How to Stop Manual Data Entry from Killing Your Productivity

We’re sure that even your most talented employees have tasks on their plate that make them feel like expensive data-entry clerks. This is known as the “tedium tax,” and it can have a very real impact on small businesses (especially when employees wear multiple hats). When you have multiple tools that don’t speak well with each other, and you’re forced to resort to manual data entry, your team starts to act like a “human bridge,” connecting these isolated apps themselves—and wasting a lot of time in the process.

Today, we’re discussing how you can eliminate manual data entry so your employees can focus on the work you hired them to do. It all starts with…

Identify Your Most Frequent “Human Bridge” Moments

First, you need to figure out where your team is acting like a human bridge in the first place. Once you know, you can start to think about how software and automation can replace them for these tasks.

Most “boring” work is moving information from Point A to Point B. Take contact information, for example; if your employees are manually moving contact information from a website form into your customer relationship management system, that’s a human bridge moment. Not only is this tedious work, but there’s a higher chance of human error that’s simply not worth the hit to job satisfaction.

Look for opportunities to eliminate these human bridge moments, such as when data lives in one specific location, the task is repetitive and predictable, and the work is “low value” (in the sense that anyone with a pulse can do it).

Connect Your Apps Using “If This, Then That” Logic

Now that you know the gaps, it’s time to think about how you can bridge these gaps without relying on your human resources.

A surprisingly effective and accessible way to connect apps is “no-code” integration, and you often don’t need to be a developer to utilize these tools. You define the triggers and the actions for what happens when those triggers are set off. Essentially, you can make apps “talk” to one-another to build a seamless flow of information, all of which requires zero human intervention once set up.

Wouldn’t it be great if invoicing became automatic, communication was instant, and lead management was practically hands-off? Imagine how much time you could save, then reinvest in your business elsewhere.

Centralize Your Data Into a Single Source of Truth

What happens when data in one system doesn’t match data in another?

That’s a problem for someone who doesn’t have their apps connected, but it’s a big one nonetheless. You’ll want to designate where your data will be centrally located, then dispersed to other platforms. For example, you might use your CRM as the primary database, which then feeds your other apps and solutions so everyone on your team is looking at the same data at all times.

With a single source of truth, you can reduce error, achieve better reporting, and scale more effectively, all of which makes your business better in the long run.

Remember, the goal of connecting your apps shouldn’t be to simply reduce wasted time; rather, it should be done to reduce friction for your employees in general. When you eliminate the tasks that make your team feel like robots rather than people, you give them more energy to solve problems and make a difference for your business. Remember, it never hurts to ask your team what you can do to help them do their jobs more efficiently.

To learn how technology can facilitate these improvements for your own business, call us at (704) 665-1619 today.