Outsourcing Data Entry Operations
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Outsourcing Data Entry.

Introduction

Data entry or back-office operations of a company are usually extremely tedious and need specialized attention. Most of them, although non-core functions, are critical for the company's progress. By outsourcing data entry operations, organizations can focus on their core competencies, while their back office operations are being managed smoothly by a third party vendor. Typically, these third party providers are located in lower-wage developing countries such as India, China, Brazil, Malaysia, Russia, etc

One of the earliest instances of global technology trade is outsourcing data entry work. In this practice, the company mails paper-based data forms or sends scanned images of data forms electronically (by fax or email) to third party suppliers for data entry. These providers key the data into a computer database, and mail this database back to the company via encrypted communications or by simply posting this database stored onto a magnetic medium.

Outsourcing data entry work has been one of the easiest service activities to be globally disbursed, since it requires a low level of computer literacy and necessitates little interaction between the company and the data entry contractor. Outsourcing data entry operations from developed countries to firms in developing countries has been a highly successful initiative, because of the very nature of data entry services, which are highly structured and engage less communications.

The advent of the Internet has opened new avenues many freelance data entry coders, especially for coders from lower-income countries. A number of websites have mushroomed across the web for allocating data entry operations to such freelancers at prices considered rock-bottom prices by American or European standards. The fee commanded by these freelancers generally depends on the scale of the project and the coder's past record. The system for finalizing the rate is usually accomplished by conducting a reverse auction, wherein several participants bid for a particular project. The typical data entry project size ranges from less than one hundred dollars to few hundred dollars, which can be easily handled by these freelance coders. However, if the data entry specifications are not clearly articulated or well-defined, or if these web-based freelancers or coders fail to complete the project or meet the deadline, it may potentially jeopardize the company's workflow.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.