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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Data Entry Administrator

💰 $30,000 - $48,000

Data EntryAdministrationOperations

🎯 Role Definition

The Data Entry Administrator is responsible for accurately capturing, validating, maintaining and securing high volumes of structured and unstructured data within corporate systems (CRM/ERP/databases). This role blends fast, precise data entry with routine quality assurance, record management, and cross-functional coordination to uphold data integrity standards and support downstream reporting, analytics and operational processes. Ideal candidates demonstrate exceptional attention to detail, strong Microsoft Excel skills, familiarity with data protection practices, and the ability to meet productivity and accuracy KPIs in a dynamic environment.


📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Data Entry Clerk / Data Entry Operator
  • Administrative Assistant / Office Coordinator
  • Customer Service Representative with CRM exposure

Advancement To:

  • Senior Data Entry Administrator / Lead Data Coordinator
  • Data Quality Analyst / Data Steward
  • Data Operations Supervisor / Records Manager
  • Business Analyst or Operations Manager (with additional training)

Lateral Moves:

  • Records & Document Control Specialist
  • Billing / Accounts Receivable Specialist
  • CRM Administrator or Customer Data Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Enter large volumes of customer, transactional and operational data into company systems (CRM, ERP, proprietary databases) with exceptional speed and accuracy while adhering to defined formatting and naming conventions.
  • Verify and cross-check source documents against system entries to identify discrepancies, correct errors, and ensure data integrity before records are posted or processed.
  • Perform daily reconciliations between electronic records and source documents (invoices, forms, scans) and escalate unresolved anomalies to the relevant business unit with clear annotations and follow-up actions.
  • Conduct data cleansing and deduplication tasks using established processes and tools to remove duplicate records, standardize formats (addresses, phone numbers, codes), and improve overall data quality for reporting and analytics teams.
  • Create, update and maintain master data files and reference tables (customers, products, vendors, accounts) following data governance rules and change-control procedures.
  • Utilize advanced Microsoft Excel functions (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, PivotTables, INDEX/MATCH, text functions, conditional formatting) to validate datasets, prepare upload templates, and produce ad-hoc data summaries for stakeholders.
  • Prepare batch imports/exports (CSV, XLSX) and follow ETL or upload procedures to migrate data between systems, ensuring correct delimiters, encodings and field mappings.
  • Operate scanning and OCR equipment to digitize paper records, verify OCR accuracy, and tag documents with appropriate metadata for easy retrieval and compliance.
  • Maintain audit trails and logs for all data changes, documenting who made edits, why, and the original value to support traceability and internal/external audits.
  • Meet or exceed daily productivity and accuracy KPIs (e.g., entries per hour, error rate targets) while balancing speed with meticulous quality checks.
  • Apply data validation rules, business logic and lookup checks at point-of-entry to reduce rework and prevent invalid data from entering core systems.
  • Support periodic data quality initiatives, including sample audits, root-cause analysis of recurring errors, and implementation of corrective actions to prevent repeat issues.
  • Coordinate with Customer Service, Finance, Sales and IT teams to clarify ambiguous records, request missing documentation, and ensure accurate resolution of data-related inquiries.
  • Execute simple SQL queries or use built-in database query tools to extract, verify, and reconcile records for troubleshooting and reporting (where applicable).
  • Create and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), data entry guides and checklists for recurring tasks and new hires to ensure consistent processing standards.
  • Train and mentor temporary or junior data entry staff, conduct quality spot checks on their work, and provide constructive feedback to maintain team standards.
  • Implement security and privacy best practices for handling personally identifiable information (PII), health or financial data, and apply company protocols for data access, redaction and disposal.
  • Support month-end and quarter-end data closing activities by preparing reconciliations, resolving outstanding entries, and ensuring supporting documentation is complete.
  • Generate daily, weekly and monthly operational metrics and dashboards (accuracy trends, throughput, backlog) and proactively recommend process improvements to reduce cycle time.
  • Participate in testing for system upgrades, data migrations and process changes by preparing test scripts, validating test data, and documenting defects related to data capture and integrity.
  • Manage electronic filing systems, naming conventions, and folder structures to make records easily findable and to support retention policies.
  • Stay current with regulatory and internal compliance requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX where applicable) and apply those rules to data handling and storage processes.
  • Handle sensitive or escalated data requests with discretion, logging requests and outcomes in accordance with policy and providing timely responses to internal stakeholders.
  • Maintain backup copies and recovery procedures for critical datasets and coordinate with IT when data recovery or rollback is necessary.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and prepare cleaned datasets for analytics, reporting and operational initiatives.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement projects to streamline data capture forms, reduce manual steps and introduce automation opportunities (macros, templates, RPA).
  • Collaborate with business units to translate recurring data issues into process or system requirements to reduce front-line corrections.
  • Participate in user acceptance testing (UAT) and sprint reviews when system changes impact data capture, validation rules or uploading/exporting processes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • High typing speed (typically 50–80+ WPM) with consistent accuracy under throughput targets.
  • Expert-level Microsoft Excel skills: VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, PivotTables, INDEX/MATCH, text functions, data validation and conditional formatting.
  • Experience with CRM and ERP systems (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Workday, NetSuite or similar) including data import/export.
  • Familiarity with data entry software and scanning/OCR tools (ABBYY, Kofax, Adobe Acrobat) and associated quality checks.
  • Basic SQL proficiency for simple selects and joins to extract and reconcile records (SELECT, WHERE, JOIN).
  • Knowledge of CSV/XLSX file preparation, field mapping, character encoding and import templates.
  • Understanding of data quality concepts: deduplication, normalization, validation rules and master data management.
  • Experience following and producing audit trails, logs, and SOPs for regulated environments (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX).
  • Experience using ticketing and collaboration tools (JIRA, ServiceNow, Zendesk, SharePoint) to track requests and documentation.
  • Ability to use macros, simple scripting or RPA tools (Power Automate, UiPath basics) to automate repetitive tasks is a plus.
  • Proficient with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office suite for communication, documentation and simple reporting.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional attention to detail and an accuracy-first mindset.
  • Strong time management and ability to prioritize high-volume tasks to meet SLAs.
  • Clear written and verbal communication for cross-functional coordination and documentation.
  • Problem-solving orientation with ability to identify root cause of recurring data issues.
  • Reliability and consistency in meeting productivity and quality targets.
  • Discretion and professionalism when handling confidential or sensitive information.
  • Adaptability to changing processes, tools and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
  • Team player who can train and support peers while maintaining independent accountability.
  • Customer service mindset when interacting with internal stakeholders to resolve data questions.
  • Initiative to recommend process improvements and document best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or vocational certificate in Business Administration, Office Technology, Information Management or related field.
  • Certifications in data management, Excel, or CRM administration (beneficial).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Information Technology / Information Management
  • Office Administration
  • Data Management / Records Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years in high-volume data entry, recordkeeping, or administrative support roles.

Preferred: 2+ years experience working with CRM/ERP systems, demonstrated use of Excel for data validation/reconciliation, and exposure to regulated data environments or formal data quality programs.