Three jobs that create different records
Capture asks a person to provide information. Identification resolves observed activity to a person or company. Enrichment appends facts or signals to a record that already exists. The verbs sound adjacent, but the resulting confidence and permission are not interchangeable.
| Job | Starting point | Data origin | What it can establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capture | A visitor chooses to respond | Declared first-party data | Identity, needs, preferences, permission, score |
| Identification | Anonymous or partial activity | Resolution provider and observed behavior | Likely account or person, pages, recency |
| Enrichment | An existing identifier | Data provider or connected system | Company, role, verification, signals |
Provenance belongs on the record
A useful lead record should retain the source, collection method, provider, timestamp, verification state, consent or permitted-use basis, and downstream restrictions. Removing provenance creates false confidence and makes later quality analysis weaker.
- Record who supplied each field.
- Keep observed behavior separate from declared intent.
- Preserve verification timestamps.
- Do not infer person-level permission from company identification.
- Route disputed or contradictory fields for review.