Most people are familiar with scan devices (single-function scanners, multifunction printers that scan, etc.), but they aren’t necessarily aware that software exists to help with scanning. This blog post will provide examples of ways that scanning & data capture software can enhance the document scanning process within organizations.
Use of scanning & data capture software
Before delving into the main components of scanning & capture software, we’ll take a look at the use of this software within U.S. companies (SMBs and enterprises included). As shown in the chart below, larger companies are most likely to have already invested in this software; companies with 100 to 499 employees are most likely to be considering it.
Companies with 1 to 99 employees most commonly have no plans to invest in scanning & capture solutions; digging deeper, it is those with 1 to 49 employees that are most likely to fall into this category (44%).
What is scanning & data capture software?
Scanning & data capture software is software that is either embedded in a multifunction printer (MFP) or single-function scanner, or attached to a PC or server-based capture solution. It enables businesses to efficiently capture, process, and route documents to a document management system, an electronic content management platform, business process automation software, or other business applications.
The following paragraphs discuss the key components of this solution:
Capture: Before you can integrate paper documents into your electronic systems, you must digitize them. Many solutions convert paper documents to popular static file types, such as TIFF, image PDF, and JPG. These solutions are built to meet varying needs, from knowledge workers capturing a few documents a day, all the way up to scan operators tasked with capturing huge volumes of batches all day.
Processing: Once a document is captured, users can employ a variety of image enhancement and conversion settings to deliver it to its desired location in the needed form and quality. Many leading technologies employ sophisticated algorithms to intelligently enhance captured images to ensure easy readability. Users can apply optical character recognition (OCR) zones (or OCR across the entire document) or barcode recognition settings to separate batches, convert documents to dynamic form, and/or read and act on encoded indexing and routing instructions.
Routing: Many capture applications dovetail with email applications, cloud services, document/electronic content management platforms, or other business applications and backend systems out of the box. This enables users to send scans to specific locations directly from the scan device control panel. This eliminates the need to scan a document to a local folder, then move it to the desired location.
Scanning & capture software solutions can be used to efficiently merge information trapped in paper with a company’s digital solutions. Key characteristics of scanning & data capture solutions include the ability to capture, process, and route documents to a digital archive and/or process. For more information on how this kind of solution can help your business, speak with our technology experts.