Data management is an important aspect to ensure clean and accurate data. Many organisations keep track of metrics and customer data using spreadsheets. This is not always a viable solution that would encourage efficiency, accuracy, accessibility, and ease of use. Limitations using spreadsheets can be overcome by implementing specialised forms and capturing tools.
Let’s have a look at some of the benefits capturing tools provide over spreadsheets:
1. Data integrity:
Forms & capturing tools provide customisable data validation rules which ensures that the inputs meet the criteria before it can be submitted. This helps to reduce errors and ensures consistency whereas spreadsheets are more prone to errors and inconsistencies due to manual inputs.
2. Accessibility & collaboration:
Capturing tools are accessible online for ease of access and collaboration. Users can input data in real time rather than store the data on their local machine in a spreadsheet which would introduce collaboration & version control issues.
3. Better Data Analysis and Reporting:
By consolidating an organisation’s data in a central location and having consistency across all entries, data can be analysed more effectively. Thus, making it easier to identify patterns and trends. Whereas spreadsheets have the capability to perform basic insights and require more resources and expertise to produce similar results to a centralised data hub.
4. Scalability and customisation:
Capturing tools can be set up in a way where they are easily scalable to meet specific needs and grow as required. With spreadsheets there may be many manual adjustments to accommodate the scalability.
Some ways to switch to modern capturing methods are:
1. Digital forms:
Having forms that can be accessed and completed online will provide consistent data entry across the organisation.
2. Mobile applications:
Using a mobile application to capture data can streamline processes for workers who go out into the field allowing for real time collection of data.
3. Training employees:
It is essential that employees are trained on how to use the new capturing tools effectively. Maximising the benefits of modernising the data capturing process.
4. Continuous improvement:
By monitoring data capturing workflows the organisation can identify areas that can be improved to enhance the data capturing process.
Spreadsheets have their time and place to be used in data management, although capturing tools have a wide range of advantages over them. Organisations can streamline their data management processes to streamline their data management process and use it to make more informed decisions.