Collect Data from Paper Forms without Manually Entering

Nowadays, PDF files are the most popular format of all documents. We all use them on a daily basis. PDFs give us so much versatility. We can use them for receipts, invoices, contracts, tables, and much more. And it would be wise for you to make all your paper forms into a PDF file. One thing people always ask is how can they collect data from their paper forms. Once they scan their paper forms to PDF file format, managers and executives want to collect the data in one place for better organization. Well, with the proper software, you can collect the data in an automated process, and then easily export the data to a readable file.

As we move into the future, even small businesses and organizations will need to rely on data collected from customers, employees and everyone else to make business decisions. Companies are making PDF software applications a standard item in their toolkit, and with a good reason.

How to Automate Paper Forms Data Collection

The scanned PDF files that you have are actually images of the original document. In order to use them, and manipulate them in Excel spreadsheets or Google Sheets, you need to collect the data. Now, there is always the possibility of collecting the data manually. But that is just way too time-consuming. Instead, we recommend going a different route, one that will do this process in a minute or two. All you have to do is open your scanned PDF files using PDFelement, for this tool offers you efficient data extraction feature.

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For this process, you'll need to mark the area you want to collect data from. Marking the data tells the software that the section is important to you.
Then add all the scanned PDF forms in the same appearance. The software will start collecting data from the same areas in all of these forms.
To put in perspective, you mark an area that has pictures, and other objects. Being that objects are like pictures in PDF files, they are non-interactive. But when you use the process to collect data from paper forms, you turn it into interactive and usable. Once the collection process finishes, you will have all your data in the same place at your disposal.

You Can Benefit More Besides Avoiding Repeated Work

Now that we've explained how you can turn a batch of documents flying around into one organized and sorted data file, let's talk about the benefits. And they are obvious.

First, and foremost, you organize your business better. Now that your data is organized, you can easily search for any information, get it quickly, and make decisions based on that information.
Collecting data using a PDF software cuts production time. And we all know time = money in today's business world. As mentioned at the beginning, you can collect the data manually. But that requires opening the document and then manually entering the info you need. PDF software tools cut that time, and improve your efficiency and production.
And maybe the most important aspect is that PDF documents are cross functional. You can view them in any browser, and there are no compatibility concerns. And because they are versatile, you can convert, export data, and manipulate your PDF documents in any given way.