Say Goodbye To Manual Data Entry
How Hatchet AI OCR Slashed Bill Processing Time and Improved Accuracy for a High-Stakes Payments Team
Executive Summary
A major North American real estate operator was facing mounting pressure from a critical but often-overlooked workflow: bill processing. Manual data entry created risks of error, delays, and late-payment penalties, especially during high-volume periods. The existing OCR tools were unreliable and inflexible, requiring extensive training. By adopting Hatchet AI OCR, the team was able to automate document ingestion with near-instant accuracy—reducing bill processing time from hours to minutes, while improving oversight, confidence, and operational scalability.
The Problem
Manual Data Entry Meets High Stakes
The client’s team was buried in utility and tax bills, many of which arrived in seasonal batches with tight turnarounds. The stakes were high—any mistake in keying numbers or missing a deadline could result in late fees, interest penalties, or worse.
The core challenges:
- Manual data entry was slow and error-prone
- Time crunches during peak billing periods stressed the team
- Paper and PDF-based workflows created extra friction
- Traditional OCR tools couldn’t handle the complexity or variation in bill formats.
Despite efforts to digitize the process, most bills still came in via paper mail or PDF email attachments, and the existing OCR solutions required constant retraining for every new or slightly-different document. This created a paradox: the more formats they encountered, the less efficient the system became.
“We needed a solution that didn’t just speed up the process. We needed to trust it not to miss or mangle the data.”
Senior Manager, Data & Operations for US-listed REIT
Hatchet AI OCR’s self-learning capabilities dramatically reduced the time it took to add a new bill format into the client’s processing system.
Previous training took multiple iterations and complicated mapping. Hatchet’s intuitive design reduced first-bill training time by over 90% and started seamlessly ingesting data automatically by the second bill.
The Solution: Hatchet AI OCR
The client turned to Hatchet AI OCR, a next-generation OCR solution powered by self-learning AI. Unlike traditional systems, Hatchet doesn’t need complex templates or manual training to begin extracting data.
With Hatchet AI OCR:
- Users simply drag and drop a bill (PDF or scanned image)
- The system ingests and analyzes the document within seconds
- Users map key fields once, and the system automates the rest from bill 2 onward
- Extracted data can be pushed into our Unity process automation platform, exported directly for custom analysis, or integrated via API into existing systems
From Day 1, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. There was no lengthy onboarding, no tedious configuration, and immediate time-saving benefits.
“This is what we were totally hoping for. Anytime we talked about OCR technology, this is the point we were hoping to reach eventually. This is a big jump.”
Hatchet AI OCR
The Results: Faster, Smarter, Safer
Hatchet AI OCR transformed the client’s bill processing workflow:
- Cut bill processing time from hours to minutes
- Eliminated most manual data entry tasks
- Reduced risk of penalties from missing or incorrect data
- Improved visibility across all incoming bills
- Scaled easily across different bill formats and jurisdictions
Hatchet AI OCR is designed for accuracy and reliability, pulling exact data without hallucinations or formatting drift. It doesn’t just look for total amounts and due dates—it captures any and all relevant information that the client specifies, including usage data, energy rates, and complex details.
Why It Matters
For teams managing large volumes of time-sensitive financial documents, Hatchet AI OCR is a game-changer. It reduces operational drag, mitigates risks, and gives teams the bandwidth to focus on more strategic work. No more scrambling during peak seasons. No more rechecking every field. Just clean, structured, dependable data—fast.
Cost Savings >$ 100 K
Implementing Hatchet AI OCR led to significant reduction in time spent on menial data entry, saving the team an estimated $112 K / year in time and operational efficiencies
See How Hatchet Can Help Your Team
Sign up for a free trial and learn how easy it is to say goodbye to manual data entry.
Learn more at stackdc.com/hatchet-ai or email us at chris@stackdc.com.
