Waterfall
Stop losing deals to bad data. Query 15+ premium sources in one API call and get the most complete, verified contact record every time.
Waterfall enrichment is a data enrichment technique that queries multiple data providers in sequence. When one source fails to find a match, the next provider is automatically tried. Cleanlist cascades through 15+ data providers to maximize coverage and accuracy for every contact.
No credit card required. 30 free credits included.
Waterfall Enrichment
0 of 6 sources queried
Quick answer
Waterfall enrichment runs each lookup through multiple data providers in sequence until a verified match is found, instead of relying on a single database. Cleanlist orchestrates 15+ providers per contact and verifies emails and phones at each step, which is how it reaches 98% email and 85% phone accuracy.
Join 2,000+ GTM teams

How Works
Our proprietary cascade algorithm queries sources sequentially until it finds the best match, validates responses, and returns a complete record.
Smart Provider Search
We check multiple data providers in order until we find your contact information.
- Providers queried in optimized sequence
- Stops at first high-confidence match
- Automatic timeout handling and retry logic
- Source health monitoring and failover
Response Validation
Each response is validated for accuracy, freshness, and completeness.
- Email syntax and deliverability check
- Phone number format validation
- Company data cross-referencing
- Data freshness scoring (last updated)
Best-Match Merge
Our algorithm selects the highest-quality data point for each field.
- Field-by-field quality comparison
- Confidence scoring per data point
- Source priority weighting
- Conflict resolution rules
Golden Record Output
One complete, verified record with 25+ data points returned.
- Full contact information (email, phone, social)
- Company firmographics (size, revenue, industry)
- Job details (title, department, seniority)
- Metadata (sources used, confidence scores)

Enrichment
See how querying 15+ providers compares to relying on a single database.
| Metric | Single Source | Waterfall (Cleanlist) |
|---|---|---|
| Email Coverage | Capped by one database | Cascades until a verified match |
| Email Accuracy | Whatever one source has | 98% |
| Phone Data | Only that source's numbers | 85% direct dials |
| Cost Model | Pay per lookup (hit or miss) | Pay only when data found |
| Failover | None. One source fails, you get nothing | Auto-cascade through 15+ providers |
| Data Freshness | Depends on provider update cycle | Cross-validated in real time |
Choose Your
Pick partial enrichment for email-focused campaigns or full enrichment for complete contact data including phone numbers.
Partial Enrichment
Get verified work emails for your contacts. Perfect for email outreach campaigns.
No credit card required
Full Enrichment
Complete contact data including direct dial phone numbers for multi-channel outreach.
No credit card required
Real
Two teams that moved their enrichment onto Cleanlist's waterfall.
Proposify
Proposal software
Pipeline generated
$300K+
Float
20-person GTM team
Tools replaced
3
Float's 20-person GTM team replaced ZoomInfo, Hunter, and NeverBounce with Cleanlist.
Popular
See how teams use waterfall enrichment to power their GTM motions.
Lead List Enrichment
Upload a list of companies and get complete contact details for decision-makers.
CRM Data Hygiene
Enrich existing CRM records to fill gaps and update stale information.
ABM Campaign Prep
Get verified emails and direct dials for your target account list.
Event Lead Capture
Enrich badge scans with full contact and company data in real-time.
Market Research
Build comprehensive prospect databases for TAM analysis and segmentation.
International Expansion
Get localized contact data for EMEA, APAC, and LATAM markets.
Why Matters
The data quality problem is well-documented. Here's what the research shows.
A single-source provider that updates quarterly will miss most of this churn. Waterfall enrichment cross-validates against fresh sources in real time.
Source: ZoomInfo Data Decay Report“Multi-source enrichment is table stakes for any team that cares about deliverability. If you're still relying on one provider, you're flying blind on every record that provider happens to miss.”
For B2B sales teams, bad data means bounced emails, wasted rep time, and damaged sender reputation. The cost compounds with every campaign sent to unverified contacts.
Source: IBM/Harvard Business ReviewLearn More About Waterfall Enrichment
Frequently Asked Questions
What is waterfall enrichment?
