OCR software reads text from scans quickly, but invoices are messy: different layouts, stamps, handwriting and low-quality scans. If wrong numbers go straight into your accounting system, the cost of fixing them later is higher than checking them now.
The three-layer approach
1. OCR and extraction. Software reads each document and pulls out fields such as vendor, invoice number, dates, totals and line items, with a confidence score for each field.
2. Validation rules. Line items must add up to the subtotal, dates must be valid, vendors must exist in your master list, and duplicate invoice numbers are flagged.
3. Human review. Fields with low confidence, and documents that fail a rule, go to a trained person who checks them against the original scan.
What to agree before you start
- Which fields you need and the exact output format
- An accuracy target and how it will be measured on samples
- Turnaround time per batch
- How documents are stored, who can access them, and when they are deleted
Our document data extraction team runs this workflow, and the same approach powers our specialist brand eFiling Ready.