The possibility of human error presents challenges varying in scope
and severity across every sector of industry. Mistakes made by employees
might cause a loss of revenue or a missed deadline for some
organisations, but in fields like engineering or healthcare, the results
can be disastrous.
In the realms of administration and information technology, human
error often takes the form of information being incorrectly collected,
typed, or even omitted altogether. Businesses that rely heavily on large
amounts of data being processed are at particular risk. As well as the
problems caused by human error, there are large overheads associated
with the methods adopted to avoid it.
Risk management
You can never operate in an environment free of uncertainty, but you
can strive to identify and evaluate it, in order to minimise any impact.
Risk management seeks to achieve this goal without expending resources
to the point where the business objectives are compromised.
Removing the potential for human error through automation is one
element of a risk management strategy that can reduce the incidence of
mistakes, but at a manageable cost-point.
Consistency is key
Ensuring the data used by your system is consistently recorded and
organised is key to minimising error. Putting in place coherent
standards for adding and updating information means that human operators
have less opportunity to cause problems through incompetence and
neglect.
If a piece of information is mandatory, then you can stop a process
at a particular point until it is entered. You can specify a range or
type of data (such as a numerical value between two set points) and
disallow any entries that don’t conform. While not eliminating the
potential for error completely, a wide range of irregularities can be
avoided.
Avoiding duplication
A common example of human error in business administration is the
duplication of records. If there are two or more instances of the same
information, then issues can arise in areas such as financial
transactions, appointment dates and customer details. Confusion and
inefficiency appear, lowering productivity and causing headaches.
Granting staff secure access to one centralised system means that
users are not working from multiple, separate spreadsheets and
documents. Everybody is on the same page and able to communicate
effectively, without having to worry about inconsistencies.
Automatic lookup
Being able to utilise pre-existing information for your business
brings benefits in both accuracy and time saved. For example, instead of
relying on staff to enter an entire address, a postcode lookup function
can pull the required details through from a pre-approved database. Car
registrations can be used to automatically populate fields relating to
all relevant information pertaining to any vehicle.
By relying on databases hosted by trusted providers for your own
business needs, you can be assured that overall accuracy is greatly
improved without constant checks and repetitive data entry.
How SwiftCase helps
Swiftcase is a secure, centralised business process platform with a
range of features that minimise the impact of human error, allowing you
to concentrate on providing excellent services to your customers.
- Reduce data entry errors with workflow automation tools
- Consistent data structure, avoid duplication and redundant data
- Seamless employee collaboration through a clear, user-friendly interface
- Configure fields and forms to ensure you have control over what data can
be input into the system - Automatic lookup integration, with data from trusted sources
If you’re interested in a free, no-obligation demo, get in touch with us
today.