Best Data Entry Software to Automate Boring Manual Tasks

Data entry is a bit yawn. Manually inputting data into your ERP system. It’s expensive and time consuming. Errors are prevalent. And your team will be challenged. I’m going to show you the benefits of automating your document processing with data entry software. Reducing costs, eliminating human errors, and increasing employee satisfaction. 

Download your free eBook and learn how much manual document processing is costing your business, and how much you could save with automated data workflows.

With the right data entry technology, you can replace manual tasks for improved efficiency, productivity, and accuracy.

A cloud-based data entry software like Rossum will help your business process large volumes of data from anywhere. Anytime. On device.

Data entry is a process that’s critical to most businesses, and one that can be both time-consuming and error-prone. That’s why more and more businesses are implementing data entry automation software to drive real-time insights and decision making.

Rossum extracts data from any new document layout. Thanks to this, InnovationPath reports over 95% accuracy on data extraction with all of its clients.

This post will walk you through the data entry process. The challenges of sticking with manual workflows. Data entry software examples and the features you need. And the benefits.

What is data entry?

Data entry is the process of digitizing data by inputting it into a computer system. It can be done manually, by typing data into a spreadsheet, or automatically, using data entry software programs.

Manually entering data is time consuming and tedious, and encourages fat finger errors by the truckload. But, it’s a critical part of many business processes, such as accounts payable, order processing, inventory management, billing, customs clearance.

Due to the need for accuracy and a fast turnaround, companies that don’t have automated document processing will often outsource. Which has its own drawbacks, such as losing ownership of your processes. It’s also expensive and can be unpredictable.

Automated data entry, performed in house, ensures high accuracy and speed. Ensuring you have the correct data upon which to perform analyses and make plans.

Challenges faced by manual data entry teams

Aside from the drudgery of manually inputting data, dealing with inaccuracies or missing information offers up plenty of ways for things to go seriously wrong.

Following are some of the main sticking points your data entry team face, when working manually…

Inaccurate or incomplete data

If the data is wrong or missing, the end result will be worthless. Time will be wasted locating and verifying data.

Complicated systems

If your tech stack is filled with systems that are overly complicated or don’t talk to each other, your data entry team will struggle with time management and accuracy.

Too much data

Is there such a thing? 

When working with manual data entry, yes, it’s a thing. Too much data makes it harder to find what you need. And, with so much data, the errors will creep up as you try to enter in your system.

Bonus free eBook

We recently published a new eBook – Cost of doing nothing | Zero in on accounting automation. While it talks about automating the accounts payable process, the hidden costs of failing to automate your workflows, are relevant across all industries. Worth finding the time to read.

What is automated data entry?

Automated data entry is the digital alternative of extracting and entering data into your computer system or database. It’s highly accurate and efficient.

A data entry system can extract data from PDFs, documents, images, emails, websites, scanned files, etc., and convert the data into a structured format, such as JSON, XML, CSV, and more. 

What is data entry software?

Software for data entry eliminates the need for manual data entry processes. Automating the capture, classification, and extraction from received documents such as invoices, customs clearance documents, purchase orders, etc., and storing in a centralized database. Such as your business’ ERP system.

Data entry can be converting a text document into a PDF, a PDF document into an Excel spreadsheet, or transferring data from one computer system to another.

Businesses across most industries rely on data entry software as it makes it easy to store and retrieve information.

What’s the automated data entry process?

Manual data entry has to be one of the most uninspiring tasks in any company. 

I’m going to copy this number from document A, and paste it into document B. I’m going to copy this number from document A, and paste it into document B. I’m going to copy this number from document A…

While it’s a critical job, there’s no brain exercise, no creativity. Not even any physical exercise to get your adrenaline pumping. It’s a buzz kill.

So, when there are tools out there that can minimize human involvement in data entry, why are so many businesses still subjecting their teams to it? Why, when speed and accuracy are so important, are we relying on tired, bored humans.

Automate your data entry process and give your team a break. Guarantee your people will be happier and more productive.

What does an automated data entry process look like? 

Uploading data

It’s more than likely that you’ll receive information as unstructured data – PDFs, images, scanned files. Data entry software imports and uploads the documents.

Pre-processing

Date entry software uses advanced OCR, AI, and machine learning to turns the documents into a machine-readable format, so that algorithms can be read and understood them.

Extracting data

The software recognizes and extracts the data. The algorithm can be trained so that it can find points of interest, such as invoice numbers, names, addresses, purchase order numbers, etc.

Validation

AI-powered data entry software then verifies the accuracy of the extracted data. 

Importing data

The extracted data is presented in a structured output – CSV, XML, JSON – so it can be imported into a database for more downstream workflows.

Why do I need data entry software?

Because life is too short.

A ton of manual work that’s often littered with errors. A bored team of people, spending their lunch hours hunting the job ads. 

If you want your business to remain competitive and be ready for the future, whether it’s growth or new competitors, you’re going to have to lose the manual processes.

Benefits of automated data entry software

Automated data entry software increases efficiency, productivity, and accuracy. Eliminating tedious manual data entry tasks so your team can focus on critical business operations.

Let’s look in more detail at the benefits of using data entry software…

Increased accuracy

Gartner research revealed that the average amount of avoidable rework due to human errors in finance departments can take up to 30% of a full-time employee’s overall time. Which equates to savings of 25,000 hours per year at a cost of $878,000 for an organization with 40 full-time accounting staff.”

Automated data entry software like Rossum’s AI-powered document processing solution extracts data accurately and minimizes pre-processing.

Reduced operational costs

Reduce operational costs and overheads when you eliminate manual workflows. Avoid the perils of outsourcing and employing temporary staff – losing control of workflow, hiring and training costs.

