As a retailer, you probably read somewhere that outsourcing product data entry might be good for your business. However, you’ve been taking it with a grain of salt for many reasons. One reason is that you don’t know ‘how’ to start.
To tell you honestly, successful outsourcing always begins with ‘when.’ The perfect timing is extremely important. For example, when there’s a talent shortage, most businesses opt to outsource right away. But in your case, when can you tell that it’s time for you to outsource product data entry services?
When Should I Outsource Product Data Entry Services?
Businesses that have successfully outsourced shared some tell-tale signs of when is the perfect time to outsource product data entry services. The tricky thing about these signs is that they are hard to acknowledge and easy to ignore. If any of these signs resonate with you, then it’s time for you to consider outsourcing.
1. You can’t focus on your core functions
It’s common for first-time business owners to manage their data catalog alone. While it may seem cost-effective at first, it won’t be profitable in the long run. Performing your own product data entry takes a lot of your time. It diverts your focus from your important duties and leaves space for data entry mistakes.
Outsourcing product data entry services has become a standard procedure for businesses with high-volume data. It saves tons of their time and improves their overall efficiency. By outsourcing, you can cross out the following time-consuming tasks on your daily to-do list:
- Product categorization management
- Product data gathering
- Product research
- Populating product attributes
- Data normalization
- Data validation
- Product template creation & upload
- Product marketplace upload & troubleshooting
Most businesses that outsource product data entry services often complete their projects in ⅓ of the time anticipated. They were amazed not just by the quality of the product data but also by how cost-effective outsourcing is.
2. You’re making a lot of data entry errors
Data entry errors are inevitable in product data management. However, this doesn’t mean you can shrug it off. There’s more to it than affecting the overall quality of your data. When compounded over time, a data entry error can lead to compliance risks and wreak havoc on your finances.
The Data Warehouse Institute estimates that data entry errors in the supply chain, procurement, and other areas cost businesses more than $600 billion annually. If you can’t imagine how an error can impact your finances, let us help you visualize it on a micro-level.
A data entry error can cost you $1 to check the accuracy of the data at the point of entry, $10 to clean up data in batch form, and $100 (or more) if you haven’t resolved it immediately.
To minimize errors in product data entry at Amazon and other marketplaces, hiring a data entry specialist is a must. When compared to an untrained in-house workforce, a skilled data entry specialist is likely to deliver accurate and timely data input. This is due to their experience with all types of data entry works backed with tools your in-house staff may not have.
3. You want to reduce your labor costs
More often than not, business owners don’t earn much enough in their first year. In such events, they are forced to take cost-cutting measures to keep the business running. One way of doing this is by outsourcing a remote staff instead of hiring someone to work in-house.
Hiring an in-house staff comes with extra administration costs. You must provide them with healthcare benefits, specialized training, and bonuses.
Meanwhile, outsourcing to a service provider eliminates costs associated with training, infrastructure, equipment, and taxes. You also don’t need to invest in any data entry-related software. Moreover, you can reduce your operational costs by up to 70%, especially if you outsource to low-cost countries like the Philippines.
You can also decide on your hiring needs with the help of outsourcing. For instance, you can outsource to obtain a sense of how much data entry work exists if you are unsure whether hiring in-house staff is necessary.
4. Your employees are stretched too thin
When your business grows, your employees’ workload expands as well. If you only have a small in-house team, adding more workload will definitely stress them out. Certainly, when your data entry tasks are already piling up, consider outsourcing to get extra bandwidth.
Product data entry is a laborious process. It is time-consuming and costs a lot of manpower for an organization. You must have the speed and accuracy necessary to process enormous amounts of data free of errors. Imagine when your team is understaffed. How could you ensure your product data is organized in a consistent format?
That said, outsourcing can give your employees extra time to focus on critical areas of your business operation. Since catalog product data entry is now off their list of things to do, they are more confident that they focus only on their expertise instead of performing menial tasks outside their scope of support.
5. You need more expert guidance
Product data entry is not as easy as entering product details on your preferred retail platform. It involves creating product categories, adding product specifications, product listings, product category tags, and so on. If these major tasks sound foreign to you, you probably need expert guidance outside your business.
With the assistance of a skilled data entry specialist, you can manage your product data with more accuracy and speed. They are trained in handling marketplace enrichment and follow double-entry procedures to eliminate any type of catalog product data entry error. Thus, you can assure that your product data is in good hands.
By having a dedicated Ecommerce data entry specialist, you get to take advantage of the following benefits:
- Your store’s online inventory is organized and easy to look for.
- Your product data is correctly indexed and easy to search on marketplaces.
- You can ensure your product descriptions are SEO-friendly and customer-centric.
- You keep your online store up-to-date with pertinent product data, such as SKUs, product colors, sizes, etc.
- You are confident that the categories under which your online products are listed are accurate and well-organized.
- Your product photos are appealing and compliant with the standards of the various marketplaces and Ecommerce platforms.
Hire the best product data entry specialist from the Philippines
Are you looking for the perfect extension of your team to provide you with the best level of support for your Ecommerce product listing services? Start building your offshore team in the Philippines today! Take advantage of 70% cost reduction and the flexibility to scale your operation up and down quickly with no additional costs!
ManilaPros, a premier outsourcing company based in the Philippines, offers flat-rate services for businesses of all sizes. We’re happy to assist Ecommerce businesses that need streamlined data management and processing. If your goal is to supercharge your online store with up-to-date data for higher conversions, then we’d like to partner with you.
Do you want us to walk you through our full-service, five-star customer care for retailers? Then, book a call today by clicking the button below!
