Mail processing is considered one of the core activities of small and medium-sized enterprises, involving the handling of incoming mail, internal distribution, and outgoing correspondence. When performed manually, these tasks can be time-consuming and prone to errors. The solution lies in the digitalization of mail processing, which not only enhances efficiency but also paves the way for technologies such as Intelligent Document Processing (IDP).
Process Overview
Many companies still rely heavily on manual processes when it comes to mail handling. Incoming mail must be received and sorted before being forwarded to the appropriate department or a specific IT system. As a result, managing incoming mail is time-consuming, represents a significant cost factor, and serves as a central hub within the organization where inefficiencies and errors quickly become apparent.
At the same time, the mailroom is considered an area where cost-cutting is not advisable. Proper management is crucial to ensure that all documents reach the right recipient quickly and reliably, and that the associated tasks are processed efficiently. Manual mail handling is no longer in line with modern business practices.
Weaknesses of Manual Mail Processing
Relying on manual processes for mail handling can lead to a range of issues, as such methods are often unclear, time-consuming, and inefficient. Here’s a summary of the key disadvantages:
Error-prone: Misrouting, loss of documents, or incomplete processing of incoming mail are common issues associated with manual handling.
Lack of scalability: As mail volume increases, manual processing quickly becomes inefficient and overwhelms existing capacity.
Time-consuming: Opening, sorting, and forwarding mail consumes valuable time that employees could spend on more productive tasks.
Higher costs: Manual mail processing is labor- and time-intensive, incurs material and storage costs, and becomes a financial burden for the organization.
Digitalization of Mail Processing
Digital mail processing includes the handling of both digital and analog documents. If incoming mail does not already arrive in digital form, it is scanned and digitized to prepare it for further processing. Technologies such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) are used to recognize text and, with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), analyze the content, extract relevant information, and integrate it into existing systems.
The benefits:
Cost reduction: Digital mail processing reduces material and personnel costs.
Relief for employees: Automation allows staff to be reassigned to more strategic or valuable tasks.
Data protection: Integrating mail processing into a document management system (DMS) meets the highest GDPR standards and ensures the security of sensitive data.
Efficient workflows: Fast access to data and digital processing enables more efficient workflows throughout the mail handling process.
endless possibilities.
ExB is an Intelligent Document Processing platform that transforms unstructured data from any type of document into structured results. Our AI-based software can not only extract all relevant information from your documents, but also understand them. This allows you to automate your processes and save both time & money, while improving your customer experience and employee satisfaction. Win-win.
How Digital Mail Processing Works
Switching from analog to digital requires capturing and digitizing incoming documents. Using OCR and AI tools, the content is then analyzed, classified, and immediately forwarded to the appropriate department or specific IT system.
A typical workflow may look like this:
Capture: Physical mail is scanned, while digital documents are automatically imported into the system.
Categorize: AI identifies the document type and assigns it to appropriate categories such as “invoices” or “delivery notes.”
Forward: The extracted data is transferred directly into relevant applications such as accounting or CRM systems.
Archive: All documents are securely stored in compliance with legal regulations, enabling easy access and reducing paper usage.
Technologies like Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) not only speed up this process but also make it more reliable. The AI continuously learns, improving accuracy over time.
ExB – Your Partner for Digital Transformation
Digitizing mail processing offers numerous benefits, including significant time and cost savings, as well as increased efficiency and scalability within the organization. In addition, error rates can be minimized, and employees can focus on strategically important tasks.
Why choose ExB as your partner?
With our IDP platform, you receive tailored solutions that seamlessly integrate into your existing IT infrastructure. Our AI processes documents in various formats and ensures high scalability. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise – our solution adapts to your needs.
Your benefits as a customer:
Time savings: Documents can be processed within seconds.
Minimal error rate: AI-based validation significantly reduces human errors.
Data protection: Our “made in Germany” cybersecurity standards guarantee the safety of sensitive information.
Conclusion
Digitalization is one of the core goals for modern businesses. In this context, digitizing mail processing represents a key milestone that helps drive forward your overall strategy. By partnering with ExB, your company can not only save time and resources, but also lay the foundation for a future-proof, sustainable, and efficient way of working.
Embrace innovation and set an example for modern, efficient work with digital mail processing!
OCR can recognize and process many types of documents, including scanned text, printed documents, handwritten notes and even graphical content such as tables and diagrams. Modern OCR solutions use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to understand even complex document structures.
IDP (Intelligent Document Processing) goes beyond OCR by integrating additional technologies such as ML, NLP (Natural Language Processing) and computer vision. These technologies enable a deeper understanding of the content, including analyzing handwriting and more complex document types, making the entire document processing process smarter and more adaptable.
Yes, ExB’s IDP platform uses AI and ML to recognize and process handwritten text as well as complex, structured documents such as tables and diagrams. Using NLP, the platform can even recognize the meaning and context of the content.
