For many freight forwarders, processing an order does not start with transport planning. First, information from emails, PDFs, delivery notes or other documents needs to be read, located and entered into their own system.
What takes just a few minutes for a single order can quickly add up when daily order volumes are high. At the same time, every manual transfer increases the risk of incomplete or incorrect data entry.
This guide explores where unnecessary manual work arises in the daily flow of incoming data and how document recognition, Document Intelligence, document management and interfaces can help capture and process information digitally.
Key Points at a Glance
| ✓ Much of the information freight forwarders receive arrives via emails, PDFs or other documents and must first be captured for further processing. |
| ✓ Repetitive copying and pasting takes up staff time and creates additional opportunities for errors. |
| ✓ OCR and Document Intelligence can extract information from documents and turn it into usable data. |
| ✓ Document management and interfaces help transfer information digitally and reduce breaks in digital workflows. |
Where Does Manual Data Entry Create Unnecessary Work?
Manual work often arises when information is already available but is not in the required system or format. Employees then have to find, check, transfer or assign the data to the relevant transaction.
Typical examples in day-to-day freight forwarding operations include:
- Transferring order data from emails or PDF documents into the TMS
- Manually entering addresses, dates, references or shipment details
- Assigning delivery notes and other freight documents to an order
- Transferring information between different systems
- Entering or checking the same details repeatedly
The issue lies less in the individual document than in the cumulative effect of recurring tasks. The higher the volume of orders and documents, the greater the impact of manual data entry on the workload.
Why Copying and Pasting Becomes a Time Drain
1. Repetitive Data Entry Takes Up Staff Time
When the same information regularly needs to be transferred from documents, less time remains for tasks that require employees’ expertise. In transport planning in particular, this effort can quickly add up across a large number of orders.
2. Manual Data Transfer Creates Opportunities for Errors
Typing or copying information can lead to transposed digits, missing details or information assigned to the wrong record. Some errors only become apparent later in the process, resulting in additional queries or corrections.
3. Documents Need to Be Located and Assigned
When a document is stored only in an email inbox, folder or separate filing system, finding it again takes time. This becomes particularly time-consuming when employees first need to establish which order or transaction it belongs to.
4. Manual Transfers Interrupt Digital Workflows
When information is already available digitally but has to be entered manually into another system, the digital workflow is interrupted. Instead of processing the data directly, staff need to perform additional data entry and checks.
From Documents to Digital Information: What Can Be Automated?
1. Automatically Extract Text from Documents Using OCR
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) makes it possible to capture text from documents automatically. In freight forwarding, it can be used for PDF transport orders, for example, so that relevant data does not have to be transferred entirely by hand.
2. Use Document Intelligence for Documents with Varying Layouts
Document Intelligence goes beyond traditional template-based document recognition. AI-powered text recognition automatically extracts and structures relevant content from documents. This allows PDF documents with varying layouts to be processed without first having to train a separate document template for each recurring layout.
The recognised information is converted into usable data that can then be processed digitally. This shifts the focus from manual data collection to checking and using the information.
3. Manage and Assign Documents Centrally
Digital document management helps keep documents centrally accessible and link them to the relevant transactions. This reduces the need to search for freight documents and invoices across different filing systems or pass them on repeatedly. An audit-proof electronic archive also allows invoices to be stored digitally in accordance with statutory retention periods. Paper filing and printed copies are no longer necessary for this purpose.
4. Transfer Data via Interfaces
Not all information enters a company as a document. If structured data already exists in another system, interfaces can eliminate the need to enter it manually again. Data is transferred between the applications involved instead of being copied and pasted. The standardised electronic exchange of structured business data can, for example, take place via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).
Which Processes Are Particularly Suitable for Automation?
Not every manual task needs to be automated. However, repetitive tasks with clearly defined workflows and high volumes are particularly promising. A quick self-assessment can help identify potential starting points:
- Which data do employees transfer manually every day?
- Which document types regularly provide the same information for extraction?
- Which details are entered repeatedly in different places?
- Which documents do employees frequently need to find or assign manually?
- Where is digitally available data copied and pasted between systems?
- Which steps most frequently lead to queries or corrections?
The more often a standardisable step is repeated, the more worthwhile it is to assess whether the information can be captured, assigned or transferred automatically.
Digital Support with CarLo
As a Transport Management System, CarLo provides digital support for various steps involved in capturing and processing incoming information. For PDF transport orders, for example, document templates can be used to extract relevant data and transfer it into order entry.
Document Intelligence also enables documents with varying layouts to be processed, automatically extracting and structuring relevant content. Documents can be assigned to the corresponding transactions and managed centrally. Standard interfaces and custom integration options are available for exchanging data with other applications.
The main benefit is fewer interruptions in digital workflows: information already available in documents or other systems does not have to be transferred manually time and again, making it available sooner for further processing and transport planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. The technology makes text in documents machine-readable. This allows data from PDF transport orders, for example, to be used for further digital processing without having to type in every detail manually.
OCR focuses on recognising text in documents. Document Intelligence takes this a step further by extracting relevant information, tables or structures and converting them into usable data.
Depending on the solution and process, PDF transport orders, emails, freight documents, invoices and proof of delivery documents, for example, can be processed and managed digitally.
nterfaces enable data exchange between different applications. If information is already available as structured data in another system, it can be transferred digitally instead of being entered manually again.
Conclusion
Manual data entry cannot be avoided entirely in day-to-day freight forwarding operations. However, recurring tasks involving PDF orders, emails and other documents can often be supported digitally or automated.
OCR and Document Intelligence can capture information from documents, digital document management simplifies assignment and filing, and interfaces reduce repeated data entry across systems. This makes relevant data available sooner for transport planning and subsequent process steps.
