What is data entry?

A quick guide to data entry

December 21, 2021

8 minute reading

Abstract illustration of a data entry interface with graphs, user icons, and a table on a brown background

Business moves at a lightning-fast pace, and as your brand grows, it can be harder to keep up with all the information that you're collecting at every turn — this is where data entry can be of benefit. It can help create new or update customer accounts, transcribe data from important audio files (including recordings of live phone conversations), or upload expenses. Data entry can be your business lifesaver.

Working with data entry clerks can help your team focus on mission-critical tasks while still keeping all of your databases accurate and up-to-date. This helps your business use data to its advantage and improve your overall operational workflow.

In this guide, we are going to give you a simple explanation of what actually is data entry, and what are a data entry clerk's responsibilities.

Data entry explained

1. What is data entry?
2. Types of data entry jobs
3. What is a data entry clerk?
4. What does a data entry clerk do?
Conclusion

1. What is data entry?

Data entry is a type of clerical work involving processes like voice recording and typing to enter raw data into computer systems and databases, including the addition of new data or updating existing data.

This can include transcribing notes from meetings or important calls, uploading customer information from paper records to computer records, inputting expenses into financial software, or even adding sales figures into electronic formats. It's all about collecting, managing, and keeping track of the data your business needs.

Data entry specialists can input information into spreadsheets, word documents, or the company's software. They may also be responsible for scanning documents. There are plenty of different types of data entry jobs, which can include "coders," "typists," "transcribers," and "word processors," in addition to straightforward "data entry" positions. They can be hourly or salaried employees, but they can also be contractors who are paid by the project or by keystrokes per word, keywords per minute, or keywords per hour.

2. Types of data entry jobs

There are several different types of data entry jobs that organizations commonly hire for. The titles and job roles may vary based on the employer, the company's industry, and a brand's specific needs. Some of the most popular types of data entry job titles include the following:

Data entry clerks, where the job involves inputting key information from one format to another, often through typing
Data entry keyer, in which the employee enters or scans data into computer software systems, often from hard copies or physical documents
Transcriptionists, where the job typically involves listening to audio or video recordings and transcribing the information into text format; this is word-focused instead of centered around numerical data
Word processors & typists, where the primary focus is typing to enter information from text documents, including correspondence, general data, and reports

3. What is a data entry clerk?

A data entry clerk is someone who is employed either as an employee or a third-party contractor to handle administrative work and routine clerical tasks to update or add data into a computer system or database. Their primary responsibility, aside from data entry, is to ensure data accuracy.

This may involve entering data from hard copies and paper documents into the database, typically using a keyboard. Data entry clerks often use keyboards specifically designed for data entry, which have special keys and colors to help increase speed. Many of these keyboards are also created with ergonomics in mind since data entry specialists often spend so much time working at a keyboard.

Speed and accuracy are important traits that data entry specialists should have, as they can increase the output of the specialist while ensuring that the data is all correct.

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Data entry explained

1. What is data entry?

2. Types of data entry jobs

3. What is a data entry clerk?

Find a data entry clerk for hire

4. What does a data entry clerk do?

Conclusion

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