Data entry is the act of transcribing some form of information into another medium, usually through input into a computer program. Forms of data that people might transcribe include handwritten documents, information off spreadsheets, and sequences of numbers, as well as computer code and even names and addresses.

Data entry speed is the measurement of speed with which data is electronically recorded by manual input. Rather than WPM (words per minute) as regular typing is measured, data entry speed is recorded in KPH (keystrokes per hour). High data entry speed without a high accuracy percentage rate does not qualify an individual to work as a data entry operator.

Numeric data entry speeds that qualify clerical workers for employment typically must be between 9,000 and 12,000 KPH. Acceptable alphanumeric data entry speed requirements are a little bit lower than purely numerical speeds because the addition of the alpha characters slows down most operators. These can be as low as 7,000 KPH to qualify for employment.

A keystroke is a count of every time a button is pressed on a keyboard. Many word-processing programs such as Microsoft Word and Apple Pages will count the characters and keystrokes used to generate a document.

Savvy business decision makers understand that it is essential to find methods to free up employees’ time to accomplish only tasks that are central to business functioning. They achieve this by outsourcing the tasks and services that are not as mission-critical, such as data entry services to professional service providers like Keyoung.