Tribe - Webflow Ecommerce Website Template

How Capture and Workflow Can Improve Business Productivity

If your business handles a significant number of documents—whether they’re paper, electronic or a mix of both—you know what a headache this can bring. Manually reading and processing documents takes time, and manually extracting and retyping information from those documents creates numerous opportunities for errors that can create real problems. Manual document processes are even more complicated in industries such as legal and healthcare, and departments like Human Resources, where they process massive volumes of documents on a daily basis. Thankfully, there is a solution to these document problems: document capture and workflow.

What Is It?

Unsurprisingly, document capture & workflow has two focuses. The first, capture, is the process of capturing documents from any source then storing and organizing them digitally. The second element, workflow, involves creating automated workflows so that you can quickly and automatically process similar documents the same way. While both document and capture seem simple at the surface level, both benefit from further explanation.

Capture

If you are accustomed to manually processing documents, you might already capture documents by scanning them using a multifunction printer or scanner, but this is hardly an efficient system. Your device likely delivers files named “mfp034384.pdf” or “doc00381409” to your email inbox, coupled with unhelpful subject lines like “Scanned Document from Printerxx04.”A capture and workflow system is robust enough to detect and capture files you receive via email as well as documents you manually scan yourself, and it will intelligently name and organize these files using a combination of AI and user input. Capture brings organization to what was once document chaos.

Workflow

Capture & workflow solutions allow you to create custom workflows, saving you significant time by automating manual processes. For example, say you regularly receive a form (let’s call it Form X) from customers. Upon receiving it, you need to digitize Form X, place it in a storage location, email three people letting them know it’s there, and extract the information from four fields and put it into the software application you use for your business. This is a tedious process, as well as one with numerous opportunities for human error to result in mistakes.A robust capture and workflow solution will allow you to set up these steps one time and save them into a workflow. Going forward, each time you receive Form X from a client, all you have to do is select this particular workflow, and all of these steps happen automatically. You can even take it a step further by having your system automatically extract data from specific fields through intelligent scanning (including OCR).

What Are the Benefits?

Businesses can optimize their document processes by implementing a capture & workflow solution. Here is a sampling of the benefits. Automate everyday processes - Revisiting our Form X example, imagine how much time one employee could save every by automating the workflow associated with that process. Now, think of a similar form your company works with regularly that would benefit from automation, and how much time will be saved by eliminating manual tasks necessary to process it. Factor that out over the course of a year and these time savings add up. Improve productivity - Capture and workflow solutions also increase productivity. If an employee forgets to email people notifying them the document is ready for them, what kind of bottleneck does that create? An automated workflow eliminates oversights like this, as well as other opportunities for mistakes in the process. Furthermore, automating manual tasks frees employees up to work on more important responsibilities.Enhance document security – By utilizing capture & workflow solutions, documents are stored securely in one central repository. No more need to print copies to disseminate to different departments or send sensitive documents via email. You improve security by centralizing document storage, controlling access, and sharing more securely.