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Waterfall enrichment is a data strategy that queries multiple data providers in sequence until it finds the best available information for a given record. Instead of relying on a single database (which inevitably has blind spots), it cascades through 15+ sources to maximize coverage and accuracy. Each provider's response is validated for freshness and deliverability before being accepted. The result is a single golden record with higher match rates and fewer gaps than any individual provider can deliver.
How does waterfall enrichment differ from single-source enrichment?
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Single-source enrichment queries one provider and returns whatever they have, with no cross-validation. Waterfall enrichment queries multiple providers sequentially, combining the best data from each source. It uses field-level optimization to select the highest-confidence data point for each field (email, phone, title, company) across all providers. It also validates data across sources, catching stale emails and outdated job titles that a single source would miss.
Which data providers does Cleanlist query?
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Cleanlist queries 15+ premium data providers including Wiza, Findymail, Prospeo, Hunter, and more. Our proprietary algorithm selects the optimal provider order based on data type, geography, and historical accuracy for each lookup. Each response is validated in real time before inclusion in the final golden record. The provider cascade is continuously tuned based on performance metrics, so the system gets more accurate over time.
How much does waterfall enrichment cost?
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Cleanlist uses simple credit-based pricing: 1 credit for email-only enrichment (partial), 10 credits for phone number enrichment, and 11 credits for full contact enrichment (email + phone + company data). Plans start at $0/month with 30 free credits included. There are no hidden fees, no setup costs, and unused credits roll over for up to 3 months. You only pay when data is found. Failed lookups don't consume credits.
Does it integrate with my CRM?
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Yes. Cleanlist integrates natively with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Outreach, Salesloft, and lemlist. You can also use the REST API for custom integrations. Enriched data syncs back to your CRM with field-level mapping, so records are updated automatically without manual data entry.
What accuracy rate does Cleanlist achieve?
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We achieve 98% email deliverability on enriched records. Every email is triple-verified through syntax validation, DNS/MX record lookup, and SMTP handshake, including catch-all domain detection. Phone numbers are format-validated against international standards. Company data is cross-referenced across multiple sources for consistency. This verification happens in real time during the waterfall, so you never receive unverified data.
How fast is waterfall enrichment?
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Cleanlist processes most single-contact enrichments in under 3 seconds. The waterfall queries providers in parallel where possible and in sequence where validation depends on prior results. For bulk enrichment, you can submit up to 250 contacts per API request, with results streaming back as each contact completes. For asynchronous jobs the API returns a workflow_id that you poll until the results are ready, so you can fire a request and collect the enriched records when they settle.
Can I use waterfall enrichment for phone numbers only?
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Yes. Cleanlist offers a phone_only enrichment type that returns direct-dial and mobile phone numbers without email lookup. This costs 10 credits per record and is designed for cold calling campaigns where you already have email addresses. You can also use the full enrichment type (11 credits) to get both email and phone in a single request, which is the most cost-efficient option when you need both channels.
How many data sources does Cleanlist use for waterfall enrichment?
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Cleanlist's waterfall enrichment queries 15+ premium data providers per lookup, including leading B2B data vendors like Wiza, Findymail, Prospeo, and Hunter. The system selects the optimal provider order based on the data type you need (email, phone, firmographics), the contact's geography, and each provider's historical accuracy for similar lookups. This multi-source approach reaches contacts that any single provider would miss.
Is waterfall enrichment better than single-source enrichment?
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Yes, waterfall enrichment consistently outperforms single-source enrichment across every key metric. Single-source tools query one database and return whatever they have, capped by that one database and with no cross-validation. Waterfall enrichment queries multiple providers in sequence, delivering broader coverage, 98% email accuracy through triple verification, and significantly fresher data through real-time cross-referencing. The trade-off is slightly higher processing time (under 3 seconds vs sub-second), but the data quality improvement is transformative for outbound sales and ABM campaigns.
How accurate is waterfall enrichment?
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Cleanlist's waterfall enrichment achieves 98% email deliverability on enriched records. Accuracy is built into every step of the cascade: each provider response is validated through syntax checks, DNS/MX record lookup, and SMTP handshake verification, including catch-all domain detection. Phone numbers are format-validated against international standards. Because the waterfall cross-references data across multiple providers, it catches stale emails and outdated job titles that any single source would miss. The result is a verified golden record you can trust for outreach.










