I. Overview

We are introducing OCR Assist which is an optional, self‑service feature in ProSpend that lets users directly review, correct and output OCR data for AP invoices. Instead of waiting for ProSpend to fix rejected scans, users can open OCR Assist from the invoice, adjust any incorrectly extracted or missing fields, and output the document so the invoice becomes editable and ready for submission. All OCR processing and re‑processing actions taken in OCR Assist are tracked in the invoice audit history for transparency and accountability.

II. Feature Details

A. OCR Assist UI

The OCR Assist is a new feature that provides a dedicated OCR Assist screen where users can view the OCR results for a given uploaded invoice. Key data is extracted from the document, populated into the OCR Assist UI, and then transferred to the invoice once it has been output.

To access the OCR Assist UI, click into an invoice that is in OCR Review Required status or access it through the actions menu on the invoice record. See Invoice Statuses for more information.

The OCR Assist UI will be a modal and shall contain the following:

1. File
2. Spend ID
3. Upload Date
4. Last Scanned
5. Last Updated
6. Status
7. Extracted document data (e.g., Supplier Name, Document No., etc.)

In the invoice spend record actions, hovering over the OCR Assist button will display a tooltip describing its function.

Another user is already using OCR Assist

If a second user tries to open OCR Assist for an invoice that is already being edited in the OCR Assist screen, they will see a prompt explaining that another user has OCR Assist open. This is to avoid two people overwriting each other’s changes at the same time.

Before closing, make sure to Exit or Save any active document to avoid data loss and document locking.

B. Invoice Statuses

The invoice may be in one of these statuses:

a. Scanning

In ProSpend, Scanning is the initial system status of an invoice spend record. Upon invoice upload, an invoice spend record is generated immediately with the status Scanning. While in Scanning, the OCR extraction runs and validations are applied to the extracted data.

Clicking on the spend will direct you to the OCR Assist UI. However, please take note of the following scenarios:

Accessing the invoice spend record when scanning is in progress

When scanning is still in progress and the spend is clicked, the user will see a prompt asking to proceed manually updating the values or use the automatic extraction.

If the user selected “Edit in OCR assist“

1. Users can fill the OCR Assist UI fields by tapping a field and selecting the corresponding data from the document. Manual data entry works, but it should be the lowest priority option.
2. Fields are initially empty or partially populated with extracted data; however, users can manually edit and save them.
3. If the user saves the document manually, it may stop its own OCR process, meaning the user's edit will take precedence.
4. If users close the OCR Assist UI and want to access it again, they can do so via the actions menu.

Clicking into the invoice when the scanning hasn't started

When the OCR process hasn’t started, the user will see a prompt saying that the OCR process hasn’t started yet

If the user selected “Edit Invoice Anyway“

1. Users can manually input values into the Invoice Spend Record, bypassing the OCR Assist automatic extraction
2. At this point, the OCR Assist button in the Invoice Spend Record won't be available, preventing the user from accessing the OCR Assist UI

b. OCR Review Required

In this stage, scanning is complete, but one or more validations failed and require human intervention.

Typical activities in OCR Review Required status could include:

1. Field completeness checks
   1. Invoice date, invoice number, supplier, etc.
2. Format & consistency checks
3. Missing required fields

Correcting these fields

They can correct those fields directly in OCR Assist by clicking into the invoice. To reopen the OCR Assist UI, click the OCR Assist button in the upper-right corner of the page.

c. Not Submitted

Not Submitted is the stage where the OCR (and any validation) has already run. The user has confirmed/output the OCR-assisted data via the OCR Assist UI or the system automatically scanned and output the document without anyone using OCR Assist. At this point, the invoice is now ready for submission.

Making edits in the OCR Assist

At this stage, the invoice spend record is complete and the data has been extracted. To update the extracted data for OCR training purposes, select 'OCR Assist' from the 'More Actions' (three dots) menu. Please note that changes made here will only train the OCR Assist and will not update the actual claim data.

Before entering OCR Assist, the user will see a warning modal.

Clicking the “Edit in OCR assist“ button opens the OCR Assist for training purposes.

C. History

a. Invoice Spend Record – History

We will show a history log on the Invoice Spend Record. This will include data specifically for changes made via OCR Assist, so the users can track how invoice data evolved over time. On an Invoice Spend Record, there is a History button. When the user clicks History. It will show actions performed via OCR Assist on that invoice, including:

1. Date/Time & User
   1. When the change happened and who did it
2. Action
   1. OCR Assist Update:
      1. Field (which invoice field changed)
      2. From (old value)
      3. To (new value)
   2. It must log these scenarios:
      1. Initial Output (Scanning status)
         1. Scenario: User edits and submits OCR Assist output while invoice is in Scanning.
         2. Log: All fields with their values from that OCR Assist output.
3. Important note:
   1. The system do not log outputs coming from System —those are already handled by the existing UI history.

D. Multiple Workflows

There will be instances where the documents will be routed to multiple OCR Workflows. For example: Documents will undergo an initial header-only scan, followed by a secondary line-level scan.

In these cases:

1. Invoice may re‑enter Scanning or Validating status.
2. Users may need to re‑process and output the document again.