Which Questions to Ask When About OCR?
Every time that you want to implement a new technology into your office, it’s important for you to choose it carefully. Choosing the right supplier and product can be a deciding factor in whether the new technology will be a smart investment or just a waste of money.
The same goes for OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. This technology can create a much more efficient workplace and eliminates wasted time spent on mundane tasks. However, not all solutions are equally good. Choosing the right product is of the utmost importance if you want to get the most out of OCR.
If you’re not sure how to find the best one, here are the questions that you need to ask your potential OCR vendor:
How Does Licensing Work?
Since going with an OCR software package is an investment that can change the way you work, the first thing that you’ll want to know is the way the licensing works. Most vendors either use the ‘page-based’ and the ‘click’ approach.
Finding the right licensing method can make a world of difference to your payment structure, so make sure that you ask your vendor to explain it in detail. You also need to ask the vendor whether there’s an option to expand the license as your business grows.
Here are some additional questions related to the license:
- How much does it cost?
- Is the solution software or hardware-based?
- Is having external Internet connection a must?
How Good Is the Company That Makes the Software?
An important question to ask is how long the vendor has been in the business of providing OCR solutions. You should ask them to give you a list of their clients, as well as some measurements such as customer satisfaction and retention rate.
Also, you need to make sure that the company actually implements innovation, instead of just repackaging somebody else’s technology. By doing this, you can check whether the company is really confident in their product, and whether there are any arguments that support this confidence.
How Accurate Is Their OCR?
When it comes to the OCR software, accuracy is paramount. The last thing you want is to get a product that can’t deliver accurate files for editing.
You need to make sure that the company’s solution can handle all the formats and file types that you use. A good OCR solution should have no issues with digitalizing complex documents that contain a variety of elements.
Ask your vendor for proof that their product is accurate. Every reputable company should have this information ready.
Does the OCR Process Preserve Formatting?
There are some OCR solutions that have issues with digitalizing tables, columns, and other complex elements of a document. Such subpar performance should be avoided, as it will only cost you more in the long run.
The last thing you want is to end up with a scrambled document that you have to spend hours fixing. Since the entire point of having a good OCR program is to save time, you don’t want to go with the one that will result in extra work.
There isn’t a perfect OCR program that does everything with 100% accuracy, but you still need to make sure that you go with a high-quality one that can handle any image files and create editable documents in formats that work for your organization.
On Average, How Long Does It Take the Program to Complete the Conversion?
Aside from being accurate, a good OCR solution needs to do its work as quickly as possible. Even though the performance of your device or hardware plays a role, a high-quality product should get the most out of your device’s power and deliver results in a timely manner.
You need to ask your vendor about the kinds of tests that they run on their software. You also need to make sure that the program is tested on the devices that you and your company use the most.
How Is the Output File Size Different From the Original One?
If you have to deal with a lot of documents, there’s a high chance that you’re using a Cloud storage system. You need to make sure that the files that go through the OCR process aren’t too large, so they don’t take up a lot of space.
You’ll also likely want to e-mail or share your documents across multiple devices. To make sure that you can do this efficiently regardless of your Internet connection, ask your vendor if the files will have the right size to fit all of these needs.
The Final Word
These are the questions that every reputable OCR company should be able to answer, if they want you to go with their solution.
Once you get all the information you need, you can make an informed decision of whether you should go with their solution. Since this can be an investment that can change the way you work, don’t rush the process of looking for the best solution and take your time to find the best software.