Document processing: why is innovation important?

There are several solutions for processing incoming documents. In most cases, these are software that allows you to process purchase invoices. But what about other types of documents?

Processing incoming documents: the next step

Digital transformation is in full swing. For some companies, it is still in its infancy – they are moving away from manually processing invoices to embrace a digital scanning and recognition system. Preferably one that can grow with the organization’s ambitions. Other companies have been using OCR and workflow software for purchase invoice processing for some time and are ready for the next innovation step: they would like to deploy their solution to automatically process other documents as well. Let’s take a closer look at that. What three common document types can you process – besides the traditional incoming invoice – with the right software?

1. Order confirmations

Within certain markets, it is common for your supplier to send an order confirmation to you after you place an order. This document indicates whether the items you ordered are in stock and whether the order and delivery prices match. This information is important because your success is obviously tied to the availability of the right items at the right time. If you work in the traditional way, you have to compare such an order confirmation (which usually arrives in your mailbox in pdf format) line by line with the lines from your order. You also have to check the delivery dates, since they are crucial to you. A time-consuming process that becomes even more intensive when there are discrepancies. Fortunately, this can be made easier. Because order confirmations are in fact just documents that come in for processing. If you use smart OCR software in combination with 3-way matching, you no longer have to spend time comparing lines. You can see discrepancies at a glance – and via workflow software you can easily contact colleagues and suppliers about them.

2. Purchase Orders

When you place a large order, you want a project manager or other responsible employees, for example, to sign off on the document in question first. This means you have to send the order around for approval. Only when all involved have given their approval can you send the order. In this way you enter into an obligation that is secured within the organization. Because this safeguarding is so important, you want it to come about in a reliable way. That becomes difficult when you send around a Word or PDF document or an e-mail message. These options may seem convenient, but how do you find out afterwards who agreed to what? If you use smart, approachable workflow or OCR software, the processing of these types of documents is entirely automatic. How does this work? You create your purchase order in the usual way and then route it throughout the organization with smart workflow tooling. Employees are automatically notified when they can add their signatures. They can add notes and attachments and ask for advice. Throughout the process, you can see who the document is with and what process stage it is in. When all colleagues have signed the order, you receive it back with a log file that shows exactly who did what and when. All intermediate steps, notes and the signed document are digitally stored in your system. And you can place the order without any worries and contribute to satisfied customers within your organization!

3. Expense claims

Within your company you make all kinds of purchases. Naturally, you want to formalize these as much as possible through an official purchase order. But in many situations this is difficult – for example, when it comes to flowers for a sick employee, a gift for a customer or an item you just need quickly. In such cases, you prefer to give employees the opportunity to buy something themselves, after which they can recover the expense via a claim. Of course, it is then essential that you keep careful records: the employee must provide proof of purchase and, if necessary, have it signed by a supervisor. Several solutions are available on the market that facilitate the declaration process in their own environment. But you can also choose to include a claim in your document processing solution. This means that the declaration is integrated into your existing OCR system and workflow: the approval and payment are then done via the integrated link with your ERP system. This way you have all information in one overview!