How to Process High Volumes of Documents: Easy Tips
Keeping track of a large volume of documents is a very difficult task. Especially when the backlog keeps growing infinitely as more documents arrive every day. The right way to handle these large volumes of documents depends mainly on the quantity of work you have and how standardised your documents are being processed.
It can get very difficult and time-consuming for businesses that handle a large quantity of invoices, legal documents, forms, client files or reports. An organised workflow greatly increases efficiency by reducing backlog, managing daily document inflows and keeping the information accessible.
In this guide, we will explain how to process high volumes of documents easily and whether you should choose manual, automated, or AI-powered document processing.
Key Takeaways
- Manual processing works best for smaller volumes. Automation, AI or hybrid works better for large and changing volumes.
- Always separate the backlogs from your daily documents. Extract, sort and organise all files by type. And review exceptions properly.
- Document processing costs depend on volume, processing needs, software, human review, integration, storage and maintenance. Always consider the full cost before deciding which vendor to choose.
- Keep all your documents secure and their history trackable to protect sensitive data.
What “High Volume” Actually Means — And Why Your Method Should Change
The term “High-Volume” document processing has no single numerical metric. For one business, processing a few thousand documents is a simple weekly task. On the other hand, another business will be facing great issues when processing the same number of documents weekly. For each business, they need to adapt to a different approach for handling their documents.
The most important question is not only how many documents your business processes. But how often they arrive and how standardised they are. If the documents keep arriving in a constant volume and in the same format. A simple automated workflow is more than enough for it. It also allows you to manage the cost of high-volume documents.
But what if you receive different types of invoices, receipts, forms, reports and even scanned documents? You need a more flexible system. One that can serve your every need.
Delays can occur due to high volumes of documents being processed at a time. These bottlenecks occur due to manual uploads, data entry, and switching between individual files one at a time. This can increase processing times with added risks of missed or duplicate items.
For this reason, your document processing methods should change as your volume increases.
Low and predictable document volumes might still work well with manual processing. Large and changing volumes are better suited to methods such as automation, parallel processing or AI-powered management. And if the volumes are too huge to handle, you can also rely on services from a trusted document processing outsourcing company for accurate and scalable operations.
How to Process High Volumes of Documents in 6 Steps
Processing high volumes of documents gets a lot easier when you follow a clear and organised process. Here are six steps which will allow you to process your documents more efficiently –
1. Separate the Existing Backlog From the Daily Document Flow
To begin, start by separating your existing document backlog from the new arrivals each day. This makes the whole process way easier to identify and track, while continuing daily work.
Create a separate workstream for both. You can work through the backlog groups while processing new documents as they arrive. This helps to prevent the backlog from growing while also keeping the daily document processing on schedule.
2. Sort and Batch Documents by Type
After creating a separate workflow for both. Next, sort the documents into groups based on their format, type and processing requirements. An example would be to separate batches by classification, like invoices, forms, contracts, reports, and client files.
Batching together similar documents can make high-volume document processing more reliable and streamlined. This also helps you to apply the same kind of processing, naming and indexing to documents of the same type.
3. Scan or Ingest the Documents
Once the documents are sorted and organised, scan or ingest the files into the document management system (DMS). Make sure every document is captured clearly and stored in a central location for ease of access and maintenance.
For larger document volumes, automated bulk uploads can reduce repetitive manual work.
4. Extract, Name and Index the Data
After documents are ingested into the DMS. Our next task is to give each file a consistent name and add the relevant metadata, such as document type, customer ID, date, invoice number or reference number.
Consistent naming and indexing can make documents easier to maintain. They can also reduce errors and the time employees spend finding them through different folders and systems.
5. Verify the Output and Route Exceptions for Review
Before completing the document process workflow, check whether the extracted information is accurate and the data is complete.
We do this cause not every document will process into the DMS properly. Poor quality scans, missing information, unusual formatting or even unclear data may ultimately require a human review. So it is important to quality-control these inputs by creating a workflow that sends the newly scanned data to a human reviewer.
Create a simple review process that sends these documents to the right person instead of checking every document by hand.
This workflow process allows automation to handle standard documents while your team focuses mainly on documents that need more attention.
6. Send the Processed Documents Into the System of Record
The final step of this process is to move processed documents and ingested information into the proper system of record. Such as DMS, ERP, or any other business software.
Use consistent naming, classification, access, and retention rules to reduce duplicate files and make documents easier for authorised users to access.
And just like that, following these six steps helps process high-volume data. We can manage existing backlogs while also keeping up with our daily document inflow.
In Short
To process high volumes of documents. We need a structured workflow that can handle both existing backlogs and daily incoming files. First, we need to separate the existing backlog from daily work. Then we need to sort the documents by type. After that, feed them into the machine manually or by using automated methods. Lastly, extract and index important data and verify the results.
The 3 Ways to Process Documents at Scale
Processing one invoice is simple work. But processing thousands of invoices, receipts, bank statements, tax forms, etc. each day is a monumental challenge. As document volumes grow, work can slow down, and deadlines get harder to meet. So let’s look at the 3 ways to process documents at scale –
In-House Manual Processing
Manual processing means the documents are handled from start to finish by your employees. They will review files, input data, organise the documents and finally check the results manually.
