The Role of AI in Document Scanning & Workflow Automation

Kevin
2 min read
March 23, 2023

Table of contents

In today's increasingly digital world, businesses across various sectors have been looking for ways to streamline their document management processes. Document scanning, indexing, and workflow automation are necessary tasks that allow businesses to store, retrieve, and collaborate on documents with ease. These activities, though seemingly simple, can be incredibly time-consuming and error-prone when done manually. This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes in.

AI has revolutionized how businesses handle document management processes, from scanning paper documents to automating workflow processes. Using computer vision and machine learning algorithms, AI can scan, analyze, and extract valuable data from physical documents, speeding up document processing and indexing. Let's look at the benefits of AI-powered document scanning and indexing for businesses.

Increased efficiency:

AI-powered document scanning and indexing reduce the time it takes to scan and index documents manually. According to a survey conducted by Adobe, knowledge workers can lose up to six hours a week dealing with document-related tasks, with one-third of that time spent searching or locating documents. Using AI-enabled scanning tools, businesses can automate the process, reducing or eliminating this time sink.

Enhanced accuracy:

Document indexing demands accuracy with no room for errors. AI helps eliminate errors associated with manual indexing by eliminating data entry involvement altogether. Besides, AI algorithms can identify specific fields from a document, removing any possibility of misplaced data entry. The technology automates and streamlines the document indexing process, reducing human error and ensuring that documents are accurately categorized.

Improved searchability and accessibility:

Manual indexing systems typically create several unintuitive nomenclature structures that make searching difficult for end-users. AI technology creates contextual, easy-to-understand TAGS that make searchability seamless. Furthermore, by pairing AI-enabled indexing with robust search tools, businesses can enable more comprehensive text searches tailored to the needs of end-users, exponentially improving document accessibility.

Elimination of data overload:

In a 2019 report on the impact of AI in content management, an AIIM survey established that 47% of respondents identified the sheer volume of unstructured data as their top information management challenge. By leveraging AI technology to analyze and categorize large volumes of unstructured data, businesses can avoid data overload while identifying critical business insights.

AI-powered Workflow Automation:

The final piece in the AI-powered document management puzzle is workflow automation. Combining AI-based scanning and indexing technology with AI-enabled process automation boosts business process efficiency by automating the transfer of documents from one step of a process to the next. AI-based process automation ensures that document-centric tasks are completed timeously and accurately, mitigating bottlenecks and repetitious work.

AI allows workflows to automatically detect and classify document types accurately, ensuring that each document gets delivered to the right place, in the proper format, and to the right department or team member. By eliminating the manual routing of documents, companies can ensure the uninterrupted flow of work across divisions and teams.

Conclusion:

AI-powered document scanning, indexing, and workflow automation offer significant benefits to businesses. They enhance efficiency by speeding up processing and the indexing of documents, improving accuracy, enhancing searchability and accessibility, mitigating data overload, and driving efficient document-centric workflow automation. With these AI-powered technologies, businesses can streamline their document management processes, reduce costly errors and delays, and benefit from enhanced productivity and efficiency.

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