Quick answer
Treat an invoice scan as a draft transcription. Compare the extracted supplier, invoice number, date, product descriptions, pack sizes and quantities with the original document before using it. Resolve unclear lines rather than guessing, and retain the original. A correct-looking total does not prove that every item was read correctly.
Get a readable original first
Use the supplier’s original digital document where available, or take a clear photograph of the whole page in good light. Include all pages and avoid cutting off columns or handwritten notes. If paper is creased or a line is blurred, retake the image or ask for a replacement copy.
Do not silently fill a missing page from memory. The person receiving the goods needs to know what the document actually says. Keep sensitive supplier or payment information in the appropriate business system and share only the details needed for the receiving task.
Check the identity before the items
Confirm the supplier and the shop or account being invoiced. Then check the invoice reference, invoice date and any order or delivery reference. A scan of last week’s invoice can be perfectly legible and still be the wrong basis for today’s delivery.
GOV.UK lists the identifying information an invoice should contain, including a unique number and supply details. Those fields help you connect the scan to the right event and spot possible duplicates. An invoice arriving by email and as a paper copy should not automatically become two deliveries.
Further reading: GOV.UK: information an invoice must include
Review the fields that change the physical check
Read each product line against the original. Pay particular attention to units, decimal points, similar product names, multi-line descriptions and adjustments. “2 cases of 12” must not turn into “12 cases of 2” simply because the total number of pieces is the same; the price basis and receiving instructions may differ.
For an illustrative line showing six cases of four bottles, record the intended buying unit and expected 24 bottles clearly. If the extracted quantity says 64, correct it before a team member tries to explain a nonexistent shortage. The example illustrates a possible transcription problem, not a measured error rate for any scanning tool.
- Supplier and correct destination account.
- Unique invoice number, date and relevant delivery reference.
- Product code and complete description.
- Case, pack, weight or individual-unit basis.
- Quantity and any partial or cancelled line.
- Prices, discounts, tax and totals where the workflow uses them.
Leave uncertainty visible
If a mark might be an eight or a three, ask for a clearer document rather than choosing the number that makes the total work. Record the line as needing clarification and tell the receiver or manager. A guessed quantity becomes harder to challenge once colleagues assume it came directly from the supplier.
Keep corrections traceable: retain the original image and make a brief note where the meaning required clarification. If a supplier repeatedly sends unreadable paperwork, ask for a clearer format or email copy. Improving the source document is often simpler than repeatedly repairing the same ambiguity.
Keep the human checks after the scan
A verified transcription still does not establish that the goods arrived, that they are acceptable or that the invoice matches the agreed order. Staff must perform the physical delivery check, and the authorised person must review any commercial difference.
Unpickle can extract invoice information, but its delivery workflow expects human review. Use the scan to reduce retyping, then compare the goods and retain exceptions. A useful pilot is to review several real documents with the staff who receive them and note the fields they repeatedly need to correct.
Scan an invoice in Unpickle, review the extracted details against the original, then let the receiver record what actually arrived. Try invoice scanning with a real delivery.