In this series on Automated Scan Workflows, we are discussing how YSoft SAFEQ can help you increase productivity via automated document capture, process and delivery. In the first article of this series, we focused on how simplifying scan capture improves your organization’s productivity. In this second article of the series, we look at how YSoft SAFEQ’s powerful scan processing features also improve productivity across your organization.
Figure 1. YSoft SAFEQ scan workflow, simplified key stages.
Powerful Processing
Many document capture software solutions create an image; there is little processing and the quality of the image can be poor. At Y Soft, we realized that providing organizations with a scan solution that creates high quality, usable documents could greatly improve productivity.
YSoft SAFEQ’s scan processing has many benefits that improve productivity:
- Consistent processing automatically applied. Yields editable, searchable documents, saving time and effort, and provides security “at rest”
- Consistent file naming
- Ultimate document capture efficiency
Consistent Document Processing Automatically Applied
As we all know, document capture can result in low quality images. Elements maybe blurred and difficult to read so you may have to scan the document repeatedly to achieve an acceptable result. With YSoft SAFEQ scan workflow processing, the document is optimized to ensure the highest quality output.
For example, if a page is placed onto the scanner at an angle, YSoft’s workflow solution will autocorrect the orientation. Likewise, if there are any disruptions to the image i.e. dust, fingerprint marks on the scanner glass, the image is cleaned and these are removed. As well as optimizing the final document, you can append or prepend pages should you wish to merge pages or documents. Or, if you need to remove blank pages, this is also possible. Finally, advanced compression can be applied to reduce the document’s size up to 30 times that of an uncompressed document.
You can also choose to output the document in a variety of formats including PDF/A (an ISO standardized version of a PDF that enables long –term archiving by prohibiting some formatting features), Microsoft Word or Excel, so the document can be searched. Assuring consistency and the ability to search for a document using keywords adds significant value as well as saving you and your organization time.
Editable, Searchable Documents, Saving Time and Effort
- Editable: As previously discussed, traditional document capture solutions allow you to scan a document and an image is created. The document cannot be edited which can cause challenges should the recipient want to amend the document. For example, one of your employees only has a hard copy of an old business case and wants to use it as the basis for creating a new business case. Traditionally, they would have to manually recreate the document from scratch. However, with YSoft SAFEQ scan workflows the document can be scanned and output as an editable document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint or txt). Productivity is increased significantly as your employee can move quickly onto their next task of the day, rather than spending time duplicating work.
- Searchable: One of the most powerful tools that YSoft SAFEQ scan workflows offers is the ability to use keyword search on scanned documents. This is through a text layer added to the image. Document repositories or ECM systems use this text layer to index documents for search/retrieval within those repositories or systems.
Let’s look at a scenario to illustrate how YSoft SAFEQ creates a document that can be easily searched and retrieved. A local government is required to archive building site and construction related documents so that the content can be easily searched and retrieved for many years, Figure 2.
Security
Security is a key requirement and so with YSoft SAFEQ scan workflows, processing is completely secure during processing, known as while ‘at rest’, without impacting the user experience. If you have a confidential document that you want to protect even further, you can specify the document to be a password protected PDF.
Figure 2. A government agency archiving/retrieving documents.
Consistent file naming
The scan workflow can be designed so that that the resulting digital file is automatically named based on text that is highlighted. The user simply selects the appropriate workflow from their personal list of workflows and scans the document.
For example, an organization may desire that scanned files are named based on a customer’s last name, appended with the date of the scan, such as “SMITH-17May2017”. In this scenario, the scanner uses a green highlighter pen color to highlight the customer’s last name on the document. YSoft SAFEQ detects the highlighted color and knows to name the file with that text and append today’s date because the workflow says that “green highlighted text” is meta data and should be appended as part of the filename structure.
Ultimate Document Capture Efficiency
Above, we gave the example of using meta data to append to a file name. Many other context metadata are available. Additionally, many companies use barcode for customer or account data.
For customers who use barcodes on documents, the workflow can be designed to use content found in a barcode as the file name, again with the option of appending today’s date as part of the digital filename, Figure 3.
Additionally, the workflow can be created to prompt the person scanning to input data that can be associated in the text layer with the document.
Figure 3. Screenshot of barcode processing setup.
Ensuring Complete Confidentiality
We have already covered how keyword highlighting can be a useful tool for metadata creation in creating filenames. However, it has another important function. You can use it to redact sensitive or confidential data that you do not want, or are not authorized to share. So, instead of manually using a black pen to try and hide the content before scanning, which may render the paper copy completely unreadable, you can instead, highlight the sections in another color, perhaps defined in the workflow as red, and YSoft SAFEQ scan workflows will ensure that all red words are redacted, Figure 4. In the scan’s text file, these words are not included so they cannot be surfaced when using keyword search thereby, ensuring complete confidentiality of any sensitive data.
Figure 4. A paper document is highlighted with a red highlighter pen (left). The resulting scanned document (right) redacts the highlighted text and doesn’t include the text in the document’s text layer.
One Platform, One Interface, One Contract
At Y Soft, we pride ourselves on keeping things simple. As with all our solutions, the YSoft SAFEQ scan workflows are fully integrated with the major multifunction printer vendors and third party partners.
Our platform approach to print management and scan workflows means the easy-to-use interface is integrated for both users and IT administrators. If you choose to start with scan workflows and add print management, you can easily add new services under your existing contract. A key difference is that our pricing is on a “per device” basis, for all our solutions. You do not have to worry about the number of users or pages growing over time. If the number of MDF devices remain the same then so do your costs.
YSoft SAFEQ scan workflows can be found in these two product suites:
Learn more about YSoft SAFEQ Workflow Suite.
Learn more about YSoft SAFEQ Enterprise Suite (scan workflows + print management)
In Part 3 of this series, we will look at the Scan Deliver stage and how YSoft SAFEQ scan workflows ensure secure, efficient delivery of scanned documents to an array of locations, set and controlled by you.
Part 1: The Power of Simplified Scan Capture