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What Is Smart Document Capture Technology, and Why You Want to Start Using it TODAY

While the general term DOCUMENT CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY has been around for quite some time (for instance scanning a document to send to someone etc.) the added word SMART has catapulted the usefulness of this category to a whole new level. Simply put, SMART DOCUMENT CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY can completely change the way you handle existing documents and make many tasks almost completely automated.

To understand just how helpful this technology can be, lets first break down just what it is and how it works.

Smart document capture technology refers to a type of software that can recreate a document, enhance it, recognize what type of document it is, extract the data from the document, then allow editing to be done or continue with processes that are pre-programmed and automated. Here is the process as outline in 6 steps:

  1. Input, document collection– This step refers to how you input the document into your computer system. It could be scanned, photographed, emailed etc.
  2. Processing of the image– No matter what format you introduce to the software, it will then digitally recreate the document, increase the resolution, and then allow all aspects of the document to be edited.
  3. Classifying– During this stage of the process, the smart software will use its processor to determine what kind of document it is working with. For instance, a job application, a work order, an inventory list etc. Using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) it only needs 1 or 2 samples of a document to be able to recognize the type and later identify it again. This helps speed up the process as the software will apply rules that are specific to a document.
  4. Extraction– Using OCR technology the data from the documents can be automatically extracted. This data can be uploaded directly into the admin system without having to retype it manually. This reduces the time needed and the risk of errors during the transfer dramatically.
  5. Validating– The software will then VALIDATE the document to ensure it meets a minimum specified standard that has been established. For instance, is an identity card really an identity card and not a holiday picture, is this identity card from the right person, is the photo clear enough, is the document still valid. Or let’s say a document had ink that smeared when it was made, or a soft drink spilled on it. Those scenarios might make it difficult for the software to identify and manipulate data that was affected by such errors so the validation process will notify the user and allow them to make any needed manual corrections.
  6. Exporting and Delivering– Finally, as the process is finished, the software will then allow the finished document to be exported and delivered to any place you desire. This could mean saving it to a hard drive, emailing it to an internal or external contact, saved via cloud storage etc. It is possible to give the documents a structured naming using the existing nomenclature, even by extracting data from the document to be used in the name, as a date, name or type of document.

As you can see, smart document capture technology can completely change the way you deal with documents in the future. If your office is not utilizing such software, well then, that just isn’t SMART…