Data is the magic oil of enterprise. It generates information, statistics, and meaningful ways to strategize – so hiring data entry professionals can be a valuable benefit to businesses that require high levels of accuracy!
Think about the value of data:
- Marketing is based entirely on customer data.
- Data-based aims drive sales targets.
- Performance information relies on excellent data.
Data is the most precious commodity in the business world, so it makes sense to manage it carefully, accurately, and professionally.
If, however, you are wondering why you should hire data entry staff when you can enter your own metrics, we will shed some light on this key administrative role – and why it is essential to almost all businesses!
What Jobs Can a Data Entry Clerk Fulfill?
As in any position, you can hire data entry professionals from a wide range of backgrounds.
A lot depends on your needs, but here are a few examples:
- Recording billing information and sales.
- Gathering statistical information from reports.
- Accumulating data on employees, contacts, and suppliers.
If you do not have a crystal-clear idea of your transactions and business activity, it is impossible to make informed decisions. This is where data entry becomes invaluable!
Your data needs to be organized, easy to find, up to date, and understandable, so when you need to make a critical business decision, you are not leafing through stacks of paperwork to find those important numbers.
Why Should I Hire a Data Entry Professional?
Let’s take it back a step and think about the alternatives. You could:
- Enter all your business trading data yourself.
- Hire a member of staff to do it for you.
- Outsource or commission a freelancer.
- Use an online program with automated data entry.
These may seem like equally valuable alternatives, but while online programs can be amazing, they are not the gold standard when it comes to outstanding data management!
Computers cannot qualify the context of a piece of information, so while they are acceptable for general entries, it is not the most reliable option if data-driven factors are the heart of your business.
Business owners also have minimal time, so it is usually not wise for them to deal with data entry since they will need to focus on strategic decisions, rather than administrative tasks.
Should I Hire a Data Entry Clerk Full-Time or Freelance?
That takes us to the question of the day – who is the best data entry clerk for your company?
- A full-time data entry professional is crucial for businesses that have large volumes of data that require daily processing.
- Freelance data entry professionals are ideal for companies needing regular data management, but not necessarily continually.
You know your business, you know your requirements, and therefore only you can make the call on what is right for your business.
Most systems are accessible remotely, so you do not necessarily need someone on-site eight hours a day.
Likewise, if you appoint a freelancer, you should agree to fixed timescales, so the data entry runs like clockwork.
What Skills Should I Look for in a Data Entry Hire?
If you have decided on hiring a data entry clerk, you’ll need to be clear about the job requirements.
They often look a bit like this:
- Speed – super-fast typing skills!
- Accuracy – a sharp eye for detail, even at that velocity.
- Time – data entry takes a lot of it, so you need someone with good time management skills.
From there, it is all about specifying precisely what tasks are involved in the job.
That might be the basic entry of metrics. It could also involve handling databases and researching or analyzing data reports to produce information summaries for your teams to work from.
Now is also a great time to consider security and whether any external access to your business systems or cloud-based functions is encrypted – because it will need to be!
What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Data Entry Team Member?
If you are not entirely sold on the concept of outsourcing your data entry, let’s pause here and reflect on the benefits. They are pretty compelling!
- Hiring someone to manage your data entry frees up your time to focus on your core competencies and business activities.
- You will usually get access to more advanced technology through a data entry provider with excellent systems to deliver high-performance data management.
- Outsourcing data entry can lower your operational costs – which means cutting back on labor hours, technology costs, and downtime in business operations.
- Having on-point data means being able to make quick-fire decisions with confidence, providing a competitive advantage.
- Strategic decisions are faster, making the company more flexible, and management has a firm grasp of what’s happening on the ground when deciding how to pivot.
Remember – data is only as valuable as what you do with it.
Manage it well?
It becomes priceless.
