Scandit is a Business Reporter client
Intelligent data capture automates the collection of data from physical goods and services and provides real-time insights to employees at all levels.
The future may be digital, but tomorrow's workforce will still need to manage physical goods and services.
Retailers will still have to stock and remove products from their shelves. Drivers will still have to deliver products to homes and businesses on a daily basis. Medicines will still have to be managed responsibly and safely.
All of this means that data capture – the process of collecting and digitizing information from the physical world – will be as important to tomorrow’s workforce as it is today. But how do we collect the data? That’s all about to change, as data capture becomes smarter.
Intelligent data capture automates data collection and combines multiple data sources (including barcodes, text, IDs, and objects). Running on any camera-equipped, AI-powered smart device, it generates a more complete, actionable, and accurate view of warehouses, store shelves, delivery vans, and more.
Additionally, it provides valuable insights at the point of data collection, enabling real-time decisions from the boardroom to the shop floor.
Below are five ways intelligent data capture will empower both frontline workers and the business decision-makers of tomorrow.
Moving tedious tasks to technology
Let’s face it: data capture is boring. Checking off deliveries on a list, scanning thousands of individual barcodes in a warehouse, or verifying hundreds of passports are all repetitive, time-consuming tasks.
Intelligent data capture automates these tasks, for example by allowing frontline workers to accurately capture multiple barcodes with a single scan. This makes jobs more attractive and helps organizations win the battle for talent.
Reduce training and onboarding time
The companies of tomorrow will not only have to respond faster than ever to external shocks and market conditions, but also manage an aging workforce. The workforce of tomorrow will operate in a world where agility, adaptability and training are key, and 60 percent think that few people will have stable, long-term employment.
Today, frontline workers must be trained on how to use data capture tools – for example, how to select the correct barcode if there is more than one on a package or workarounds if a code is damaged.
On the other hand, intelligent data capture is context-aware. Running on the smart devices that younger digital natives expect, it can use text and object recognition to infer the correct code to scan, or it can automatically switch to text recognition if a code is corrupted.
At the point of data collection, actionable and easy-to-use insights such as stock levels are provided, often using augmented reality (AR). This accelerates the process of acquiring organizational knowledge and the time required to acquire skills. Intelligent data capture increases the ability of businesses to scale quickly, adapt and manage staff turnover.
Democratizing data with instant purpose and value
The digital team that manages a company's website has always up-to-date, real-time performance data at its disposal. However, the same cannot be said today for their colleagues in logistics, or for any team that manages tangible assets or physical services. Logistics errors, for example, It costs the pharmaceutical industry alone a staggering $35 billion every year..
Intelligent data capture transforms all of this. It delivers comprehensive data and actionable insights instantly across supply chains and businesses, from a store associate helping a customer to the CEO.
Intelligent data capture provides not only real-time intelligence but also the ability to execute changes quickly, allowing companies to adapt quickly in response to external data and events or monitor sustainability practices and act quickly if there are concerns.
Use any smart device, anywhere
Smart data capture software is compatible with any smart device with a camera. The workforce of the future will use it flexibly on smartphones (both company and personal), tablets, laptops, handhelds, still cameras, wearables, and more.
A delivery driver can use a smart data capture app on his own smartphone with augmented reality overlays that guide him to which package to load into the van and allow him to easily identify which package to deliver to a specific address. Meanwhile, his colleagues sorting products in the company warehouse can use smart data capture on portable headsets that allow them to work hands-free to increase efficiency.
Going beyond human limitations
Intelligent data capture will augment the jobs of the future by capturing and analyzing data in ways that unaided humans (even under optimal conditions and with all the time in the world) are not capable of doing.
A real-world example of this is that it is not always possible for a driver delivering age-restricted goods to identify a fake ID document just by looking at it. However, if you scan the ID document and apply machine learning algorithms, this can detect anomalies invisible to the naked eye and flag a potential forgery to the driver. This prevents fraud, integrates compliance into workflows, and creates a clear audit trail.
Capture value, not just data
Ultimately, intelligent data capture will enable the businesses of tomorrow to turn data capture into a site of value creation, enabling greater agility, responsiveness to the needs of a changing workforce, and greater supply chain transparency and sustainability.
Scandit is the leader in intelligent data capture, empowering workers, customers and businesses by delivering actionable insights and automating end-to-end processes.
For more information, please visit scandit.com.
