The days of manually entering and tracking data via Excel spreadsheets—or, even less efficiently, by hand—have all but passed. Manual processes for data entry and management are notoriously rife with errors, and depending on the accuracy of humans for these repetitive tasks runs the risk of mistakes that could cost your business revenue and clients.
Here are four compelling reasons to switch your business from a manual data management model to a streamlined online client toolset.
1. More Accurate Data
Human error in data entry and management can cause embarrassing setbacks for your company. Humans are easily bored by monotony; most workers prefer the parts of their jobs that involve problem-solving and interaction rather than the same thing over and over again. Data inaccuracies caused by human error could delay projects or even lose clients, causing your business’s reputation to suffer.
By using a user-friendly, graphics-driven interface like MySQL GUI tools for database management, you all but guarantee your data will be accurate and up-to-date at all times.
2. Increased Productivity and Morale
Repetitive tasks like data entry aren’t just boring; they can increase your employees’ stress and fatigue. A 2014 study found a “significant correlation” between performing repetitive tasks and the likelihood of committing errors among workers in the manufacturing industry. Workers’ stress and fatigue levels were found to increase more quickly while performing the same action over and over again than when they worked on more dynamic projects.
With the rise of intuitive online client tools that take database management off the hands of employees, businesses can free up personnel to focus on more interesting tasks. Your workers will be more excited to do their jobs once liberated from the monotonous responsibility of manual data entry. The resulting increase in productivity and morale will lead to a more positive and productive work environment.
3. Better Security
Small businesses are notoriously susceptible to cyberattacks that target their data and compromise their clients’ privacy. Many cannot afford a fully-staffed IT department, and others aren’t aware of current best practices to ward off online threats.
Web-based client tools come with powerful security measures that guard against most types of cyberattacks, lessening the chance of a data breach that could cause your company to lose money and customer support.
4. Standardizes Business Practices
In the business world, everything runs more smoothly when we’re all on the same page. Companies have myriad ways of manually keeping track of data, many of which only make sense to the people within that company—and even then, it won’t make sense to all of them. Training new hires to understand your business’s specific mode of data entry and database management wastes time and resources you could be spending elsewhere.
The more companies transfer to streamlined, automated database management, the less time we’ll have to spend explaining the quirks and intricacies of our unique business practices to new hires, potential clients, and peers within the industry. Standardization, even in specialized areas like data management, helps businesses by making it easier for us all to understand and relate to each other.
Make the Switch to Automated Database Management Today
Companies all over the globe are already using automated systems to handle other repetitive processes. From AI-powered customer support to automatic emailing, the value of outsourcing tedious responsibilities to software programs and reserving human labor for more intricate tasks is clear.
Database management is no different, and businesses would do well to look into ways to transfer the monotonous burden of data entry and monitoring from their employees’ shoulders and replace it with more rewarding work.