Companies handling paper based signature files include security-intensive organizations and financial institutions like banks, credit unions and thrifts. Electronic filing of signature files offer a number of advantages over its manual counterpart:
- Reduced labor costs.
- Faster, more cost-effective customer service.
- Lower risks: No misfiles, no lost files, no out of files, controlled security, confidentiality and privacy, reduced liability.
- Contingency planning option: Electronic or paper duplicates safely stored off-site.
- Competitive edge.
- Ability to remotely access centralized signatures and/or supporting documents.
Isa. has developed an efficient methodology to capture paper based signature files and produce retrievable CD-ROMs or similar media. Sophisticated technologies are used to achieve:
High level capture and processing efficiency
Comprehensive QC
Safe on-site capture
Beneficial by-products
Optional products:
- Signature sub-image extraction.
- Image enabling of teller terminals.
- Integration to third party imaging systems:
- Retrieval software.
The service is offered in three options:
- On-site capture
- Facilities Management
- Contract-to-Own
Service Options
On-site capture: We post equipment and staff at your facility for the duration of the capture process. Only electronic images, not original paper files, leave your premises for the purpose of completing the processing and publishing cycle. Very strict QC and confidentiality procedures are enforced.
Facilities Management: The entire process is performed at your site. No paper files or electronic images ever leave your premises. Options available include: Our staff or yours, lease, rent, purchase, buy-back, and obsolescence guarantee.
Contract-to-Own: We perform part of the conversion as a combination of any of the above options. Once the production line has been setup and proven to work to perfection to satisfy your needs based on the nature of your files, you may elect to purchase a scaled-down or identical system. The system consists of hardware, software, documentation and training.
CAPTURE AND PROCESSING EFFICIENCY
Signature files are typically split into active and inactive accounts. Isa's methodology uses bar code separator sheets (face sheets) which are printed off a client-supplied database download. The face sheets are produced in the same order as the filing order of paper documents, and are used to match against them. All non-matched files are preliminarly assumed inactive.
The facesheet may also be used to handwrite or checkmark data off paper if the client so requires. Unmatched face sheets trigger a QC process which provides valuable feedback to the client.
Digitized images are sent to Isa's plant, where further QC is performed, along with a number of other processes, including:
- Blank page detection: duplex scanners produce pages which are not always obviously detectable as blank. Our methodology deskews, heavily despeckles and crops the image before testing its compressed size. The transformed image is never kept, it is only used to safely determine if it is blank.
- Autorotation: Based on image contents, and certain parameters like lower case descenders, etc. a determination is made about the need to rotate the image.
- Registration: All images likely to contain data to be recognized (OCR/ICR) are registered against borders to enhance zoning accuracy.
- Image enhancement: Cropping, deskewing. If necessary, low quality originals may be further enhanced using various techniques.
- Autoindexing: Automatic Bar code recognition allows automatic matching against the client-supplied database(s) to further extract additional indexes. If OCR/ICR is needed, it is performed to add to the data gathering process.
- Database publishing: Indexed images are fed to Isa's publishing and viewing software, to trigger further QC and validation tasks.
- Export: Final images and data may be delivered using Isa's retrieval software, or exported to the client's imaging system of their choice.
COMPREHENSIVE QUALITY CONTROL
Reports produced by QC are used to determine rescans and rematches against physical paper. A final reconciliation report may require additional (low volume) scanning at the client's site. A number of QC techniques are used to detect quality defects and indexing errors. These include:
- Bar code searches within documents.
- Odd/even page numbering against face sheet image numbers.
- Database cross-references.
- Statistical analysis by number of pages and image sizes.
- Visual QC.
- Detailed exception reporting.
- Data dependent validations: dates, SSN's, number ranges, etc.
ON-SITE CAPTURE
By Federal law, original signature files are subject to strict confidentiality controls. Isa's process was devised to efficiently perform document prepping, scanning and refiling on the client's premises. Depending on the Service Option chosen, captured images may or may not be taken out of premises over to our service bureau facility for further processing.
Capturing data at the client site creates some challenges, due to the time lag between scanning and QC reports, and transportation contingencies. In particular, paper in process needs to be properly managed to allow for QC and reject/repair to be performed before it is refiled.
The organization and timing for prepping, scanning, processing, QC, reject/repair and refiling is critical to the objective of minimizing costs and risks.
....MORE....
OPTIONAL PRODUCTS
Signature subimage extraction:
This optional feature is very valuable to users who are entertaining the possibility of transferring these small images to their centralized host computer, thus providing easy signature access to every teller terminal. Some vendors offer teller software already capable of showing such small image along with their regular screens. If the software does not provide this capability, we may provide our image-enabling option. The benefits of accessing on-line signatures are vast, and include:
- Fraud prevention.
- Faster customer service (shorter wait times)
- Cost savings.
- Ability to centralize signature images (no need for multiple copies).
Our methodology allows very efficient extraction and QC of such subimages, and takes into account multiple signatures, joint and trust accounts, and parent/tutor signatures for minors.
Retrieval Software:
We have developed our own retrieval software and database and image publishing on CD or other media. Small networks or stand-alone PCs may retrieve our production results using our view/fax/print software.
Image enabling:
We are capable of image-enabling the client's host environment, to add signature file and signature image view to existing applications.
Integration to third party imaging systems:
All results of our service are subject to exportation over any third party imaging application.
BY-PRODUCTS
Following is a partial list of positive side effects of the signature capture process:
- Separation of active and inactive accounts: The client may decide on different retention, storage and disposition for active and inactive accounts. This separation is a natural consequence of the capture process.
- Physical filing clean up: Many accounts are likely to have been misfiled through years of use. The capture and refile process "cleans up" orphan, ghost and misfiled accounts. Although the purpose of the capture process is to reduce or eliminate physical filing, reality tells that a parallel test is always advisable, and that legal or other reasons may suggest keeping a clean paper file for at least a few months if not longer. This paper set is expected to be seldom, if ever, used.
- Host database clean up: The result of the capture process allows a "reality check" of the client's host database records. This may prove invaluable to the client, as most errors and imperfections are subject to corrections, including bad account numbers, bad names, dates, etc.
- Additional data extraction: Some host databases may lack data only available on the paper files, or have suffered accuracy problems. During the capture process, it is possible to optimize the extraction of such data. For example, by handwriting and later recognizing the membership date on our face sheets, we may add great marketing value to the client.
|
Home 
Guestbook