As companies grow, so do the volumes of data that needs to be managed. As such, most companies opt to outsource various kinds of data entry solutions to different business process outsourcing (BPO) firms worldwide. Outsourcing data entry to a third party service provider saves the company administrative costs, and allows fast turnaround time for processing and updating information.

Though considered an administrative task and not a core activity, companies still need to ensure the competency of a data entry outsourcing provider. The provider should not only offer a low-cost contract, but also prioritize on quality and accuracy of output.

Importance of accurate data entry

In 2012, the England’s National Health Service (NHS) seemed to witness a miracle: their reports showed that there are 20,000 pregnant men in Britain. However, as it turned out, this is simply a case of data entry errors.

Mistakes in data entry can be as simple as a typographical or transposition error. These errors in data entry severely impact an organization’s operations, particularly those of businesses.

When a data entry operator, for instance, inputs the wrong shipping or billing address of a customer, the product order will be delivered to the wrong person. The business will then need to pick up the product, re-send it and apologize to a potentially frustrated customer, and ask the accounting department to fix invoices.

There are many more examples such as this, as data is used in every aspect of a business. Simply put, errors in data entry are costly and labor intensive. In the healthcare industry even, simple mistakes can be fatal.

Inaccuracy in data entry holds back businesses and may affect their reputation. Thus, there is a need for, not just speedy, but accurate output.

Outsourcing for data entry needs

Businesses must make it a point to carefully select the right data entry outsourcing provider. The provider must employ regular and systematic processing of information, and deliver high-quality output on time. Ideally, it should also cover the gamut of data entry services - from texts to scanned images and other formats. Most importantly, it should be able to provide error-free data and documentations to assist businesses with its operations and prevent potential hassles.

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