Data entry seems like such a simple task, yet if everyone on your staff does it differently, the results can be ugly and frustrating to fix. A single contact receives multiple mailings... wasting print and postage costs. You swear a contact is in your database, but can't find it anywhere. You run a report, and it comes out looking like the DaVinci Code. No wonder some marketers give up and use ACT like a Rolodex.

But don't throw in the towel just yet. This guide can help you learn what to do and what not to do to achieve database nirvana. This info's a "must" if your work life depends on reliable data to make sales and run your business.

These simple guidelines will help everyone enter information consistently so that your company can:

• Produce accurate queries and reports based on information entered
• Minimize the occurrence of duplicate contact records
• Look professional to those we correspond with when using the mail-merge function
• Get more of our mail or email delivered

Our strategies will give you a step-by-step blueprint on how to prevent "garbage in/garbage out" syndrome and how to fix problems once they occur. This downloadable guide is perfect for helping you train your users in the proper (and consistent) way to enter data into the ACT Database. (The guide is not ACT! version specific.)

The guide (delivered in Microsoft Word format) is divided into three sections:

• Data Entry Rules - This section contains basic ground rules and tips for data entry that you can use exactly (or modify to your company standards).
  
  
• Database Administrator Duties - This section makes suggestions for database maintenance and outlines the responsibilities of the Database Administrator. The Database Administrator is usually an IT person.
  
  
• Database Integrity Manager Duties - This section introduces the concept of appointing someone in your organization for monitoring the integrity of the database and suggests ways they can accomplish this. This job is typically assigned to an end-user, but could also be combined with the Database Administrator responsibilities.

Bonus #1: We've incorporated a one-page Cheat Sheet that you can copy and give to your employees to reinforce the concepts.

Bonus #2: You also get unlimited access to a simple on-line interactive demo for testing (or train) your users on these easy-to-understand data entry rules.

You'll get acces to your manual (in Word document format) immediately.