Before we even get to smart documents, let’s look at how things were not so long ago. Just a few years back, the word “office files” used to bring to mind the imagery of entire rooms filled with dusty old shelves with thick folders piled on each other. On the other hand, file retrieval involved diligent individuals looking through each file to identify the right one and personally delivering it to the concerned employee’s table.
Although computerised systems improved things significantly, document management remained challenging in large organisations where hundreds of computers generated more daily documents. Now, we have entered the era of digital documents, which offer improved usability, retrieval, and storage options.
Smart documents allow companies to move away from paper-based documents and embrace a truly paperless workflow where everything is digitised and instantly accessible. At scale, managing documents requires a smart document management system (DMS) to make things easy for employees.
Document management systems offer much more than the convenient storage of files. Over time these systems have added advanced features that have catapulted them to the status of technology platforms. Several document automation trends have emerged that are highly beneficial for business growth and processes. Let’s look at some document management trends that have recently gained popularity.
Intelligent Process Automation for Smart Documents
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can create documents and reports repeatedly. On the other hand, intelligent Process Automation (IPA) is the result of RPA joining hands with AI technologies, including Machine Learning.
IPA can quickly adapt to changing data and conditions as a scalable technology. This can easily automate complex variable processes as they don’t follow strict rules like RPA. With the help of IPA in smart document management, processes like sending reminders to clients, vendors and business partners, payments due date reminder, etc., becomes a lot easier.
Handwriting Recognition
Handwriting recognition technology uses advanced document capturing and machine learning to convert handwritten text into digital text. The document capturing process digitises documents with handwriting, and the machine learning algorithms precisely recognise the handwriting. This allows handwritten documents to be easily searched, edited, and shared, regardless of the handwriting style or language.
Machine learning algorithms have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, making handwriting recognition more accurate. Neural networks, in particular, have been very effective at recognising difficult handwriting, such as cursive handwriting. This has made handwriting recognition a valuable tool for many applications, like converting everyday documents into digital documents.
Interactive Documents
Interactive documents contain embedded multimedia data, such as audio or video files, hyperlinks, and navigational buttons. These allow users to interact with the document in a more dynamic way by viewing or listening to multimedia content, clicking on links to navigate to other parts of the document, or using buttons to perform actions.
One of the most important features of interactive documents is the ability to embed e-signatures. You can use e-signatures as digital signatures to sign documents electronically. This makes it possible to sign documents quickly and easily without printing, scanning, and mailing physical documents.
Intelligent Document Analysis
With the help of natural language processing and machine learning, DMS systems analyse insights from raw data, including text documents and images. They make use of various document analysis techniques to do so:
Text Classification
When you want to assign or assemble documents based on any particular category, such as specific words, phrases, headings, metadata, etc., text classification in the DMS ensures this. In other words, text classification helps you direct any particular document to specialists, saving you time and resources.
Text Similarity
Text similarity techniques can significantly reduce confusion and help to save space for document storage. Identifying duplicate or near-duplicate documents is possible through text similarity. When we identify such documents, we can combine or remove them to free up storage space and facilitate document retrieval.
Summarisation
For users who want to get a summary of a large document without fully going through it, the summarisation technique is of great help. This specialised technique assists in creating a shortened text from large paragraphs by detecting, picking up, and connecting the main sentences without alteration. Generating text based on structured data allows for summarisation at its top level.
Conclusion
With the advent of intelligent technologies, document management systems have taken an enormous leap. Along with choosing the right document strategies and trends, you should also focus on selecting suitable Document Management Systems, such as SharePoint, which will help you get the proper levels of productivity from your business.
Smart document management facilitates easy collaboration between various employees and departments. It also smoothens the company’s business processes by reducing compliance hassles.
This is especially relevant in the UAE, where improper document management will not only cause workflow issues but also will bring legal penalties. Articles 53 and 54 in the UAE Labour Law clearly state the need for maintaining a detailed record of every employee’s personal information, including name, age, profession, nationality, marital status, effective date of service, and many other associated details.
SharePoint effectively addresses the document management requirements in any organisation, irrespective of size and location. Suppose your firm is looking to track, manage and store documents. In that case, Neologix is a leader in the industry for end-to-end enterprise IT services, including SharePoint consulting and custom SharePoint development.
The professionals at Neologix have a track record of offering personalised solutions for diverse clients in the UAE. If you want more info, feel free to contact us at info@neologix.ae or +971-521043226. We are always at your service to deliver the right solution for your unique business needs.
