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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.

15+
Data Sources
98%
Accuracy
1 or 11
Credits/Record
app.cleanlist.ai

Waterfall Enrichment

0 of 6 sources queried

Data Sources
Cleanlist
Cleanlist
Pending
Wiza
Wiza
Pending
Findymail
Findymail
Pending
Prospeo
Prospeo
Pending
Lusha
Lusha
Pending
+10
+10 more
Pending
Golden Record
Waiting to start enrichment...

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

A 99-lead founders list after one waterfall pass: verified email and phone on nearly every row
A 99-lead founders list after one waterfall pass: verified email and phone on nearly every row
Sources
15+
Premium providers
Accuracy
98%
Verified emails
Email Only
1 Credit
Partial enrichment
Full Contact
11 Credits
Email + Phone + Data
Verification
SMTP
Real-time on every lookup
Processing
<3s
Avg. per record
The Cascade Logic

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)
Waterfall Cascade Visualization
INPUT RECORD
John Smith
John Smith
Acme Corp
QUERYING 15+ PREMIUM SOURCES
IcyPeas
Found
Wiza
Found
LeadMagic
Partial
Prospeo
Found
Hunter
Found
+10 more
Queued
Best-Match Merge Algorithm
GOLDEN RECORD
✓ VERIFIED
john@acme.com
Work Email
+1 (555) 123-4567
Direct Dial
Acme Corporation
Company
VP of Sales
Title
San Francisco, CA
Location
linkedin.com/in/jsmith
LinkedIn
Comparison

Enrichment

See how querying 15+ providers compares to relying on a single database.

MetricSingle SourceWaterfall (Cleanlist)
Email CoverageCapped by one databaseCascades until a verified match
Email AccuracyWhatever one source has98%
Phone DataOnly that source's numbers85% direct dials
Cost ModelPay per lookup (hit or miss)Pay only when data found
FailoverNone. One source fails, you get nothingAuto-cascade through 15+ providers
Data FreshnessDepends on provider update cycleCross-validated in real time

Read the full comparison guide →

Enrichment Options

Choose Your

Pick partial enrichment for email-focused campaigns or full enrichment for complete contact data including phone numbers.

EMAIL FOCUSED

Partial Enrichment

1
credit
per record

Get verified work emails for your contacts. Perfect for email outreach campaigns.

Verified work email
Email deliverability check
Company data enrichment
LinkedIn profile URL

No credit card required

MOST POPULAR
MULTI-CHANNEL

Full Enrichment

11
credits
per record (1 for email + 10 for phone)

Complete contact data including direct dial phone numbers for multi-channel outreach.

Everything in Partial
Direct dial phone number
Mobile phone number
Complete firmographics
Social profiles
Start with Full

No credit card required

Proven Results

Real

Two teams that moved their enrichment onto Cleanlist's waterfall.

Pr

Proposify

Proposal software

Pipeline generated

$300K+

in 4 months
Fl

Float

20-person GTM team

Tools replaced

3

consolidated

Float's 20-person GTM team replaced ZoomInfo, Hunter, and NeverBounce with Cleanlist.

Industry Data

Why Matters

The data quality problem is well-documented. Here's what the research shows.

25-30%
of B2B contact data decays every year as people change jobs, companies rebrand, and email addresses go stale

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.

$3.1T
annual cost of poor data quality to the US economy according to IBM and Harvard Business Review research

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 Review

Frequently Asked Questions

What is waterfall enrichment?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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?

+

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.

30 credits included. No credit card required. Set up in 5 minutes.