasted attempt cost avoided − refresh investment.
Measure this by… running the worksheet for one specialty or one req family for 30 days, then comparing to the prior 30 days after you implement trigger-based refresh + suppression.
What to tune first (in order)
- Suppression discipline: opt-outs and bounces should prevent repeat attempts on bad contact points.
- Reactivation hygiene: refresh before you restart sequences on older records.
- Phone quality for speed: if your team lives on the phone, prioritize better first dials. Heartbeat.ai supports workflows that include ranked mobile numbers by answer probability so your first attempts are more likely to connect.
Measurement instructions (required)
- Track by channel and cohort: new leads vs reactivated leads. Stale data shows up hardest in reactivation.
- Log outcomes consistently: for calls (connected, no-answer, voicemail, wrong number) and for email (delivered, bounced, replied, opt-out).
- Compute weekly:
- Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials (per 100 dials).
- Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls (per 100 connected calls).
- Deliverability Rate = delivered emails / sent emails (per 100 sent emails).
- Bounce Rate = bounced emails / sent emails (per 100 sent emails).
- Reply Rate = replies / delivered emails (per 100 delivered emails).
- Review suppression health monthly: confirm opt-outs are honored across tools and that bounced emails stay suppressed.
Outreach Templates:
These templates assume you’re using refreshed contact points, you have a clear opt-out, and you’re documenting consent where required. Customize by specialty and role.
Template 1: Email (first touch, refreshed email)
Subject: Quick question about your next move
Body:
Hi Dr. [Last Name] — I’m recruiting for [Role] in [Market]. Are you open to a brief call this week to see if it’s relevant?
If not, reply “no” and I’ll close the loop. If you prefer not to hear from me again, reply “opt out.”
— [Name], [Title], Heartbeat.ai
Template 2: Call voicemail (after line-tested number)
Hi Dr. [Last Name], this is [Name] with Heartbeat.ai. I’m calling about a [Role] opportunity in [Market]. If you’re open to a quick conversation, call me at [Number]. If you’d rather not receive outreach, tell me and I’ll opt you out.
Template 3: Follow-up after repeated no-answer (post-refresh)
Hi Dr. [Last Name] — I tried reaching you and may have had the wrong line earlier. If you’re open to a quick chat about [Role], what’s the best number/time window? If not interested, reply “no,” and if you want no further outreach, reply “opt out.”
Legal and ethical use
- Consent and opt-out: always provide a clear opt-out path and honor it quickly. Suppression lists should override refresh outputs.
- Data minimization: store only what you need to recruit and to document outreach outcomes (dates, channel status, suppression flags).
- Purpose limitation: use contact data for legitimate recruiting outreach only, not unrelated marketing.
- Local laws and policies: align with your organization’s compliance guidance and applicable data laws. Heartbeat.ai does not provide legal counsel.
Evidence and trust notes
Deliverability and list hygiene are measurable, and you should treat them like production metrics. Tools like Google Postmaster can help you monitor sending reputation signals that often correlate with your Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails) and Bounce Rate (bounced emails / sent emails), without promising outcomes.
For how Heartbeat.ai evaluates and communicates data trust signals, see our trust methodology and verification approach. If you’re standardizing how you validate records, pair this page with data quality verification for recruiting contact data.
FAQs
What is a good provider data refresh cadence for recruiting?
A good cadence is trigger-based: refresh when time since last touch is high, when an email bounces, or when you see repeated no-answer on calls. That prevents repeated waste.
Should I refresh email and phone on the same schedule?
No. Email and phone fail differently. Use channel-specific triggers: bounces force immediate email suppression + refresh; repeated no-answer forces phone refresh and call-window adjustment.
What should I do when an email bounces?
Suppress that email address immediately, refresh the email, and only resume email outreach once you have a new address with a verification date. Keep opt-out suppression in place.
What should override refresh?
Opt-out and do-not-contact flags should override everything. If someone opts out, you suppress and stop. Refreshing contact points doesn’t change consent.
Where do I store recency and suppression fields in my ATS?
Store them where they’re visible to the people doing outreach and where automation can update them reliably. At minimum, keep: last verified date (email/phone), last successful use date (delivered email/connected call), and suppression flags (opt-out, bounced email, wrong number). If your ATS can’t store these cleanly, use a connected CRM table and sync the key fields back to the ATS record.
How do I know if my refresh process is working?
Track Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails per 100 sent), Bounce Rate (bounced / sent per 100 sent), and Connect Rate (connected calls / total dials per 100 dials) by cohort (new vs reactivated). Improvement should show up first in reactivation.
Can I automate refresh triggers into my ATS?
Yes. Use bounce events, call outcomes, and stage changes to create refresh tasks and suppression updates automatically. Start with ATS enrichment workflows.
Next steps
- Implement the triggers: time since last touch, bounced email, repeated no-answer.
- Write down your thresholds: fill in the trigger worksheet so the whole team runs the same play.
- Stand up a refresh queue: weekly for signals, monthly for reactivation.
- Standardize verification: align with data quality verification so “fresh” has a timestamp and a method.
- Operationalize it in Heartbeat.ai: start free search & preview data and build a refresh workflow that fits your ATS and outreach stack.
About the Author
Ben Argeband is the Founder and CEO of Swordfish.ai and Heartbeat.ai. With deep expertise in data and SaaS, he has built two successful platforms trusted by over 50,000 sales and recruitment professionals. Ben’s mission is to help teams find direct contact information for hard-to-reach professionals and decision-makers, providing the shortest route to their next win. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn.
