How does Optical Character Recognition benefit businesses?

What We Have Covered in This Article

Last Updated on July 29, 2021 by Editor Futurescope

The clever technology of Optical Character Recognition enables scanned images to be turned into text. OCR originated in the scanning of books and paper-based documents so that they could become digital, editable, and searchable files. The tech has gone on to be used for a myriad of purposes, such as reading license plates for traffic offenses. OCR can turn all kinds of images from road signs to billboard advertisements into text documents, so the technology can benefit businesses in various ways. Let us take a look at how it could be advantageous for your company. 

OCR Is Beneficial to Specific Industries

As alluded to in the introduction, OCR software can be used for specific purposes within a number of industries. For example, traffic police officers use OCR to record speeding cars’ license plates and archivists use OCR for digitizing old records and documents. The online casino industry also makes good use of OCR technology. One of the newest and most popular ways of playing online casino games is to visit a live casino. Games like roulette and blackjack, which are arguably the best live casino games, are played with a real croupier in a studio. You get to interact with the dealer and other players, so the experience is very akin to visiting a land-based casino. OCR tech is crucial for live casinos to operate. It is used to record things like the numbers and suits of cards, the numbers on dice, and the numbers on the roulette wheel so that real-time accurate outcomes of gameplay can be instantly relayed to the players. 

OCR Enables Businesses to Achieve Quicker and More Accurate Data Entry

One of the simplest and most beneficial elements of OCR technology is businesses can automate data entry and avoid the need to reinput information into systems. That not only helps businesses to save valuable time. It also means fewer errors occur compared to manual data entry.  

OCR Helps to Automate Workflows

Businesses that handle high volumes of paperwork can greatly benefit from OCR technology because it saves time and increases productivity. Batch scanning with OCR means files can be scanned and indexed easily and documents requiring action, such as invoices, can be entered into automated workflows to instantly arrive at the relevant location. 

Turning Read-only Documents into Editable Text Is Quick and Easy with OCR

PDF files are great because they maintain the formatting, but it can be challenging to edit them without the right software. With OCR tech, PDFs can quickly be scanned and turned into editable and searchable text. Again, that will help a business to speed up its operations and improve productivity. 

OCR Can Create Helpful Audible Files

OCR technology cannot only turn images into editable text. It can also turn images containing text into audible files. If a business employs visually impaired people, the tech of OCR allows them to have quicker and easier access to documents. Audible files can also help other workers to save time. For instance, if you are ready to leave the office to go for a run but you need to read through an important document, with an audible file, you can listen to it while you run. 

OCR Can Translate Foreign Languages

Some OCR solutions can even convert documents into multiple languages. OCR tech that includes a translation feature can typically convert one language into over 180 other languages. If you run an international business that deals with clients and documents from multiple foreign-language countries, your company could benefit a lot from using an OCR solution with translation functionality. 

Editor Futurescope
Editor Futurescope

Founding writer of Futurescope. Nascent futures, foresight, future emerging technology, high-tech and amazing visions of the future change our world. The Future is closer than you think!

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