You may not have heard much about data entry specialists, but it’s essential to ensure your data is entered and accounted for correctly. Look for a data entry assistant to save time and complete your projects seamlessly.
What is Data Entry?
Data entry is the process of transferring information from an outside source (digital or analog) to a computer. It can be done manually, therefore using physical office supplies. Today, however, it is most often performed exclusively via computer. Some data forms include handwritten documents, spreadsheets, audiovisual files such as phone conversations, or scanned documents. Many businesses need to have meetings transcribed, raw data added into databases, and sales figures converted to electronic formats. Years ago, the most common form of data entry was converting handwritten documents through a typewriter, but those days are long over.
There are different types of data entry job descriptions available, such as typist, transcriber, operator, coder, or word processor. Payment methods vary from project-based, keystrokes per hour, or an hourly or salary wage. For instance, a virtual assistant performs duties such as managing payroll and answering messages, while a data entry clerk will typically take raw data and enter it into a spreadsheet or similar system. Some light data analysis might also be included in the job. Doing transcription is another popular job in the field, as duties include transcribing interviews or podcasts, for example.
Correctly keyed data is often the base on which a company can perform analyses and plan for the future. Today, it is possible to catch errors in data entry relatively quickly, though this was not the case in past generations of specialists. This type of clerk work took time and was not as rewarding because it was often considered as ‘women’s work’, ergo needing little experience and, offensively perhaps, skills.
Who Can Be a Data Entry Specialist?
Data entry is known to take time and therefore requires an operator or a full team of specialists to do correctly. Data entry staff doesn’t usually need experience or a college degree, and can therefore be a nice option for people who aren’t so academically inclined or didn’t have the opportunity to pursue higher education. As a result, members of the workforce with only a high school diploma will be able to find satisfying jobs. That being said, certifications do exist to improve work quality and may be considered a good idea for those who wish to pursue the job full-time. Some certifications might include those received upon graduating with an associate’s degree, but they can also be as simple as being proof that the data entry specialist has mastered the use of a specific software or tool used for the job and can now satisfy its description.
Why Do I Need a Data Entry Specialist?
A single or a group of data entry specialists is a huge benefit to any medium to large-sized companies. The work can often be outsourced and done remotely, which means money can be saved by hiring outside the country. For example, a company based in the United States might save money by hiring specialists from a country with traditionally more cost-effective labor, such as India. Freelance platform ComeUp offers many types of data entry. For instance, inputting spreadsheets is an excellent job for a data entry specialist focusing on administrative tasks. Another task that is often put to the side is transcription, which can be done by a remote freelancer. This type of data entry can usually be completed in a few days, without needing to fill a position. Decades ago, this would have been a full-time administrative job.
They can be hired as freelancers through a platform such as ComeUp, where they will typically start with a smaller amount of data to process. This is a way to check for competency in the field and is a safer bet than offering a so-called specialist a long-term contract, only to be disappointed in the quality of work. If the quality of work received is high, a larger task can be selected to be completed.
Hiring a Quality Data Entry Specialist
A data entry specialist can take several forms. Though most people think the position simply takes the form of a desk clerk, it is more complex. Data is entered by people in all sorts of positions, from receptionists to sales representatives to nurses, which shows the versatility of the job, be it full-time or part-time. Keeping this in mind, if you have a thriving private medical practice, it is highly recommended that you have a data entry specialist early on to keep track of patient’s health information. This individual should be someone who you trust, but also someone who you feel would be a good representative of the practice. They must be responsible and have excellent attention to detail since they are manipulating data that applies to a person’s life.
Accuracy, the Key to Success
More concretely, a data entry specialist’s role has a specific skill set that is invaluable: accuracy. Indeed, a big part of a data entry specialist’s job is to enter the data in question as quickly and correctly as possible, without, naturally, getting so worn out that the attention to detail suffers. The worker must be able to maintain this focus for hours on end, so self-care and pacing play a big role in this job. Similarly, having a high-quality support system as a data entry specialist is crucial to leading a healthy lifestyle because of the repetitive nature of the position. Still, with the right quality of life, an employee can find happiness on the job.
