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Data capture is the process of collecting structured and unstructured information and converting it into data readable by a computer. With technology advancements, data capture has evolved phenomenally from paper to the automated data entry.

For instance, the automated data capture methods is the current market trend that can collect any data type (docs, email, fax, and more) and convert it into a readable digital format with minimum human intervention.

Roughly 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created each day and you might wonder where all this information is coming from in the first place. A fair amount of data is created through the process of data entry services which aid data capture.

If you’re wondering how this process works or how it could benefit your business, this guide is for you. We’ll introduce the basics of data capturing and why you should be using it in your business.

The Data Capture Process

Data capture is the process that allows you to collect information. The idea behind data capture process is simple. Take, for example, a patient filling in a questionnaire on their first visit.

This is the process that creates data. They’ll enter their name, their address, and other relevant information. Now you have the information, but how can you use it?

Digitizing this information makes it more useful. You can cross-reference it more easily. It also becomes more accessible.

How to Capture Data

You’ve been capturing at least some data for some time. You can capture data from paper documents, for example, by using forms designed to be read by machines.

Using paper documents could be holding you back though. It’s easier to use data if it’s in a digital format. Some data capture processes allow you to collect information from unstructured letters.

Automated capture processes can help you collect information from paper documents though. There are several methods for capturing data to complete this task, depending on the type of documents.

To capture data, you’ll identify the document you want to collect the information from. You’ll then decide on an appropriate method. Digitizing unstructured data requires specialized tools and many organizations find it is more efficient to partner with data entry service providers.

Data Capture Methods

Not all information is created the same, so you may need to use a variety of data capture methods. For example, collecting data from an email is a different process than scanning in a paper form.

One method of data capture is manual keying. In this process, someone will type in the data by hand. Though many businesses still rely on outsourcing data entry to companies that have trained experts to manually input information. As you might imagine, this isn’t the most efficient process.

It’s the process you’re most familiar with. Here are some of the data capturing methods that businesses are using to collect data.

1. 1. Manual data capture
   2. Automated Data Capture
   3. Nearshore keying
   4. OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
   5. ICR (Intelligent Character Recognition)
   6. Barcode/ QR Сode Recognition
   7. Voice Capture
   8. IDR (Intelligent Document Recognition)
   9. Digital forms (Both Web and App)
   10. Digital Signatures
   11. Web Data Capture
   12. OMR (Optical Mark Reading)
   13. MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition)
   14. Image & video capture
   15. Paperless Forms
   16. Double Blind Data Entry
   17. Smart Cards
   18. Magnetic Stripe Cards

Data Capture Allows Machines to “Read”

OCR stands for optical character recognition. This technology allows machines to recognize certain typefaces on printed documents.

OCR is good for high volumes of documents with similar information. It may not be as helpful when you have documents where the information and structure changes. If you’re hoping to scan handwritten forms, you should consider ICR technology.

What is ICR? This acronym stands for intelligent character recognition.
This technology can recognize hand-printed characters. ICR technology can collect information from paper forms your customers fill out.

Barcode recognition is another way to capture data. Some types of barcodes contain high levels of metadata. They communicate information efficiently.

One example of a barcode type is the patient ID used in healthcare.

There are some other data capture methods you can use, but these are the most common.

Why use automated data capture?

Businesses rely on more data than ever before, as well. Big data has changed every single aspect of conducting business. That just means more things that need to be done in any given day unless you go about it in the right way.

That’s where automated data capture comes in. Let’s take a look at some of the major benefits of data entry automation to help you learn how it’ll help your business thrive!

6 Benefits Of Automated Data Capture

Automation isn’t just good for saving time and money. Although it’s quite good for that, as well. Here are some of the other main advantages of using automation in data capture.

Increases Employee Satisfaction

Manual data entry is tedious. It’s also frustrating for many of the employees who are tasked with manually filling in forms. It leaves them feeling unappreciated and under-utilized.

Repetitive, monotonous tasks are mentally draining. This isn’t just bad for employee morale, it’s also bad for accuracy.

Mental fatigue and lack of concentration lead to errors. Which leads to our next point.

Reduces Errors

Eliminating errors is one of the top reasons to adopt data capture automation if you haven’t already. Automatic Data capture greatly reduces errors, so your organization can focus on more important things.

As a general rule of thumb, a business can spend $1 to prevent errors in data capture. Correcting that error could cost up to $10, in comparison. Not catching that error could result in up to $100 in lost revenue.

So you’re essentially preventing $100 of loss for every $1 spent on error prevention. That’s not even considering the time and stress you’ll save.

Eliminates Hidden Costs

Accounts payable departments have all manner of hidden costs and expenses. First, there’s the payroll for employees. Then there’s the cost of printing and distributing invoices.

