Q:  What is forms processing?

A:  Forms processing is the method of acquiring data off of paper forms and documents. You can process forms using manual data entry, by keying data directly off the paper document into your back-end system such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, or with an automated forms processing solution (using software that captures the data automatically) for transfer into the back-end system or ERP system.

Q:  How do I know if my organization needs an automated forms processing solution?

A:  If your company needs to capture data off the hundreds or even thousands of incoming paper forms and documents it receives each day, week or month. If you rely upon manual data entry to capture this data into your back-end system. If your company devotes significant personnel resources to perform this manual data entry, you need to automate now.

Processing documents manually can incur thousands of dollars in hidden costs for your organization. Offsite document storage and retrieval, lost revenue opportunities due to document processing backlogs and human error significantly increase your price to process documents this way.  

Many companies save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year by switching to an automated forms processing solution such as OCR for AnyDoc®.

Q: What are the differences among “structured,” “semi-structured” and “unstructured” documents?

A: Forms processing technology, has traditionally handled structured forms, such as order forms, time sheets and surveys. These items have a uniform format where data is found in the same location on each document. The customer name, the date and the item number are always found in the same spot on each order form, for example.

Semi-structured refers to documents such as invoices that every company receives daily from multiple vendors. Semi-structured forms have the same type of information on each of them (invoice number, invoice date, total due, etc.) but depending on the vendor, the location of that information could be anywhere on the page. For example, one invoice might have the invoice number in the top right-hand corner of the page while another invoice has the invoice number placed in the middle of the page. Software products that perform semi-structured processing must have capabilities to locate and extract the desired data, regardless of where it is located on the page.

By comparison, unstructured forms are a complete free-for-all. There is no consistent format, look or requirement for unstructured forms. Letters and direct mail are good examples of unstructured business documents.

OCR for AnyDoc® includes features to automatically process all three types of documents with virtually no manual data entry. OCR for AnyDoc® uses such features as keywords, filters and other proven methods to capture needed information regardless of its location on each document.

Q:  Are structured and unstructured documents processed differently?

A:  Yes. Since data placement in structured documents is consistent, a template is created which assigns zones where the data on the document will be every time, and you then define what types of data will be contained within these zones.

The location of data on unstructured documents, such as A/P invoices and Explanation of Benefits (EOB) forms, is inconsistent and therefore requires something more flexible than a template-based solution.

An example of this is the purchase order number. The software searches the document for “P.O. No.,” “P.O. #,” and several other variations of the term. Once it locates and captures that data on the document, it remembers the location each subsequent time that particular vendor’s invoice is processed, thereby accelerating processing time.

Q: What makes OCR for AnyDoc® a compelling choice?

A: For over a decade, OCR for AnyDoc® has been considered the de facto standard for high-volume forms processing. It delivers leading-edge recognition technology with character-reading accuracy that often exceeds 99 percent.

With the software’s robust OCR technology, image enhancement and character regeneration take place automatically prior to capturing data. Distracting clutter such as lines, patterns and other background “noise” are also removed. This leads to cleaner data reads that reduce the need for human intervention to verify or correct questionable data.

Sophisticated features and advanced performance are complemented by the software’s ease of use, which includes wizards for fast and easy setup. OCR for AnyDoc® has been the recipient of numerous industry awards for improving clients' business processes, reducing costs, and speeding productivity.

Q: What size company should choose OCR for AnyDoc® software?

A: OCR for AnyDoc® is a versatile solution that can support the form processing needs of literally any size company. For large organizations, the software can easily scale to process tens of thousands of forms, invoices and documents per day.

AnyDoc Software also offers an unlimited or a volume pricing structure that makes the solution affordable to any company despite of the volume of documents received.

Q: Which document scanners can be used with OCR for AnyDoc®?

A: AnyDoc Software has formed partnerships with the leading scanner hardware manufacturers, including Böwe Bell + Howell, Canon USA, Fujitsu, IBML, Kodak, OPEX, and Panasonic. These partnerships allow us to ensure OCR for AnyDoc® is fully compatible with these vendors’ devices and deliver the highest-quality results.

In addition, AnyDoc Software is committed to open standards to easily link applications to imaging hardware. As a result, it is the first forms processing vendor to serve as a board member of the TWAIN working group, an arm of the non-profit organization that represents the imaging industry and is dedicated to standards-based initiatives. AnyDoc’s CAPTUREit also now comes with a TWAIN scanner interface for interoperability with industry scanners, without the need for add-on “middleware” or hardware boards.

Q: What is the ROI for OCR for AnyDoc®?

A: OCR for AnyDoc® delivers enhanced workplace productivity, faster document handling, reduced errors compared to manual data entry, and overall lower processing costs. Most OCR for AnyDoc® customers report an ROI in less than one year.

Q: What other solutions does AnyDoc Software offer?

A: AnyDoc Software offers a complete line of solutions for document and data capture, classification, and business process management. OCR for AnyDoc® is complemented by additional solutions for electronic document storage and retrieval and remote office support. A data bridge enables the transfer of data captured by OCR for AnyDoc® to any ODBC-compliant database, with no programming required.

See an overview of AnyDoc Software’s complete line of automated solutions.

Q: Who are AnyDoc Software’s customers?

A: Fortune 500 companies and government agencies are among the thousands of installed sites of AnyDoc® Software products worldwide. Our customers include such leading organizations as Fastenal Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, BlueCross BlueShield, the U.S. Census, LeasePlan, Coop and many more.

Q: How are products sold and supported?

A: AnyDoc Software products are available through an elite channel of established integrators, VARs and resellers. This channel is supported through joint efforts in sales and marketing as well as extensive product training.

The company maintains partnerships with many of the world’s top integrators and resellers.