Data Entry – Outsource or Keep It Local?

Data entry services are usually something of a contentious subject, both in the public’s eye and also in the data entry community itself, primarily because of the location from which the services are obtained. Some clients know that a lot of data entry is outsourced to developing countries such as India and Pakistan, and this can often put them off, particularly when the entry is in the English language and many clients would prefer the data inputting to be done by someone whose first language is English.

It’s also a raging debate within the data entry industry itself, and there is a conflict between providing well priced services that are outsourced to other countries, or work that is completed locally by native English speakers but who will inevitably charge more.

As an experienced member or a reputable data entry supplier, my experience with outsourced services has been positive for the most part; however, it isn’t always the case, much like with anything else in life. Clients are justifiably concerned that the entry work that will come back will not be of an acceptable quality and I’m sure this has happened before.

However there are a few steps that can be taken in order to ensure that the service supplied is not just an adequate one, but an excellent one, and they are mostly common sense, but it’s still worthwhile to keep a list of a few things to remember:

– Request a sample

Requesting a sample is always a good idea and not just of any work but of your work itself so that you can see that the work was completed successfully. Any company that knows what they are doing will offer this as a good will gesture as well as to show you that their service is of good quality. This allows you to assess the quality of the output and it may even be a good idea to get a few samples at once just to see what works best for you.

– Check their credentials and experience

There’s nothing wrong with start-up companies by any means, but in this case you may want to check their experience and credentials as a company. Here is the UK, it’s a very good sign when a data entry company has the ICO, which guarantees higher quality of data entry as well as superior data protection. The ISO 9001:2000 is also one to look out for as this means that the company’s work has been approved by the governing body of the industry, the ISO and is checked on regularly.

– Don’t be put off by a lack of testimonials

Just because a company doesn’t have testimonials doesn’t mean they aren’t a good company. In this industry, a lot of larger and smaller sized companies for that matter don’t always want it to be known who they’re outsourcing their work to, let alone that they’re outsourcing at all. Therefor it is difficult for companies to come up with a good testimonials list at the best of times.

– Visit or arrange a meeting with the company

Human instinct can be your best friend. Visit the company premises if possible and see if you can see any work being produced or just to check that they are a good establishment that is well set up.

Those are a few steps to take to ensure that you get the right service for you and one that, if you are looking at needing a continuous supply of data entry work completing can become a business partnership to last for years. The argument regarding home-based data entry and outsourcing will go on and on, but the best thing you can do is to trust in the company you choose, make sure to get a sample before committing and judge for yourself when you get (hopefully) great results back.