The verdict in three sentences
A London firm drowning in invoice, delivery-note and PO data entry can automate 90% of that flow with a custom OCR pipeline plus business extraction rules. Budget GBP 12,000 to 30,000 to build in 2026, with a running cost of a few pence per page. The typical payoff: around 70 hrs/month of manual entry removed, 96% extraction accuracy, and payback within 5 to 10 months.
Turnkey OCR SaaS or custom solution?
Generic OCR SaaS reads text but poorly understands your supplier invoice templates and validation rules. A custom solution embeds your formats, chart of accounts and consistency checks.
| Criterion | Generic OCR SaaS | Custom OCR |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | GBP 1,000-4,000 | GBP 12,000-30,000 |
| Cost per page | GBP 0.04-0.10 | GBP 0.02-0.06 |
| Useful extraction rate | 80-90% | 94-98% |
| Business rules (VAT, accounts) | limited | tailored |
| ERP/accounting integration | often manual | automated |
| Data residency control | rare | available |
| Time to deploy | 1-3 weeks | 4-8 weeks |
Custom becomes worthwhile above 3,000-4,000 pages/month, where cost per page and extraction quality drive the re-keying hours you avoid.
Monthly cost by document volume
Running cost depends on page count and residual human review. Here is a 2026 order of magnitude.
| Pages/month | OCR cost (GBP 0.04/page) | Human review | Estimated monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | GBP 80 | GBP 300 | GBP 380 |
| 5,000 | GBP 200 | GBP 450 | GBP 650 |
| 10,000 | GBP 400 | GBP 600 | GBP 1,000 |
| 20,000 | GBP 800 | GBP 850 | GBP 1,650 |
| 40,000 | GBP 1,600 | GBP 1,200 | GBP 2,800 |
At 10,000 pages/month you are around GBP 1,000/month all-in, versus several dedicated data-entry staff.
Mini case study
James, financial controller of an import-distribution firm in London, processes about 6,500 pages/month (supplier invoices and delivery notes). Two staff spend a combined 70 hrs/month at GBP 22/hr loaded, i.e. GBP 1,540/month, with a 6% reconciliation error rate. With a custom OCR at GBP 20,000 and GBP 1,000/month running cost, he frees 55 hrs/month (GBP 1,210) and cuts errors below 1%. Counting avoided error costs, break-even lands around month 8.
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FAQ
Can OCR handle handwritten or low-quality invoices?
Partly: extraction stays 94-98% on printed documents but drops to 70-85% on handwriting. A human validation queue handles low-confidence cases.
Can OCR connect to our accounting software?
Yes. ERP/accounting integration is the core value: entries flow straight into your tool with no re-keying, killing double entry.
How long to deploy?
Expect 4 to 8 weeks: sample collection, template calibration, business-rule tuning, then testing on real volume.
What minimum volume justifies the investment?
Above 3,000-4,000 pages/month, custom OCR usually pays back in 5-10 months thanks to the 70 hrs/month of entry saved.
Where does the data live?
Local or regional hosting is available for sensitive documents; otherwise end-to-end encryption and automatic purging protect extracted data.
Let's scope your project. Send us a sample of your document types and your monthly volume for a precise build + cost-per-page quote. 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.
