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For many organisations, scanning has transformed the way documents are stored.
Instead of filling filing cabinets and archive boxes, documents can be converted into digital files and stored electronically, making them easier to share and reducing reliance on physical storage.
But digitising a document doesn't necessarily make the information inside it easier to use.
A scanned invoice may still need someone to read it and manually enter the invoice number, supplier, date and amount into another system. A scanned application form may still need to be named, classified and filed. A contract saved as a PDF may be digital, but someone still needs to know what it is and where to find it.
Digitisation should not mean less control. Documents often contain valuable and confidential company information, which organisations need to retain within their own systems rather than hand over to a third party.
The next evolution in document management is therefore not simply about capturing the document. It's about capturing, understanding and retaining control of the information within it.
Traditional scanning essentially converts a physical document into a digital image.
Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, took this further by allowing computers to recognise text within scanned documents.
Intelligent document capture goes further again.
Toshiba's new e-BRIDGE Cloud Workflow combines OCR with AI-powered technology to identify different types of documents, extract important information and classify the content.
For example, instead of simply scanning an invoice and creating a PDF, the technology can identify information such as invoice numbers, dates and supplier details. That information can then become part of an automated workflow rather than having to be manually re-entered.
The technology can process both structured documents, where information generally appears in predictable locations, and unstructured documents, where the format may vary.
Capturing the information is only useful if something can then be done with it.
Once a document has been identified and its relevant data extracted, e-BRIDGE Cloud Workflow can name, classify and route it according to a predefined workflow. It turns a scan into usable, searchable information without ever handing your data to a third party. You retain ownership of the data, and can manage it on your terms, within your structure, and using your security and permissions.
Documents and extracted information can be delivered into cloud storage and collaboration platforms that organisations already rely on for day-to-day operations - such as SharePoint, OneDrive and Google Drive.
This changes the role of scanning.
Rather than simply being a way to create a digital copy, document capture becomes the starting point for a business process.
An accounts team can capture information from invoices. An HR department can classify and process employee documentation. A school can digitise and organise student records. A professional services firm can capture information from client documents and route it to the appropriate location.
In each case, the objective is the same: make the information within the document readily available to the people and existing systems that need it.
Manual document processing relies heavily on people following the same process every time.
Files need to be named consistently. Information needs to be entered accurately. Documents need to be saved in the correct place.
Most of the time, people get those things right. But repetitive administrative tasks inevitably create opportunities for inconsistency and error, particularly when workloads are high.
Automating defined parts of the process can create greater consistency while reducing repetitive work.
It doesn't mean removing people from the process altogether. Workflows can also include validation points where information needs to be checked or reviewed by a person. Instead, automation can take care of predictable, repetitive tasks while people concentrate on the decisions that actually require their judgement.
Organisations have spent years moving from paper to digital documents.
The next question is what happens to the information once the document has been captured.
If employees are still opening scanned files, reading them, manually entering their contents into other systems, renaming them and deciding where to file them, much of the administrative work remains.
Intelligent document capture provides an opportunity to take the next step.
Because making a document digital is useful. Making the information inside it accessible, searchable and actionable is where the real value begins.