Gathering, maintaining and analysing accurate, up-to-date information is
the key to understanding your current business performance, and planning
for the future.
Getting all of this data into one place, where you have quick access to
it is easier said than done. Traditionally, businesses have relied
heavily on the manual entry of data copied from paper forms. For
example, interested customers would fill out their contact details for a
company in a questionnaire, before posting it off to be typed up by data
entry clerks into a spreadsheet or database.
Disadvantages of manual data entry
Manual data entry is a costly, labour-intensive proceedure. As well as
hiring the staff required, you also have to factor in the cost of
running an office. Despite this outlay, the results may not even be
particularly useful. Delays and inaccuracy plague the process, leaving
you looking for a more productive solution.
Avoiding duplication of work
How many times does the same piece of information get written down or
typed out during your business process? A staff member fills out a
timesheet on paper, and then those forms are taken to a data entry
operative who types them into a spreadsheet. Administrators again
transfer those details to another system for auditing and attendance
purposes.
Ideally, you should only ever have to enter data once, with that
information then accessible to anybody that needs it from that point
going forward.
The alternatives
One long-standing solution is the scanning of paper documents, which are
then processed by OCR, or "Optical Character Recognition", into text.
But this process can often be inaccurate, and additional manual work or
software is required to put the scanned information into any meaningful
order.
Online forms are far more preferable to their paper equivalent,
instantly send your automatically validated information, entered by
respondents, to a database, with no subsequent data-entry needed. What
if you could apply this process to every aspect of your working methods?
How SwiftCase helps
SwiftCase is a business process management platform, accessible via
mobile devices as well as desktop computers. Meaning that staff out in
the field can fill out the details of the jobs and appointments they
attend in real time, without the need to head back to head office.
Once you enter customer, staff or product details into SwiftCase, they
are available every time you make a new appointment or job relating to
them. Staff at every stage of your business process have access to the
same information, without needless duplication or inaccuracy.
This reduction in overheads and time spent filling out spreadsheets and
databases leaves you free to focus your energy and resources on
providing better products and services as well as growing your business
for the long term.
If you’re interested in a free, no-obligation demonstration, get in touch today.