The verdict in three sentences
Automating document processing (invoices, contracts, purchase orders) with OCR + LLM costs 12,000-45,000 EUR in 2026 depending on volume and format variety. A well-built pipeline reaches 90-98 % accuracy with human review on uncertain cases. ROI is massive as soon as manual entry ties up several full-time equivalents.
Price by automation scope
Cost depends on the number of document types, layout variety and integration depth (ERP, DMS). 2026 order of magnitude.
| Scope | Price (EUR) | Target accuracy | Docs/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-document (invoices) | 12,000 - 20,000 | 92 - 96 % | up to 3,000 |
| Multi-document | 20,000 - 30,000 | 90 - 95 % | 3,000 - 10,000 |
| Advanced (IDP + ERP integration) | 30,000 - 45,000 | 94 - 98 % | 10,000+ |
| API tokens / month | 150 - 500 EUR | — | by volume |
| Annual maintenance | 15 - 20 % / yr | — | rule re-tuning |
Document volume and ROI vs manual entry
Basis: manual entry at 4 minutes/document, loaded cost 40 EUR/h, automation handling 85 % without intervention. 2026 estimate.
| Docs/month | Manual hours | Manual cost/month | Automated cost/month | Savings/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 133 h | 5,320 EUR | 1,100 EUR | 4,220 EUR |
| 5,000 | 333 h | 13,320 EUR | 2,400 EUR | 10,920 EUR |
| 10,000 | 667 h | 26,680 EUR | 4,300 EUR | 22,380 EUR |
| 20,000 | 1,333 h | 53,320 EUR | 8,000 EUR | 45,320 EUR |
Mini case study
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Nadia, admin director of a construction SME in Bordeaux, processes 5,000 supplier invoices/month re-keyed by hand by 3 people. An IDP pipeline at 26,000 EUR with 300 EUR/month in tokens automates 88 % of invoices at 95 % accuracy. Savings reach ~10,900 EUR/month: the project pays back in under 3 months, with a sharp drop in entry errors and supplier disputes.
FAQ
Does AI fully replace data entry? No: we keep human-in-the-loop review on low-confidence cases, about 5-15 % of documents. That is what secures overall accuracy at 90-98 %.
What about poorly scanned documents? OCR handles most cases, but unreadable documents are routed to a human. We measure the rejection rate from the POC to size the review team.
Can it integrate with the ERP or DMS? Yes, that is the whole point: extracted data is pushed straight into the accounting ERP or DMS, killing double entry.
How long to deploy? Plan 5 to 10 weeks depending on the number of document types and the quality of the samples provided to calibrate extraction.
How is GDPR compliance ensured? EU processing, minimization and anonymization of personal data, with a processing register. Sensitive documents can be encrypted at rest.
Let's scope your project. Share your document types, your monthly volume and your target ERP/DMS: we price the extraction pipeline and the ROI. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
