Turning information into action. (Image: 123rf.com)
Proactive AI, simpler integrations and a focus on eliminating hidden administrative work will shape the future of work, and intelligent document processing will be expected to keep pace, says Grant Botha, Head of Digital Operations at Document Automation Solutions (DASSA).
For more than two decades, organisations have looked for better ways to manage the information flowing through their businesses. Documents have moved from paper to digital files, search has become faster, and automation has taken over many repetitive tasks.
But the fundamental challenge has remained the same: businesses need to turn information into action.
Intelligent document processing (IDP) is entering its next phase. Advances in artificial intelligence are changing what is possible, while organisations demand greater connectivity, stronger governance, simpler technology and measurable business value.
“Businesses have made significant progress in digitising information, but digitisation is only part of the equation,” says Botha. “The next step is to use that information more intelligently, connecting it to the processes and decisions that keep a business moving.”
Over the next five years, IDP will shift from simply capturing information from documents to focusing on what happens after it is captured.
Five trends are expected to shape this evolution.
1. AI will become more proactive
AI is already helping organisations extract, classify and contextualise information, making it easier for employees to find what they need and make decisions.
The next step is for intelligent systems to become more proactive. Instead of waiting for an employee to request information or initiate an action, AI-enabled platforms will increasingly be able to identify what needs attention and trigger the appropriate next steps.
This could include routing documents for approval, notifying relevant employees or initiating downstream workflows.
The shift will move automation beyond simply responding to instructions towards anticipating process requirements and helping work progress with less manual intervention.
For businesses, the opportunity lies in reducing the time employees spend monitoring routine tasks, allowing them to focus on activities that require human judgment.
“AI's value will increasingly be measured by how effectively it helps work progress, rather than simply how quickly it can extract information from a document,” says Botha. “The goal is to reduce manual intervention while keeping people involved where their judgment and oversight are needed.”
2. Micro-integrations will connect more of the business
As organisations adopt more specialised applications, connecting systems efficiently will become increasingly important.
Rather than relying exclusively on large, complex integration projects, businesses will increasingly use smaller, purpose-built connections to move information between document processing platforms and enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, accounting, human resources and industry-specific systems.
These micro-integrations can help organisations improve information flows without having to replace their existing technology environments.
The objective is not simply to connect more applications, but to ensure information reaches the right place at the right time.
By reducing duplicate data entry and the need to transfer information manually between systems, organisations can accelerate processes and improve access to business-critical information.
“Organisations don't necessarily need to overhaul their entire technology environments to improve how information flows,” says Botha. “Smaller, targeted integrations can help eliminate repetitive tasks and make existing systems work together more effectively.”
3. Trust in AI will matter as much as AI itself
As organisations expand their use of AI-driven automation, governance, security and transparency will become increasingly important.
Businesses need to understand how information is processed, who can access it and what happens as it moves through automated workflows. They also need appropriate audit trails and controls to demonstrate compliance and investigate problems when they arise.
These requirements are particularly important when processes involve sensitive customer information, financial records, contracts or other business-critical documents.
Trust cannot be separated from the technology itself. Organisations need confidence that automated processes operate as intended, that access permissions are appropriate and that decisions and actions can be traced where necessary.
Businesses that balance innovation with effective governance will be better positioned to expand their use of AI while managing operational and compliance risks.
“As organisations hand more tasks to AI-driven systems, they need visibility into what those systems are doing and confidence that information is being handled appropriately,” says Botha. “Security, accountability and auditability need to be part of the automation strategy from the outset.”
4. Employees will expect consumer-level simplicity
The growing familiarity with intuitive consumer applications is influencing what employees expect from workplace technology.
Complicated navigation, slow searches and cumbersome approval processes can make even capable software difficult to use. If employees struggle to adopt a solution, the business may fail to realise its intended benefits.
The next generation of IDP platforms will therefore need to make everyday work simpler, with intuitive interfaces, straightforward searches and workflows that require minimal training.
This is more than a user-experience consideration. Simplicity can directly influence adoption and, in turn, the return organisations achieve from their technology investments.
Automation should remove friction from business processes, not introduce additional complexity.
“Technology adoption ultimately depends on whether people find it useful and easy to work with,” says Botha. “If employees have to navigate complicated systems to complete straightforward tasks, organisations risk undermining the very efficiencies they set out to achieve.”
5. The biggest return will come from eliminating hidden work
Many organisations have already digitised significant portions of their document management processes. However, digitisation alone does not eliminate the administrative work surrounding those documents.
Employees may still need to chase approvals, correct incomplete information, re-key data into other applications or manually track a document's progress.
These activities are often overlooked because they are distributed across everyday workflows rather than appearing as a single, easily measured cost.
The next phase of IDP will require organisations to examine entire processes, identifying where information gets stuck, where repetitive tasks persist and where manual intervention remains necessary.
Addressing these inefficiencies can deliver benefits beyond automating an individual task. It can improve turnaround times, reduce errors and free employees to focus on work that contributes more directly to business objectives.
The emphasis will increasingly be on measurable business outcomes rather than simply counting documents digitised or tasks automated.
“Some of the biggest efficiency gains come from addressing the work that happens around a document, rather than the document itself,” says Botha. “When organisations eliminate unnecessary follow-ups, duplicate data capture and manual routing, they can improve the entire process, not just one step within it.”
Turning information into action
DASSA is the sole distributor of the Square 9 suite of intelligent document processing and workflow automation products in Africa, Middle East and Asia. The platform uses generative AI to capture information from documents, forms, e-mails and other unstructured content, converting it into structured, searchable data that can be shared securely with business applications and workflows.
Applications include accounts payable, invoice and order processing, vendor onboarding and contract management.
Square 9 reports an average return on investment of 15 months, which it describes as the fastest average ROI among the document management providers compared on G2. The comparison, based on G2 user satisfaction ratings as of 2 August 2026, puts competitors at between 17 and 29 months.
Over the next five years, the evolution of IDP will be shaped by more proactive AI, better-connected systems, stronger governance, simpler user experiences and a greater focus on eliminating unnecessary work.
For organisations, the opportunity is to move beyond digitising information towards making it more useful across the business. The real value of intelligent document processing will increasingly lie in how effectively it helps information move through processes, supports better decisions and delivers measurable operational improvements.