Digital Mailroom – Document Classification Technology

Core aspects of digital mailroom systems - automated sorting and classification technology

In a traditional company mailroom much time is spent manually sorting mail items into batches prior to distribution. This labour-intensive process requires analysis of each document and knowledge of the organisational structure. This is a slow process, prone to errors such as mis-classification and can result in loss or delays in receiving business critical documents such as contracts, purchase orders, tender requests, invoices or cheques.

The DCS digital mailroom solution uses Kofax document classification and separation technology to eliminate these problems. In this system, documents are scanned as they arrive with no need for manual sorting, as the classification technology automatically identifies documents by type. The technology is also known as intelligent document recognition or IDR. Once recognised, the ability to apply classification rules ensures each document then enters the correct digital workflow.

Kofax KTM document classification technology is independent of delivery mechanism and can recognise scanned document images, fax, email or other electronic document formats. Following classification, documents recognised as claims, purchase orders, invoices or even handwritten forms can then be queued for data extraction, while items identified as CVs or letters of complaint can be automatically routed directly to the designated handler.

What about new document types?

DCS mailroom classification includes Kofax sophisticated learn-by-example technology allowing an operator to “train” the system to recognise new document types. Whilst rules-based processing is suitable for most common document types, learn-by-example, or LBE, technology is ideal for handling large numbers of document classes with varying content.