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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Data Entry Associate

💰 $28,000 - $45,000

OperationsDataAdministrative

🎯 Role Definition

The Data Entry Associate is responsible for accurately capturing, validating, and maintaining structured and unstructured data across business systems to ensure high-quality information for downstream operations and analytics. This role combines high-volume data entry, record reconciliation, and routine data quality checks while following established data governance, privacy, and security policies. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, efficient, and comfortable working with tools such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, CRMs (Salesforce/HubSpot), OCR software, and basic database queries.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Administrative Assistant with data handling responsibilities
  • Customer Service Representative who managed CRM updates
  • Medical Records Clerk or Billing Assistant with high-volume data entry

Advancement To:

  • Data Coordinator / Data Specialist
  • Data Analyst (entry-level analytics role)
  • Records Manager or Data Quality Lead
  • Team Lead / Supervisor for data operations

Lateral Moves:

  • Billing Specialist or Accounts Receivable Associate
  • Customer Success / Client Operations Specialist
  • Document Control or Compliance Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Accurately enter alphanumeric and numerical data into enterprise systems (CRM, ERP, spreadsheets, or proprietary databases) while maintaining a minimum accuracy standard (for example, 98% or better) and meeting daily volume targets.
  • Verify, reconcile, and cross-check incoming data against source documents (invoices, forms, scanned images, emails) to correct discrepancies and prevent downstream errors that impact finance, compliance, or reporting.
  • Perform regular data cleaning and deduplication using Excel functions, filters, pivot tables, and scripts to standardize formats, remove duplicates, and normalize records for reporting and analytics.
  • Use optical character recognition (OCR) and document scanning tools to convert paper records and PDFs into machine-readable formats, then proofread and correct OCR output to ensure record integrity.
  • Validate customer and vendor records in CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot) by standardizing addresses, contact information, account codes, and custom fields according to company naming conventions.
  • Maintain and update sensitive records in accordance with data privacy regulations (GDPR, HIPAA where applicable) and internal policies, ensuring restricted information is handled securely and access is logged.
  • Execute batch uploads and downloads (CSV, XML) of transactional data and maintain version control and backup of source files to protect against data loss and facilitate audits.
  • Review and reconcile database reports, identify anomalies or trends, and escalate systematic issues to data owners and managers with clear examples and remediation suggestions.
  • Create and maintain clear documentation of data entry procedures, naming conventions, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to support team consistency and onboarding.
  • Participate in monthly and quarterly data quality assessments, contribute findings, and work with the data governance team to implement corrective actions and preventive controls.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders (finance, operations, customer support, compliance) to prioritize data correction tasks that have the highest business impact.
  • Monitor queues and ticketing systems for data change requests, triage incoming requests, and update records in a timely manner while tracking completion rates and SLAs.
  • Apply basic SQL queries or use reporting tools to extract subsets of records for review, cleanup, or reporting purposes, enabling quicker remediation and analysis.
  • Tag and classify unstructured data (emails, notes, attachments) to improve searchability and to support downstream analytics and process automation efforts.
  • Assist with the mapping of legacy data fields to new system implementations during migrations, ensuring that critical fields are preserved and validated post-migration.
  • Perform first-line quality assurance (QA) by sampling entered records, documenting error types, and coaching colleagues on common mistake patterns to improve team accuracy over time.
  • Handle high-volume, repetitive data entry with stamina and consistent attention to detail while meeting performance KPIs such as entries per hour and error rates.
  • Support accounts receivable, billing, or order processing teams by entering invoices, purchase orders, and payment information and by reconciling records against bank statements or system reports.
  • Update and maintain inventory, product, or catalog records, ensuring SKUs, descriptions, prices, and availability statuses are current and reflect source system updates.
  • Process confidential HR or patient records in strict accordance with company policies and regulatory requirements, ensuring sensitive data is redacted or stored correctly.
  • Work with automation engineers or RPA (robotic process automation) teams to identify repetitive tasks suitable for automation, help test bots, and validate automated outputs.
  • Manage archival and document retention activities by classifying records for retention, retrieving archived documents on request, and preparing files for periodic purges.
  • Provide clear, timely status updates to supervisors on work backlog, data discrepancies, and potential risks that could affect reporting or customer deliverables.
  • Support internal and external audits by compiling requested datasets, explaining data lineage, and assisting auditors with reconciliation steps and evidence gathering.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Assist in training new hires on data entry tools, templates, and best practices to accelerate onboarding and maintain consistent quality.
  • Help evaluate third-party data sources and subscription services for enrichment or address verification to improve data completeness.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • High-volume data entry proficiency with demonstrated typing speed (e.g., 50–80 WPM) and accuracy targets.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills: VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, PivotTables, conditional formatting, text functions, and basic macros.
  • Practical experience with CRM platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, or Zoho for record maintenance and updates.
  • Familiarity with ERP or accounting systems (NetSuite, SAP, QuickBooks) for entering transactional data and reconciling records.
  • Experience using OCR and document capture tools (ABBYY, Kofax, Adobe Scan) and post-OCR verification workflows.
  • Basic SQL knowledge for extracting, filtering, and validating datasets (SELECT, WHERE, JOIN).
  • Data cleansing and deduplication techniques, including normalization, fuzzy matching, and validation rules.
  • Working knowledge of data protection standards and privacy frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA practices, data masking).
  • Proficiency with Google Sheets, including collaborative functions and cloud-based workflows.
  • Experience managing CSV/XML data imports/exports and mapping fields between systems.
  • Familiarity with ticketing or task management tools (Jira, ServiceNow, Zendesk) for tracking data change requests.
  • Understanding of version control for data files, backups, and basic data governance principles.
  • Ability to use basic scripting or automation tools (Zapier, Power Automate, or simple Python scripts) is a plus.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional attention to detail and a habit of double-checking work for accuracy.
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize competing tasks in a high-volume environment.
  • Good written and verbal communication to document issues and coordinate with stakeholders.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to identify root causes of data quality issues.
  • Reliability and strong work ethic, including the ability to meet SLAs and daily throughput goals.
  • Team player attitude and willingness to help cross-functional teams with data needs.
  • Adaptability and openness to new tools, processes, and continuous improvement.
  • Discretion and professionalism when handling confidential or regulated data.
  • Time management skills to balance routine entry tasks with exception handling and special projects.
  • Customer-service orientation when resolving customer or internal partner data questions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or certificate in Business Administration, Information Technology, Data Management, or a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Information Technology / Computer Applications
  • Health Information Management (for healthcare roles)
  • Data Management / Data Entry Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 0 to 3 years in data entry, administrative support, records management, or related roles.

Preferred:

  • 1 to 3 years of direct data entry experience with measurable accuracy KPIs, experience with CRM/ERP systems, and familiarity with basic SQL or data validation tools.
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