Keeping Focused
Another essential benefit of hiring data entry specialists is that it allows the company to focus on its core business description. This is because data entry roles can be quite time-consuming and can take the focus and resources away from the more central aspects of a job. Delegating even some of these tasks to a specialist, such as collecting leads, frees up many hours in a work shift. Freelance platform ComeUp has many sellers who are ready to apply their skills and often for a range of service prices, from high to low. Since these will be remote jobs,
How to Find a Data Entry Specialist?
Finding the best data entry specialist from a pool of job applicants can be tricky, as there can often be a great deal of people looking for entry-level administrative work. As such, it is an excellent idea to request that each applicant perform a skills test to see who is the most committed to the job. Adding a good amount of questions to the test will thin out the number of people early on, simply because not everyone wants to spend thirty minutes to an hour on what will likely be unpaid work. (It is a nice gesture to offer everyone who completed the task a gift card, for example).
Creating a Skills Test
The skills test should be an accurate representation of what the data entry specialist job will look like, but more importantly, should test for speed and orientation to detail. This is because while most people can fill out a form, not everyone can fill out hundreds of such documents during an eight-hour shift. This takes an incredible amount of focus and concentration, which not everyone has, especially when they may not realistically have much support or time for questions from the head office as the often forgotten members of a team.
Hire a Freelancer
There is one instance where a skills test might not work, and that is when you are hiring from a freelancer platform like ComeUp. Realistically speaking, sellers will not be interested in being tested when they are only being paid to fill out a couple of hundred Excel cells, for instance, since this is merely a temporary job.
This is where ComeUp’s functionality comes in handy: you can select your employee and have them perform their basic offer, which will usually be a simple and inexpensive task. You can then decide if you would like to pursue the hiring process for a larger task based on their performance. It will even be possible to continue hiring the same seller if you are happy with their work. If not, don’t worry, you can surely find a more experienced employee to join the team. You can usually tell a responsible worker by the quality of their service description.
What Makes a Good Freelancer?
A good freelancer will have had many kinds of experiences working with data entry and will be flexible in the type of work you need them to do. They will generally be happiest being paid per project rather than per hour since it allows them to be much more flexible in when and how they work, join the team, and provide the service. They will also be quickest to understand that data entry jobs can be temporary, remote, and dependent on the quantity of data that needs manipulation.
Working freelance doesn’t mean that any less accuracy and precision is allowed on the job, since platforms like ComeUp offer statistics that customers can weed through specialists before deciding who they are hiring. This is beneficial because as a client, finding out how many past orders a freelancer has completed, alongside how quickly they respond and what kind of star rating they have been given is great information to have as a customer.
The Search Process
A further advantage of why it’s an excellent idea to hire one or a team of freelancers is that you have access to a global talent pool. From the widespread landscape of the United States to the bustling streets of Pakistan, you will be sure to find responsible clerks for the job, and you can do so without leaving your home office. This is the distinct advantage of working remotely.
Instead of weeding your way through many applicant resumes, you can select the data entry specialist who is willing to work flexibly. A more important aspect of this is that they are level-headed and interested in completing their tasks on a high level. For this, as the person hiring for the job, you should be available to answer any questions on very short notice to ensure that deadlines are being met, even when working with a temporary worker. Indeed, a remote administrative assistant will not take well to waiting more than a few hours to receive support on answering a customer query.
In the United States, data entry may be considered a low-level job, but this isn’t necessarily the case around the world. As such, it’s a good idea to support these potential employees as a client in the best way you can, which will also benefit your company starting today. Encourage any customer-focused administrative assistants you know to join a freelance platform such as ComeUp so that they may build up their skills and make money at the same time, and gracefully answer any of their questions. Another job that can be completed by data entry specialists is the day-to-day management of the company’s email inboxes
In Conclusion
Being a data entry specialist is a great fit for a high school graduate who wants a job working remotely. However, anyone with the right level of focus and accuracy can succeed in this detail-focused career path. Your company will benefit from hiring a team of specialists to support each other through the office work. Look to ComeUp for your next data entry specialist today!
