We may be surrounded by tens, hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of documents. It is also important for us to be able to read, order, classify and of course understand all this documentation in order to be able to give our clients a swift and effective response. Or to be able to do so before the competition does. Artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive capabilities maximise document processing to provide some relief to this problem.
As processes are digitised and documentation increases, checks analysing whether information is reliable are needed. For example, service companies need to check that the data is correct when they want to register a new client. IDP (Intelligent Document Processing) often avoids the need for doing the work manually, saving on time and errors, and greatly improving customer expectations.
Cognitive document processing and its benefits
The cognitive process is nothing more (or less) than the mental operations carried out by the brain when it processes the information it receives: it stores it, analyses it and makes decisions. With documents, this happens through an integrated platform based on AI, which works in a very similar way: it digitises (stores), processes (analyses) and executes (makes decisions).
But it also does it for both structured and unstructured information. In fact, the main difference between traditional data processing and modern cognitive data processing is that in the former, the platform is capable of performing repetitive tasks based on very strictly defined criteria. However, cognitive automation can process highly complex and unstructured data.
For example, it can deal with a PDF document, an image or a manuscript; the platform uses cognitive automation technology to read them (at lightning speed), extract the data required, and most importantly, qualitatively analyse the information, moving from pure rationality to "reflective thinking".
Additionally, by streamlining repetitive manual processes, these platforms enhance business performance, reduce human error, and allow employees to focus on tasks that do require their full attention and intellect.
Cognitive document processing vs. Robotic process automation (RPA)
Cognitive document processing captures the data from any document, is able to extract the most important information, and organizes it. RPA tools need filtered and ordered data in order to be able to do their job: running processes.
Robotic process automation (RPA) is a method for automating mainly transactional processes (invoicing, payrolls, accounts receivable, inventories, etc.). It is software that is designed to carry out digital tasks, and its behaviour is programmed according to a system of rules which after its initial training are executed autonomously, quickly, efficiently and continuously, 24 hours a day.
RPA can perform relatively simple tasks such as copying and pasting, calculations, moving files and extracting data. And it is a very important part of cognitive document processing (machine learning and natural language processing).
However, cognitive document processing is essential in complex process automation situations where RPA is not enough. Among other reasons, this is because most of the information is extracted from unstructured data sources.
For example, cognitive document processing can simplify content automatically. This tool is essential in government bodies: it processes very technical information, understands it and automatically generates questions and answers (FAQS) about the information, facilitating interaction with users. It is also able to simplify the legal/technical language in the government's decisions in order to make them more understandable for the public.
How can cognitive document processing be leveraged?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be applied in order to perform simple calculations or to make very important cognitive decisions. But above all, it automates and simplifies long and complicated information capture processes. Integrating AI and RPA means that companies can increase their potential exponentially, reshape their business model, and it can even transform entire industries.
It is a technological accelerator which is able to transform any process, enabling companies to increase their competitiveness.
Companies' automation and information capture costs have increased exponentially in recent years. This is the case with companies in the financial sector, which are increasingly focused on cognitive automation. As technology improves, tasks can be performed more quickly and more efficiently. This will place companies that do not integrate robotics with cognitive automation to perform their various operations at a serious disadvantage.
Dolffia as the solution: the AI-based cognitive document processing platform
Time spent on mechanical, time-consuming and tedious tasks such as manual document classification and data retrieval from unstructured sources is entirely replaceable. Monitoring document processing in a fast and measurable way means that information can be extracted from identity documents, medical certificates, contracts, bills, invoices, payslips, legal documents, user manuals, etc.
Dolffia (Syntphony) is the artificial intelligence platform for document processing hosted on AWS. It classifies various types of documents automatically, and extracts the information they contain at high speed and with high levels of accuracy.
It is an all-in-one cognitive data-capture solution that adapts to each client or each case of use, thanks to one of its most interesting features: it is not a closed product. Its flexibility means it can be adapted to any sector or company anywhere in the world.
It is an AI-based document processing platform from NTT DATA, which is capable of understanding, learning and suggesting actions for unlocking information from any unstructured information source, in a fast, adaptive, accurate, cost-effective, risk-free and agile way.