We exist in a world with an abundance of information. From PDFs and emails to scanned documents and customer conversations, companies are being bombarded by information. Here's the irony, though—most of it is unstructured. That is to say, it's not organized in rows or tables. It's out there in various types of formats, systems, and silos.
Although this unstructured content contains a goldmine of insights, it tends not to get used. Why? It's difficult to search, analyze, and act upon.
Come in Process Mining Software and AI Document Processing—two robust tools that can assist companies in drilling deep, uncovering hidden value, and making informed decisions.
Before we discuss how to mine it, let's define what unstructured content actually is.
Think of all the emails, invoices, chat logs, customer reviews, scanned forms, and reports your business gathers. Now think of trying to locate a certain trend or problem by just reading through thousands of them. Sounds like a nightmare, right?
That’s because this type of content:
- Doesn’t follow a fixed structure
- Can’t be easily sorted in spreadsheets
- Is often spread across different formats and locations
Yet, this unstructured content holds key details about customer behavior, process bottlenecks, compliance issues, and business performance.
The challenge? Making sense of it all.
Process mining is like using Google Maps for your business processes. It helps you see how your processes actually run—not how you think they run.
Traditionally, process mining used structured data from systems like CRMs, ERPs, and workflow tools. It tracked things like order processing time, approval delays, or ticket resolution steps.
- But today’s businesses don’t just run on structured data.
- They rely heavily on emails, scanned documents, messages, PDFs, and other unstructured inputs.
- That’s where process mining software, when combined with AI document processing, becomes a game changer.
AI document processing is the smart way to handle unstructured content. It uses artificial intelligence to:
- Read and extract key information from documents (like names, dates, amounts)
- Understand language and context
- Organize data into a format that can be analyzed
Just imagine it as organizing a cluttered drawer full of documents into an organized, labeled filing cabinet—in an instant.
Artificial intelligence document processing mainly employs technologies such as NLP, OCR, and machine learning to understand text and images of your documents.
This is the moment of reckoning when the processed data enters process mining software to unveil thrilling outcomes!
Together, these tools help companies find hidden patterns and improve operations in ways that were previously impossible.
Here’s how:
Let’s say your company handles loan applications. A customer fills a form, submits documents, and waits.
With AI document processing, the software reads those scanned documents. Then, process mining software tracks each step of the process—who handled it, when, and how long it took.
If there’s a delay between document submission and approval, you can find out exactly where and why it’s happening. Is it stuck with the legal team? Is someone on leave? Are documents missing?
Now you can fix it—fast.
Many industries—like healthcare, banking, and insurance—face strict regulations. Missed steps or lost documents can lead to huge fines.
Process mining shows you if your processes are being followed properly. AI document processing ensures that every required document is read, flagged, and filed correctly.
Together, they make audits easier and reduce risk.
Customers hate waiting. Whether it’s a refund, a claim, or a service request, speed matters.
Let’s take a customer service center example. AI document processing pulls info from customer emails and chats. Process mining then maps the service flow—from first contact to final resolution.
If you see that customer complaints are bouncing between departments, you can redesign the process to fix it. That means faster service, happier customers, and better reviews.
Once you can “see” the full journey of a document or task, it becomes easier to automate it.
Say your HR department processes hundreds of job applications. With AI document processing, you can extract resume data automatically. Then process mining helps you track the hiring flow—how long it takes to shortlist, interview, and send offer letters.
If you notice repetitive steps, you can add bots to automate them.
That’s real efficiency.
A large insurance company used process mining and AI document processing to improve their claims process. They found that claims with missing medical records were getting stuck for weeks.
Now, AI checks for missing files instantly, and process mining alerts the team to take action.
Result? Faster claims and happier customers.
A global manufacturer used these tools to monitor shipping documents and invoices. They spotted delays at customs due to incomplete paperwork.
By having AI pull and authenticate documents in advance, and process mining alerting on slowdowns, they lowered shipment delays by 30%.
Getting Started: It's Easier Than You Think
You don't have to be a technology giant to leverage process mining software and AI document processing. Most tools today have easy-to-use dashboards, drag-and-drop configurations, and integration with existing systems.
Here's how to begin:
1. Specify the process that you would like to enhance—HR onboarding, invoice approval, customer service, etc.
2. Collect the unstructured documents involved—emails, PDFs, chat logs, etc.
3. Use AI document processing tools to extract and clean the data.
4. Feed this data into process mining software to visualize and analyze the journey.
5. Spot gaps, delays, or repetitive steps—and take action.
AI and process mining aren't just buzzwords—they’re real solutions to everyday business problems. And they’re getting smarter.
Soon, these tools will not only analyze documents and processes, but also recommend improvements in real-time.
For example, they could tell a customer service agent, “This case looks like it will escalate—take this action now.” Or notify a team lead, “You’re about to miss a compliance step—fix it before it becomes a problem.”
Your disorganized content is a treasure trove—you simply need the right equipment to dig. By integrating AI document processing with process mining software, you can identify hidden patterns, accelerate operations, and amaze customers like never before.
In a world where data just keeps growing, it's the ability to make sense of it all that separates great companies from good ones. Therefore, if your company has piles of paperwork, don't let them collect dust. Begin mining the value now.
This blog is published by Suyash Siddharth.
