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Modern businesses deal with a high volume of documents, and most of them choose to scan these documents for easier storage and access later. While this provides a couple of benefits, like reduced usage of paper and less physical space needed for document storage, data technology offers so much more value than most companies are currently taking advantage of.
Document digitization goes beyond simply scanning and storing documents for future reference. It involves leveraging cutting-edge technology like AI and machine learning (ML) to index scanned documents for full searchability and data capture purposes, allowing the data in those documents to be utilized in a number of useful ways completely automatically.
In this guide on document digitization, we’ll cover the following:
- Common use cases for document digitization
- Benefits of document digitization
- The best document digitization deployment strategy
Let’s examine each to better understand how document digitization goes beyond simply scanning documents.
Common Use Cases for Document Digitization
The clearest way to illustrate the difference between document digitization and storing scanned documents is to cover the exact use cases of which document digitization is comprised. The following use cases are the most common and valuable that we have identified for most of our clients:
| Automated Document Indexing | Traditional scanned documents are just as useful as paper documents; they can be read and entered by staff members. Using machine learning-powered tools like optical character recognition (OCR) to automatically index documents allows their text to become fully searchable (and copy+pastable), allowing other AI tools to extract and utilize data from those documents to perform related tasks. |
| Searchable Databases | While scanned document databases can be searched by file name, type, and date, indexed documents can be searched based on the data within them. This allows businesses to pull up all documents related to a certain key phrase on-demand, without having to worry about file names that can’t comprehensively summarize the contents of a document. |
| Automated Data Capture | For many businesses, scanned documents have their data entered into excel sheets or other software manually by data entry clerks. Document digitization allows this data to be automatically captured by automated tools for faster, more accurate, and more cost-effective data entry. |
| Building a Neural Network | A “neural network” refers to a machine learning process of connecting different data points that all contribute to a larger knowledgebase. By using unified AI platforms with fully digitized documents, these neural networks allow all information in those documents to be accessed and utilized by any number of connected apps or business process automations. |
These use cases are just the beginning of the benefits of AI and ML integrations, and they demonstrate how robust and valuable document digitization is as a first step on a comprehensive Digital Transformation journey.
This is one of the most important things to note about document digitization: While it is extraordinarily valuable on its own, it is also a force multiplier for other tech-focused business process automation that leadership can use to improve productivity, reduce costs, and make their businesses more scalable in the long run.
Benefits of Document Digitization
These use cases provide several benefits that add value to your business. While these benefits can be both tangible and intangible, the following benefits are the ones that our clients most often mention when discussing the value of our document digitization services:
| Faster Data Capture | Digitized documents can be indexed and have their data stored automatically by AI tools, allowing for near-instant data capture processes. This makes data capture much faster than manual processes. |
| More Accurate Data | ML-paired OCR is extremely accurate, providing a better baseline accuracy than manual processes. It also allows existing data staff the time to focus on data auditing, improving your business’s ability to catch and correct misinputs. |
| Better Data Security | AI-powered data security keeps staff more accountable regarding data protection best practices and provides real-time warnings about potential breaches. It can also scan digitized docs to determine what type of document they are, and how they need to be handled, without the need for manual document labeling. |
| Easier Access to Data | Cloud-based storage and full document indexing make it easier to organize and search for data contained within documents. This makes it easier for connected apps to automatically find and utilize data contained within digitized documents without the need for manual inputs. |
| Digitization of Handwritten/Older Documents | One of the more unique uses of cutting-edge ML OCR technology is its ability to extract data from handwritten documents, and older documents with less in-tact text. While these docs will require a bit more auditing, modern ML-paired OCR does a far better job parsing through harder-to-read documents than any technology before it, allowing it to automate processes in ways that simply weren’t possible a decade ago. |
These benefits represent a comprehensive elevation of document utility. Instead of simply storing documents in digital format because it takes up less space, businesses can truly maximize every advantage that digitization has to offer.
At the end of the day, the cumulative impact of all of these benefits results in significant improvements in employee productivity, business process efficiency, and your company’s bottom line. These tools aren’t designed to be workforce replacers, but rather to empower your existing staff to produce more and stress less about mundane tasks that don’t require their priceless human touch. This provides them far more time to prioritize tasks that do, and allows business leadership to focus on scaling the business without the fear of their workforce growing beyond what they can manage.
Best Way to Implement Document Digitization
Digitizing documents requires high-end technology, and the expertise necessary to interface with it on a daily basis. While this is attainable through purchasing a software platform and extensive employee training, working with a quality data outsourcing partner can make it far easier for companies to onboard a new platform with minimal staff training and maximum support.
Companies considering outsourcing their document digitization should seek out a partner that:
- Provides cutting-edge AI and ML technology
- Prioritizes transparency and education by offering 24/7 access to support staff
- Emphasizes data security and regulatory compliance
- Has experience working with high volumes of scanned documents
Many data outsourcing firms claim to offer top-of-the-line data speed and accuracy, but leverage large teams of manual data entry staff that can’t compete with the data technology available today. Not only that, but they don’t actually offer true document digitization– they simply enter document info into another database.
True AI data firms like iTech utilize the best tech on the market to return fully indexed documents in unified databases that can easily be connected to other AI software to completely automate a wide variety of business processes. We offer faster, more accurate, and far more versatile data services that actually digitize your scanned documents and set the stage for comprehensive Digital Transformation.
Digitize Documents with iTech’s AI and ML Technology
We at iTech pride ourselves on our cutting-edge machine learning OCR software, top-of-the-line onboarding experience, and ongoing support. We also offer 24/7 access to support personnel and senior account managers to maximize visibility and peace of mind, eliminating the “black box” approach to outsourcing.
To learn more about document digitization, fill out the contact form below.
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IDS Commander iTech2021
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