Data entry mistakes can have serious consequences. A report in Bucks County Courier Times told of how a criminal suspect was mistakenly released in Maryland a few months ago due to data entry issues. The spokesperson made it clear that the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services regretted the data entry errors which led to the release. Though the suspect was rearrested soon after, this is just an instance of the havoc a data entry error can result in. Businesses too need to be wary of data entry mistakes which can result in loss of time and money, and affect their credibility. Here are some common data entry errors and tips on how to avoid them:
- Transcription Errors – These are the errors caused by fast typing. The person entering the data may sometimes hit the wrong key and not notice it. This would result in information being entered incorrectly as with wrong spelling, missing out on number or entering the same information twice. Transcription errors may also happen while using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). If there are errors on the papers, OCR programs will read them as such. If the ink is smudged on the papers, OCR would not be able to read the characters properly.
- Transposition Errors – This type of error occurs when people typing digits switch the place of the numbers, for example, typing 3465 instead of 3645. This is the common mistake that people make while entering numbers quickly.
Depending on the importance of data, these errors can have disastrous consequences. Bookkeepers can make transposition mistakes which can cause your company to make the wrong business decisions and have you going in the wrong direction. Another mistake that can cost a business is an error of omission – leaving out something important when you are entering data.
While knowing about the data entry mistakes that can be committed, it’s also important to know how you can avoid them or lessen their incidence:
- Hire Enough Data Entry Staff – Hire enough staff for data entry work. This will help ease work pressures which are often responsible for errors, especially when there are deadlines to meet.
- Good working environment – Proper lighting, seating arrangements and equipment are necessary for your staff to be able to perform their work well. For instance, poor lighting leading to eyestrain can result in erroneous data entry.
- Stringent QA processes – Double – checking data after entry can help spot mistakes including transcription or transcription errors. Dedicate a team for quality control and audit processes.
Hiring data entry operators, training them, and assigning staff for quality control can prove expensive in the current business scenario. Outsourcing your data entry tasks to a professional data entry company with advanced infrastructure and experienced data entry operators is the ideal solution. Professional service providers have multilevel quality assurance in place to ensure error – free, timely data entry solutions.
