Invoice Capture

Intelligent Invoice Capture

The capture process begins with the collection of invoice images or invoice data from multiple sources and invoice formats. These sources would include paper, fax, and email in thousands of different formats with the necessary information in different physical locations on each invoice. Here are the methods that we employ to capture inbound invoices.

• Centralized scanning
• Remote scanning
• Multi Function Peripheral Integration (Copy, Fax, Scan devices)
• Fax or Email server integration

After the invoices are in the capture process, an advanced recognition engine is applied to locate and extract the necessary data from the invoice regardless of its format. The advanced recognition leverages OCR to first read all of the information from the invoice. The data is then analyzed by algorithms that read the invoice just as an accounts payable specialist does in a manual data entry process. This analysis looks for keywords, format, and location to locate and extract the invoice fields.  These extraction algorithms are easily configured by presenting the system with example documents and allowing it to learn how to extract data, rather than by writing rules or by constructing templates. Without rules or templates the system is robust to changes in layout of invoices making the solution quicker to configure and easier to maintain.

The information obtained during auto-learning on how to extract data is held in a Knowledge Base (KB). Once the system is in operation the user can tag documents that have not been recognized well in the validation process and send them for consideration as new example documents for extending the learn-by example extraction. A supervisor can then train the system of the new examples and add them to an existing or new KB continuously improving performance.  This provides for increased accuracy over time without the typical overhead of IT involvement. Advanced Capture Team has built a knowledge base from our previous projects. This knowledge base allows for an advanced starting point in the extraction project greatly reducing the time and cost to deploy the solution.

Once the invoice data has been accurately captured and validated, it is subsequently released directly to the clients invoice workflow and/or ERP system for processing and archival.