One thing that I have really figured out lately is asking people for data in the proper format. If you are going to do anything automated with the data, it's going to be a bad thing if you give them flexability. Restrict the input options as much as possible and you will save yourself time.
Here's an example: if you wanted a people to give you their address and you sent them an excel spreadsheet with columns that you would like them to fill out. Your plan was to use this data and put it in a database. The biggest problem with this scenario is giving them an excel spreadsheet with that has no restrictions. It would be much better to whip up a quick VB form on an Access database and have them enter in things in the form. You'd spend maybe a couple of hours making that form / db, but you would save yourself days later on.
The leason here is to make sure you make things are restrictive for user input as required, even if it will be "processed" by a person. People will be as different as you allow them to be, not through spite, but just that's how people are.
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