That’s not even to mention the potential costs of late payments or misplaced documents. In fact, the costs of manually processing invoices have increased from $10.15 to $22.75 over the span of ten years.

Automatic Data capture can cost up to 20 times less than manual data entry.

For one, automated data capture automatically sends invoices by sending updates to a network location. Notifications are generated automatically when the network location is updated.

This completely eliminates the possibility of overlooked invoices. It also eliminates the cost of printing and mailing paper invoices, as an additional benefit.

It also hugely reduces the amount of time it takes for invoices to get paid. When an invoice is approved almost instantaneously, it can mean the difference between being paid in a matter of minutes instead of several months!

Enhances Productivity

Manual data entry is time-consuming an inefficient for a variety of reasons. First, someone needs to sort and identify the data, making sure it gets to right department. Then someone’s got to enter that data. That’s not even considering the possibility of human error and its attendant costs.

With automated data capture, everything is automatically organized, extracted, and distributed with no human involvement. This doesn’t only include digital documents. Multi-function scanner/printers are able to do the same thing with paper documents.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) extracts numbers, the total due, line items, and other pertinent invoice data. Many companies take advantage of dedicated OCR services to transform their data into editable structures. OCR outsourcing helps to preserve entire data securely while also ensuring invoices are cleared on time.

OCR automated data entry software makes it easy to create scanning templates for recurring invoices. This lets the scanner know the location of where specific data is located on invoices.

Data capture automation also checks for data accuracy. This also reduces the workload for management. Only inaccurate invoices need to be brought to their attention.

Always Available

“Time is money,” as the popular saying goes. Downtime means lost money, as a result.

More and more daily business activities are expected to be online at all times, these days. Order entry, reservations, shipping orders, assembly instructions. If any of these things go offline, a business suffers.

With so much competition in today’s digital economy, there’s great pressure for businesses to always be online. Depending on the size of an organization, even a few minutes offline can mean millions of dollars in lost revenue. That’s not even to mention the loss to your reputation.

Data capture automation does more than automate your paperwork. It also automatically creates backups of your data. That means you’ll never lose important documents.

You’ll also be safe from human error, in case something goes wrong.

Enhanced Visibility

Automation in data capture ensures that everybody’s on the same page. It also means that everybody with access can get at the same resources.

Think about the old days of paper filing cabinets. Only those in physical proximity to the file room can access those files. That’s not even mentioning how difficult and inefficient it can be to find anything in those files.

Automated data capture takes full advantage of cloud-based computing. It ensures that all of your folders and files are always accessible to everyone with access. It also makes sure they are easily searchable and organizable.

These are just a few of the almost endless advantages of automation in data capture. Automation is revolutionizing every single thing about the way we conduct business in this day and age. Get on board now and see the results for yourself!

The Benefits of Data Capture for Businesses

Let’s look at the idea of the patient ID barcode in healthcare. All documents related to a patient include this barcode. It contains information about the patient, such as their name and medical history.

Scanning the barcode gives access to the information. The patient can be quickly identified. Test results will always be associated with the right patient profile.

What about ICR and OCR? Both are useful if you have paper documents you want to collect information from. ICR is very useful if you need people to fill in forms by hand.

Using data capture technology improves your business’s efficiency. You can process forms in less time, and information becomes accessible sooner. If you use a database, the information then becomes accessible from almost anywhere.

Better information capture can also help you provide better customer service. It’s easier to cross-reference information in the database. It also allows you to perform data analysis to discover patterns.

Increasing Security and Storage

It’s easy to damage paper documents. They’re also bulky, so storing them can become a problem for a business. People who aren’t authorized to see them may also be able to access them.

Data capture can help resolve these issues. You can control who sees what information. It also means you don’t need to store reams of paper in file folders.

Reducing Mistakes and Improving Accuracy

One of the issues with paper and manual keying is the high error rate. A customer may fill in a form incorrectly. The person keying the information in to the system later may make an error as they enter it.

Even if you use a human quality control process, you’ll still likely have a high error rate.

With an automated process, you can reduce the number of errors during the capture stage. It’s also easier to cross-reference data and validate it. Indexing information is easy as well.

This also helps you reduce costs and improve customer service. Delivering great service is easier when your information is accurate. Spending less time fixing errors in your data saves both time and money.

In short, there are many advantages to adopting data collection methods like ICR and intelligent OCR.

Leave Paper Behind

If you’re still using paper documents and manual keying, it’s time to make a change. There are so many better ways to capture the information you need for your business.

Data capture helps you collect information you might not be capturing right now. Lower error rates and faster processing times benefit your business and your clients.

Want To Learn More About Data Capture?

We are passionate about the possibilities of digital technology and all the ways it’s improving the ways we do business in the 21st Century.

If you’re ready to make your data capture process as painless and efficient as possible, here are a few great reasons why you should work with us!

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Reach out to our team today!