This is a good enough approach for smaller document volumes and files that frequently require human judgement. But as volumes grow, this method can slow down the overall workflow. Leading to missing or wrongly input data and files.
AI and Intelligent Document Processing Software
Instead of handling each document individually. Companies can use OCR, AI and automation to collect information from documents and process multiple files quickly.
Modern AI systems can also work with different document types and layouts without requiring a separate template for every kind of format.
This method is very useful for businesses with high and repeating document volumes that want to reduce manual entry while speeding up the whole process.
Hybrid Document Processing: Automation + Human Review
A hybrid approach means taking the best of both worlds by combining automated document processing with human reviews. Automation handles standard, straightforward, repetitive documents, while the human only reviews the exceptions and unclear information fed into the system.
This model is really good at providing a balance between speed and accuracy.
Compare the Three Document Processing Models
Each of the processing methods mentioned has its own strengths and limitations. The table below shows and compares each of the three approaches to help you choose what’s right.
| Processing Model | Best For | Main Advantage | Main Limitation |
| Manual Processing | Low document volumes | Simple to start | Gets slower as the scale grows |
| AI Document Processing | High-volume and repeating types | Fast and scalable | May require setup and integration |
| Hybrid Processing | High-volume with exceptions | Combines automation with human review | Requires a clear review workflow |
How to Keep High-Volume Document Processing Secure?
When you are processing hundreds, if not thousands of documents. Security becomes a major factor. These documents can contain very sensitive financial, customer, employee or business information.
A secure high-volume document processing system should be able to protect this data throughout the entire process. The systems include –
Use Encryption
Security should always be built into every stage of high-volume document processing. Always choose a system that encrypts your data when sending and receiving, as well as when it is stored. Encryption is mandatory cause it helps prevent unauthorised people from accessing those sensitive documents.
Control Who Can Access Documents
All employees don’t need access to every document. Create a system hierarchy and use role-based access to make sure employees can only view the information they need to.
This can be done by using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for an extra layer of protection.
Monitor and Audit Document Activity
Make sure to always keep track of who is accessing, downloading or changing your data. Regular monitoring and audit logs can help businesses spot abnormal activity and investigate those likely security problems.
Choose Secure Integrations
High-volume document processing can often require you to connect to accounting software, ERP systems, CRM platforms, cloud storage and other business applications. For this, make sure to always use secure APIs and integrations to lower the risk of data exposure when information moves between systems.
Check How AI Handles Your Data
If you are using an AI-powered document processing system. Always check and make sure how your provider is handling your data. Before taking services, always make sure to check for clear policies regarding data storage, retention, deletion and AI model training.
Your documents should never be used for purposes you have not authorised and should not be breached for security.
Follow Data Retention Policies
Never keep sensitive data any longer than necessary. For this reason, a good document processing system should always let businesses set clear data retention and deletion rules.
Automatically deleting files when they are no longer needed can help reduce security risks and protect sensitive information.
How to Know Your Document Processing Workflow is Working
A high-volume document processing workflow should not only process documents quickly. It should also produce accurate results, reduce manual work and transfer information smoothly between systems.
Here are the main signs that your workflow is working effectively –
High Extraction Accuracy
OCR and AI should accurately capture all the data and key information without mixing up or losing information.
Low Exception Rates
Most documents should pass the classification and validation automatically, with only a very small percentage requiring human review for errors.
Fast Processing Times
A well-designed processing system can reduce the overall processing time from days or weeks to a few hours.
Easy Document Upload and Sorting
Documents from email, web forms, or scanners should automatically go to the right folder or system without any manual work.
Successful System Integration
Once the ingested data is validated. It should easily move into accounting, ERP or CRM systems and enterprise databases.
Clear Document History
The system should always keep a record of who opened, changed, approved, or moved each document every time it is done. This makes it easier to track documents and check what happened to them if necessary.
Conclusion
High-volume document processing can be very challenging. But with the right processes, it can get faster, simpler, and even more accurate. Companies can choose manual, automated, AI-powered, or even hybrid processing solely based on their document volume and needs.
As document volumes grow with time, automation and AI can easily reduce manual work, manage and process documents at large. However, businesses should also consider cost, security, accuracy and proper system integration before finalising a solution.
The main goal is very simple. Process more documents in less time while keeping the data accurate, secure and very easily accessible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many documents can one person process per day?
On average, 30 to 100 documents can be processed by a person each day. But the exact number varies widely depending on the length and complexity of the documents.
Can AI process handwritten documents accurately?
Yes, modern AI can process handwritten documents with high accuracy. Unlike OCR systems, which struggle with different handwriting styles. Modern Vision-Language Models and Intelligent Document Processing can use surrounding text and sentence structure to better understand handwritten content.
Should I digitize my backlog or start with new documents?
Start by digitizing new documents as they arrive. For older documents, scan them only when you need them. This saves time and money while keeping your work running.
How long does it take to clear a document backlog?
Clearing a document backlog can take anywhere from a few days to even several months. All depending on how many files you have, what your workforce capacity is, and whether new files keep coming in.
Is it cheaper to outsource document processing or do it in-house?
Outsourcing document processing is most of the time a more cost-effective option for small or changing volumes. In-house works better if automation is enabled for large and steady volumes.
