Data plays a critical role in modern E-commerce enterprises. Vast volumes of information are generated from transactions, customers, and within the business itself. This valuable data has to be stored, analysed, and presented in various ways to make it useful to the business.
In most cases, data digitisation begins with manually inputting the information into E-commerce tools such as websites, ERP systems, spreadsheets, and data analytics systems. However, data entry is a daunting task for most businesses. Here are five common data entry mistakes that not only make data entry frustrating but risky as well.
1. Inputting errors
The most common error in data entry is inputting incorrect data values. An input error can be a mistype, spelling mistake, or wrong interpretation of information. Input errors usually result from carelessness or failing to spot small but important details like commas, decimal points, unique symbols, and digits.
2. Incorrect formatting
Complex sets of data are usually stored and presented using intricate and delicate formats. You might find data formats that feature several fields, columns and rows for specific variables. Entering values into the wrong field or in the wrong sequence creates a rippling effect that may render the entire data set unusable.
3. Omissions
Omissions are another costly mistake in data entry. An employee can easily omit particular details of an entry or even entire records. In critical data sets, a single omission can cause inconsistencies in the data, leading to wildly inaccurate results.
4. Duplicate entries
Just like omissions, duplicates also cause inconsistencies and inaccuracies in data records. Even when presented with vastly unique data entries, it’s quite common for workers to enter multiple duplicates.
5. Poor turnaround
Your staff may not be adequately trained in data entry or familiar with data entry resources. As a result, the data entry process may be painfully slow, besides being riddled with errors. Data availability in most businesses has to meet strict deadlines. Your employees may not be well-prepared and experienced enough to work fast while maintaining data correctness and integrity.
Consider outsourcing
Today, more and more businesses are outsourcing mundane and repetitive tasks to professionals who are better suited to handle them. Outsourcing your E-commerce data entry eliminates the risk of errors and ensures a quick turnaround time. It also costs a lot less than an in-house data entry department.
Data integrity, which is guaranteed by professional data entry services, is a big part of data security. Businesses demand high levels of data security and privacy when handling business information. With that in mind, businesses cannot afford to compromise on data safety.