Data entry is a very boring and time-consuming process. The reality, however, is that it needs to be done to ensure your business meets the necessary laws/regulations and, just as importantly, it keeps track of your customers so you know who is who. A large part of data entry doesn’t have to be manual though, and that’s what a lot of business owners get wrong. If you feel you’re wasting your time entering data manually, have a look at some of the tools/methods below that could help you streamline the process.
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Sync Customer Data with PieSync
If you use Customer Relationship Management software and multiple email clients to serve your customers with great customer service – there are other options available that can give you access to data in one place. What PieSync can do for your business is sync customer data from multiple external platforms like Outlook and Hubspot – and give you access to it all in one place. The problem with using multiple clients is that you need to continuously create new data profiles for different emails from different platforms and you need to export/import such data regularly. Syncing the data gives you access to it there and then.
Invest in Smart Scanners
If you find that you’re constantly being swamped with paperwork and you have to manually enter it into a finance/accounting system, you may well benefit from a smart scanner. Smart scanners vary a lot in terms of the data they can automatically grab and insert into computer software, but many of them are fairly good these days and don’t miss a trick. Let’s say you had a document with a customer’s name, address, email, and a few other pieces of information – it could take you a minute or two to manually insert. This might not sound like a lot of time, but if you’re doing this 20 times a day or more, it can become strenuous work. A smart scanner by your side can scan the data and insert it into your chosen application within seconds.
Handheld Devices
Technology is advancing at an astounding rate, and that could benefit you by helping you automate the data entry process. Let’s say you’re out in the field and you land a sale – you don’t need to write it down and then insert the data when you get back to the office if you have a tablet. Apple and Android devices have access to thousands of apps that can help you completely automate the process. It saves you getting back to the office and then having to manually insert data. You can now take payment for products/services straight from your tablet, too.
Streamlining data could, in fact, make or break your chances of being a success in business. If you find you’re spending more time entering data than you are running other operations of your business, then you need to quickly implement ways to drastically improve the whole process. There’s a lot you can do to help streamline data in the office and the above are just a few ways to do it. The chances are you’re spending hours inserting data when there is already a solution out there that can do it within seconds.