BPO Customer Story
How a Global BPO Digitized 1.5 Million Books at Scale
A business process outsourcing (BPO) organization landed a potentially game changing project.
BPO Customer Story
BPO Customer Story
What happens when landing a major client requires rapid scaling to seize a make-or-break growth opportunity?
For a global BPO, success in the first stage of a large-scale book conversion project would unlock a second phase contract involving tens of millions more books.
Every step in the workflow had to deliver consistent speed, precise image quality, and reliability for downstream processing.
To achieve this level of operational volume, the BPO developed a streamlined three-step model: intelligent document processing, operator onboarding in under an hour, and diligent quality control.
Demand for high-volume digitization continues to grow. According to Grand View Research, the market is expected to increase from approximately 162 to 215 billion in the next seven years.
Scaling ultra-high-volume print book digitization requires pressure-tested efficiency and dependable technology. The BPO chose RICOH fi Series scanners, PaperStream Capture Pro Premium software and RICOH award-winning service to help them rise to the challenge.
The organization divided intelligent document processing into four identical workflow pods. Each pod consisted of 32 fi-8950 scanners, 6 fi-7700 flatbed scanners, 16 quality control professionals, and 1 storage server. Along with quick software training, this system optimized production, accelerating throughput with a standardized workflow.
A team of operators and 64 quality control professionals rotated through shifts to keep the scanning pods running efficiently. With 128 RICOH fi Series production scanners and 24 flatbed scanners operating continuously, the scanners' high-speed performance and remarkably quiet operation helped create a more comfortable working environment throughout the facility.
RICOH advanced technology set the pace
The fi-8950 Production Scanner effortlessly handled 130,000 pages a day with its 750-sheet hopper and high speed 150 pages-per-minute performance.
Combined with 210 multi-seat PaperStream Capture Pro Premium licenses and workflow automation, the organization improved operations, reduced licensing costs, and maintained an efficient 2:1 scanner-to-quality-control ratio.
To maintain the goal of 80 books per shift, the organization implemented a three-step workflow.
- Reliable batch capture: Operators scanned books in batches, sending each completed batch to a central server for processing.
- Streamlined Quality Control: Using PaperStream Capture Pro Premium Batch Manager, QC teams reviewed image quality and metadata from local workstations, quickly approving batches or returning them for correction when needed.
- Fast automated processing: The team harnessed PaperStream Capture Pro Premium’s workflow automation and batch management to refine the review process, with less manual steps.
Simplifying Enterprise Scale
PaperStream Capture Pro Premium's multi-seat licensing streamlined operations across 192 production stations, allowing the BPO to scale without tedious re-licensing. New operators and scanning stations could be added immediately without repeated reconfiguring or installing software licenses.
PaperStream Capture Pro Premium software also standardized document capture with scalable optimization, including:
- Profile-based workflows
- Barcode-based batch naming
- Structured XML output
- Easier shift hand-off
Centralized storage enabled quality control workflows and processing from anywhere. Server-based work queues kept production moving around the clock, allowing operators to quickly pull the next available batch and maintain productivity across shifts. Downstream, the structured XML data output integrated seamlessly with their existing databases, helping ensure efficient data management and processing.
Handling Paperback to Hardcover Workflows
The fi-8950 processed paperback books, while the fi-7700's integrated flatbed scanner digitized hardcovers at up to 100 pages per minute. The scanners' intelligent paper-handling technology minimized interruptions from jams and rescans, supporting consistent, high-volume production.
The key features that supported efficient document handling included:
- Automatic Skew Correction: eliminated rescans, helping keep production moving.
- Stapled Document Detection: identified staples before they caused jams, minimizing downtime.
- Paper Ejection Control: kept documents neatly stacked and in order, even when processing mixed or irregularly sized documents.
Responsive Service and Support
The busy, multi-shift production floor required equally responsive service and support. With fast response times, RICOH's tiered service model helped minimize downtime and keep production on schedule.
Comprehensive service included:
- Dedicated priority support phone line
- On-site engineering visits
- Next-business-day maintenance
Within a few months, the organization digitized 1.5 million books while sustaining production of more than 10,000 books per day.
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| 1.5 Million Books | Digitized within months |
| 10,000+ books | Digitized per day |
| 80 books | Digitized per shift |
| > One hour | Operator training |
| 210 Multi-Seat license | Simplified software deployment |
| Direct phone line | Onsite and next day service support |
Set for Scaling, Not Complexity
The combination of RICOH Document Scanners and PaperStream Capture Pro Premium, ensured the operation was optimized to scale. With the architecture already in place, the organization was well positioned to take on phase two, and the millions more books that came with it.