If you’re looking to automate, check out our How To Do Workflow Process Mapping blog post. It’s the first step in automating your business processes.

Increased productivity

Automating manual data entry tasks means your team can concentrate on work that contributes to your business’ bottom line. While a faster data entry process will speed up document processing workflows.

Reduced employee turnover

Reducing the number of mind-numbingly boring and repetitive tasks your team has to perform increases employee satisfaction and engagement. Reducing churn and taking the strain of your recruitment team.

Company growth

As your business grows or you’re hit by spikes in demand, so does the volume of paperwork requiring data entry. This means you’ll need to hire more staff. Automating your data entry with automation software means that your document processing will scale with your company’s growth.

Compliance with regulations

Automating your document processing workflows helps you to verify documents and minimize fraud, so you remain compliant KYC (know your customer – identity verification and risk assessment) and AML (anti-money laundering) regulations.

Features you need in data entry software

If you’re looking to automate your workflows and implement data entry software, here are some of the features you’ll need…

• Advanced AI/ML capabilities that ensure the data entry software learns and improves over time
• Low-code/no-code environment to reduce pressure on your IT team
• Intuitive user interface
• Able to recognize multiple forms of data – email, PDF, Excel, paper document
• Integrates with your ERP system and company tech stack
• Data transformation workflows for data mapping, data cleaning, and data merging
• Automated approval workflow for streamlined validation

Best data entry software

Check out these examples of data entry software…

Rossum | Cloud-based AI OCR

Rossum’s end-to-end data capture solution brings massive time savings to the manual data entry processes by speeding them up 6x-10x.

Rossum’s AI-powered, cloud-based document processing solution automates business processes across industries. It can receive documents from multiple channels, categorize documents, automate data capture, validate data, and integrate into your ERP system.

Benefits…

• Average accuracy rate of 96%
• 82% of time saved on data extraction
• Capture document data without templates
• Low-code & intuitive UI

Our AI OCR software reads like a human, adjusting to any changes in the style of the document. It can extract typed text and scanned images from documents. Then convert it into data that can be used in business process automation.

Features…

• Data extraction
• Data capture and transfer
• Document classification
• Data verification
• Approval workflows
• Integrations with API
• Duplicate payment alert
• ISO certified
• HIPAA compliant

FoxTrot RPA | Robotic process automation

Intuitive and user friendly enterprise automation platform.

FoxTrot RPA is a data entry software that automates data entry processes using RPA workflow automation. It works with and between your web, Windows, green screen applications, or other automation applications – no coding or programming needed.

FoxTrot RPA learns over time watching keystrokes, clicks, and mouse movements. 

Features…

• Supports image capture
• Match and merge data
• Team collaboration
• Catalog of mathematical formulas
• Data management capabilities – discovery, data cleaning, retrieval
• Automated PC data entry with screen recording
• Customize to fit your brand – color, profile pictures, preferences, etc.

ProntoForms | Cloud-based automation tool

A field-focused low-code development platform for data entry.

ProntoForms is a cloud-based date entry tool that can capture data from multiple sources across the Internet. Its flexibility helps users customize the template and dashboard to meet their specific business needs.

This no code solution is designed so that remote workers can perform data collection on a mobile device, access company data while out of the office, and automatically share results with back-office systems, cloud services, and their team.

Features…

• Visual mapping capability
• Template library
• QR code and barcode scanning
• Image capture
• Connects with your calendar

nTask | Data entry tool

Project management software for SMBs, with data entry feature.

nTask is a data entry management software with built-in risk management features that will minimize errors and increase accuracy. The tool gives easy access to inputted data in multiple formats – calendars, Gantt charts, Kanban boards.

Features…

• Team activity management
• Project management
• Collaboration tools
• Supports data import and export

Zoho Forms | Customer experience platform

Simplified data collection with customization features.

Data entry automation software that’ll improve data management across organizations of any size. With a customization feature that allows businesses to customize their data with their logo, brand color, and themes.

Email notification, with filters, keeps you up to date on all the activity surrounding your data. With its drag-and-drop UI, its the ideal automation tool for people without tech experience. 

Features…

• Email notifications for changes made to your data
• Customize to your company branding
• Drag-and-drop dashboard
• Collaboration features for teams
• Import/export data from other tools
• Multi-level approval system to process form submissions

Zed Axis | Data export & input software

Data entry and management tool.

Zed Axis is a data entry and management tool designed for businesses wanting to import and structure data types such as Excel, Quickbooks Online, text, IIF, bank or credit card statement files (QIF, QBO, OFX, QFX).

This data entry software will also help businesses convert reports, purchase orders, and bills from third-party apps into well-classified data.

Features…

• Integration with Quickbooks Online
• Multiple file formats
• Advanced importing features
• Regular upgrades
• Extensive technical documentation and online demonstrations

AutoEntry | Automated data entry software

Capture, categorize, and publish financial documents.

AutoEntry is automation software for small and medium businesses, allowing them to present data for extraction in several ways – website, mobile app, email addresses.

This data entry automation software accurately extracts data from receipts, bank statements, and invoices. It follows a rule-based approach and helps you categorize a document over time, without a human in the loop.

Features…

• Data extraction
• Document categorization
• Image capture
• Auto suggested VAT codes and suppliers
• Multiple exporting options
• Connects to your accounting software
• Mobile app

Data entry FAQs

Free eBook: How much does document processing cost your business?

Our free eBook – How much does document processing cost your business – reveals how much manual data entry is costing your business. Financially, and with regard to customer satisfaction, time spent validating data, getting approval, and more. Are you stuck with template-based OCR? How do you tackle hand written invoices?