Digital knowledge is important in the workforce now more than ever before. Everything is being digitalized, and we all must keep up with the rest of the world.
One thing that has emerged as a useful tool is OCR software. Although you may not have heard of it by its name, you likely have used it in the past.
So, what is OCR software? Are other offices using it? Does your business need it as well?
To find out more about this software and whether your office needs it or not, keep reading to learn what you need to know before you make a decision.
What Is OCR Software?
OCR means “optical character recognition” and this software recognizes text in images. This would include scanned documents, photos, or handwritten notes.
OCR technology is a popular option to convert any type of text into text data that a machine can use. For example, it can take something you write by hand and turn it into something typed on the computer for others to use.
This type of software gained popularity in the 1990s when people were trying to digitally store old newspapers.
Since that time period, the technology has been greatly improved and can produce almost perfect conversions.
How Can Your Office Use OCR?
If you’re wondering whether your office needs to buy OCR software, there are a few major instances that it can be used. For example, you have many printed documents that need to be converted into digital documents for editing.
Here are some basic instances in which you would benefit greatly from using OCR software at your place of business.
1. You Produce Documents With Different Languages
When you have more than one language on a document, it can be difficult to digitize it by hand for several reasons.
One of the biggest reasons is that you would need someone that can speak or read and translate all of those languages to digital text. Otherwise, they may be copying and pasting by sight, but make a mistake not knowing that it means something else in the other language.
An option like the Tesseract OCR net engine could be useful if you need a large OCR academic library to work from.
2. You Need Improved Transaction Management
If you work somewhere like a bank, you need digitization. It improves your security and makes risk management easier.
OCR software can scan a customer’s handwritten documents and add them to the computer for safekeeping. This could include sensitive documentation, like loan applications, social security information, and more.
3. You Need Information to Be More Accessible
OCR software is a great tool if you have employees that are blind or visually impaired.
Once digital information is stored in the computer, they would be able to hear it played back to them. This way, they would be able to access information at a moment’s notice without needing someone in person to read it to them.
Of course, you need an OCR system that has speech output for this capability. However, this can be a useful tool in an office and provide additional resources for everyone in your office.
Do You Need OCR Software?
Now that you know the answer to the question “what is OCR software?” and want it in your office, the time to buy is now.
Stay ahead of the digital curve and invest in something that will set your business apart.
Do you want to learn more about how to run a business? If so, be sure to check out our Business Advise section for additional tips!