ICR is a smart OCR system that takes handwriting out of picture documents. In the newest iteration of OCR, various writing styles and typefaces are identified by AI and machine learning algorithms that examine the content of documents.

Intelligent character recognition filters the data from physical documents before entering the information into a database. By rapidly collecting data from paper documents and saving it in a digital format, it assists industries in organizing complex information. ICR software works even better with OCR to streamline data capture procedures and eliminate the need for any shortcuts while inputting the data. 

OCR and ICR Software – How They Differ From Each Other

Businesses send and receive a variety of files, such as spreadsheets, PDFs, and other formats. It is quite challenging for the organization to handle such a wide range of formats, which is where OCR technology, which automates the organization’s daily processes, with accuracy. These cognitive data capture tools organize the unstructured fields by incorporating human interpretation into the data. There are several reasons why businesses favor handwriting recognition software over optical character recognition and vice versa, the debate over OCR technologies is not new.

The best strategy is to use both the character recognition software and here are the differences between the two. 

• In contrast to OCR, the ICR application does not rely on templates and extracts data using artificial intelligence. 
• Software that uses cognitive data capture can recognize a variety of formats, whereas program that uses templates can only recognize one type of data entry. 
• Business owners with fixed-document structures can benefit from OCR, while companies with changing invoices need ICR software.
• OCR-based systems need human intervention, whereas ICR simply flags anomalies and only asks the user to check them when necessary.

How Does ICR Software Work?

ICR systems frequently use machine learning techniques to improve their capacity for learning while in use. ICRs can operate on a wide range of styles and formats, as opposed to OCR’s artificial neural network that comprehends only a narrow range of written manuscripts. For the purpose of determining which character and typeface are most appropriate, they also assess each one against a continually updated database.

The ICR method is now capable of recognizing poor handwriting in documents. That so many people would have difficulty deciphering because of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Applications of ICR Software

The efficacy of ICR handwriting recognition improves whenever the company combines an ECM with handheld OCR or ICR software. If it doesn’t feature intelligent character recognition, the ECM could only recognize printed text. Any written information found on any files/folders would simply become trapped within the scanned documents.

Intelligent character recognition tools or apps do not erase handwritten data. After data recognition, the ICR software extracts the written characters from the document. After that, the ECM takes the information to analyze. Settling systems and back-office systems, including accounts receivable, only with necessary data. Using the returned handwritten data in this way minimizes the need for workers to physically enter data while also improving the integrity of the information entered. This helps firms save time as well as money. It automates business activities. As a result, productivity rises, and corporate operations become more efficient.

The information gathered can also be used to produce reports. An ECM wouldn’t be able to provide a full picture when producing analytics reports unless it has access to the database.

ICR Software – Notable Points

• Keep in mind ICR’s limits, including its intended applications in company. ICR software is capable of handling a wide variety of documents. In order to effectively train the system to detect a range of items, intelligent character recognition is necessary.

• Intelligent character recognition is necessary to efficiently train the system to detect a variety of things.

• The ICR software algorithm should be trained with more data since the stronger the results, the more data there is. It is essential, however, that ICR technology be taught using data that has previously been utilized and obtained from clients.

Key Takeaways

ICR software benefits businesses in the same way that other technological advancements do. But it also creates new challenges for many businesses. The effectiveness of the AI text recognition software depends on the organization. OCR technology, on the other hand, is cost-efficient than ICR systems. If business processes a lot of real-time, coherent, or complex data, combining ICR with an OCR system can increase accuracy.