Overview
Use waterfall enrichment to access more complete, actionable contact data throughout the Apollo platform. When Apollo doesn't have the email or phone number you need, waterfall enrichment automatically checks your connected third-party data sources, in the order you define, until it finds a match.
Waterfall enrichment runs by default for your entire team based on global settings configured by an Apollo admin. You have complete control over when and how it works, whether that means maximizing coverage with third-party sources, maximizing accuracy with an optional validator, or relying on Apollo alone.
How It Works
Waterfall enrichment follows the same lifecycle everywhere it runs in Apollo. First, your admin sets a global lineup of data sources and, optionally, a validator in your team's waterfall settings.
When you or your team try to access a contact's email or phone number, Apollo checks its own data first, then moves down your lineup, source by source, until one returns a result. If you've connected a validator, any data found is passed through it for an extra layer of accuracy before it reaches you.
Credits are only charged when a source successfully returns data, so a run that finds nothing costs nothing. You can review exactly which source enriched each contact, and how many credits it used, from the contact profile or your waterfall enrichment report.
What You Can Do
Match your goal to the setting or workflow that gets you there.
| Your Goal | Best Action |
|---|---|
| Reach more prospects with broader email and phone coverage. | Add third-party data sources from the Apollo Integrations Marketplace to your waterfall lineup so Apollo checks them when its own data comes up short. |
| Reduce bounced emails and improve connect rates. | Connect an email or phone validation source in your global settings to verify data before it reaches your team. |
| Enrich only phone numbers for a contact. | Click Access Mobile in People to run waterfall enrichment for phone numbers only, using your configured phone data sources. |
| Enrich contacts before they enter a sequence. | When adding saved contacts to a sequence, select any flagged with missing or unverified data and run waterfall enrichment before outreach begins. |
| Keep waterfall enrichment cost-efficient. | Remove third-party sources from your global waterfall settings so Apollo is used as your only data source. |
| Turn off waterfall enrichment for a specific activity. | Use the Find data via Waterfall toggle when saving contacts, importing via CSV, or building enrichment workflows to opt out case by case. |
Get Started
Follow this path to set up, run, and manage waterfall enrichment for your team.
| Configure waterfall enrichment | As an admin, choose which third-party data sources and optional validator make up your team's global waterfall lineup. |
|---|---|
| Access emails and phone numbers | Click Access email or Access mobile in People to run waterfall enrichment for a contact. |
| Manage your settings and credit limits | Adjust your data source lineup, deactivate waterfall enrichment for specific activities, or set per-user credit limits as needs change. |
| Review your waterfall enrichment report | Track which data sources returned results and monitor your credit usage after each enrichment run. |
FAQs
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Frequently asked questions |
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| Is waterfall enrichment the same as CRM enrichment? | Does waterfall enrichment require credits? | Will enriched data sync to my CRM? |
| Can I turn off waterfall enrichment? | What's the difference between verified, valid, and catch-all emails? | |
Is waterfall enrichment the same as CRM enrichment?
No. Waterfall enrichment pulls data from Apollo and connected third-party sources to enrich emails and phone numbers for net-new and saved contacts. CRM enrichment is a separate process that uses Apollo's firmographic, demographic, and technographic data to enrich existing records in Salesforce or HubSpot. The two also charge credits differently.
Does waterfall enrichment require credits?
Yes. You use credits whenever Apollo or a connected data source successfully returns an email or phone number, whether or not it's verified. You aren't charged if a source can't find any data. If your admin connected an optional validator, it will also charge credits to validate found data. Every run gives you a credit estimate before it starts.
Will enriched data sync to my CRM?
If you've connected your HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive account, primary emails and phone numbers sync automatically after waterfall enrichment. Any existing CRM data is kept as a secondary email or phone number on the contact.
Can I turn off waterfall enrichment?
Yes. Admins can remove third-party data sources from the team's global waterfall lineup so Apollo is the only data source used. Admins and non-admins can also deactivate waterfall enrichment on a case-by-case basis for specific activities, like saving contacts or importing via CSV.
What's the difference between verified, valid, and catch-all emails?
Verified emails are up-to-date and returned directly by Apollo or a third-party source. Valid emails have passed an extra layer of checking through a connected data validator. Catch-all emails are shared domain addresses that receive messages sent to anyone at that domain; you can control whether Apollo and third-party sources are allowed to return them during bulk enrichment.
Learn More
Go deeper on the tools and concepts behind waterfall enrichment.
| How to Use Waterfall Enrichment | Watch this Apollo Academy course for a guided video tour of waterfall enrichment setup, credit usage, and reporting. |
| Apollo Integrations Marketplace | Browse every third-party data and validation source available for your waterfall lineup. |
| How Apollo Verifies Emails | Understand the methodology Apollo uses to verify email accuracy before and during enrichment. |
| View and Edit Contact Profiles | See which data source enriched a contact and review or edit their emails and phone numbers from their profile. |
| Email Status Overview | Learn what each status icon in the Email column means, including how verified emails are indicated. |
| Waterfall Enrichment via the Apollo API | Reference the query parameters for running waterfall enrichment individually or in bulk through the Apollo API. |