Accurate reporting is crucial to your business’s operations. Inaccurate data entry can lead to poor business decisions or result in a decline in company revenue. However, there are steps you can take to ensure your business is reporting high-quality data.
Eliminate Inaccurate Data Sources
There are many resources a business can use to track data, and finding the right one is crucial for accurate data quality management. It’s essential for companies to identify internal and external data sources that give them the most accurate results.
Internal data sources—information generated from within business operations
External data sources—information generated from the market, including customers and competitors; utilizes statistics from surveys, questionnaires, research, and customer feedback
Once your company finds its most reliable data source, it’s best to stick with it to avoid further error or confusion between data entry specialists and company management. Incorrect and inconsistent data from platform to platform can result in miscommunication, leading to business decisions that are unnecessary or damaging to your company’s bottom line.
Choosing a reporting service that is most accurate and aligned with your company goals can improve the quality of your reporting, which improves your company’s overall operations.
Improve Data Accuracy by Setting Data Quality Goals
Setting realistic data quality goals is vital to improving your company’s data management. If goals are unrealistic, there’s greater pressure on data entry specialists to achieve them, which could lead to fabricated data results.
Realistic data quality goals lead to consistent improvement rather than perfection. As businesses are constantly changing and evolving, so will the company’s data. Accurate data reporting allows data entry specialists and management to identify strengths and weaknesses of the company’s operations, providing insight on their customers and the market. A good data quality goal should be determined by data capturing, data entry, and effective coding.
When determining a good quality goal, your goal should:
- Be specific
- Be measurable
- Be attainable
- Be realistic
- Hold you accountable
- Assess progress
Avoid Overloading Data Entry Pressure
Work overloading and pressure from management can result in inaccurate reporting from data entry specialists. Inaccurate data could occur due to traditional human error or fabricated entry.
If data entry specialists are overloaded with work, they can become tired and start mindlessly entering data, resulting in data entry errors. If they feel a significant amount of pressure from management, they may take unethical measures and fabricate data to make management happy.
The best way to avoid work overload and pressure on data entry specialists is to delegate different analytics to different team members or to stretch out the workload over an extended period of time.
Review Data Analytics
Reviewing data analytics once, twice, or several times is an efficient way to ensure correct data entry. If data isn’t checked, incorrect data entry will likely occur due to a lack of attention to detail and human error.
Mistakes do happen, and incorrect data entry is often not intended to be a malicious act from employees. Many companies hire quality assurance professionals whose job is to review data and reduce significant data errors.
Improve Data Quality by Automating Error Reports
As technology practices improve, so do advances in software. Many companies have turned to automated error reports for their master data quality assurance. Generating automated error reports is common among companies today, and it is only getting more significant as businesses grow and develop.
However, automated error reports are not necessary for every business or project. Most automated error reports are used on a detailed basis. For example, they may be used for beta testing and extensive projects where the same data is being entered repeatedly.
Ensure Data by Adopting Accuracy Standards
Companies must adopt data entry quality standards such as matching, geocoding, data monitoring, data profiling, and linking to ensure quality data. These practices ensure data is the highest quality and contains minimal errors. Without utilizing these accuracy standards, data can be skewed and lead to inaccurate information.
As accuracy standards evolve, your company needs to adopt and utilize proper quality assurance measures. Adopting accuracy standards is not only beneficial to your company’s operations, but it’s also beneficial to your customers. They’ll receive a better service or a higher-quality product as a result of improved data accuracy.
Promote a Healthy Work Environment
Healthy work environments help employees make fewer mistakes; therefore, they can directly impact data accuracy. When data entry specialists have a heavy workload or feel an abundance of pressure coming from management, they tend to get more tired and stressed about work. On the other hand, companies that promote a healthy and supportive work environment help data entry specialists retain their focus, allowing them to report data accurately.
There are many ways to promote a healthy work environment, including:
- Building trust with your employees
- Encouraging communication
- Being flexible with schedules and duties
- Prioritizing their overall wellness
Your Next Level Data Report Manager
At Wise Technology, we seek to help you create and deploy innovative solutions that are easy to use. Let us help you simplify your business operations and ensure high-quality data reporting.
Wise Technology software empowers your team to use time more efficiently, align reporting tools with reality, and focus on the work that really matters. Our custom development and software capabilities allow your organization’s software to evolve with the latest technology and best practices.
Contact us today to discuss reporting services and streamline data entry processes!
