To keep operations running smoothly, a document processor handles incoming documents and data entry. Document processors are used financial institutions, law firms, insurance companies, and health care providers, among others. Unless people are interested in advanced supervisory roles, no special training is required for positions in this field. Some employers may require supervisors to have college degrees or special certifications in order to perform their jobs more effectively, while others may promote experienced employees without requiring additional training.
When documents arrive on site, the document processor checks them for accuracy and completeness. If they aren’t, they can be returned to the customer or staff member who sent them. A loan officer at a bank, for example, is responsible for submitting a complete loan package. If any documents are missing or incorrect, the document processor can return them to the loan officer for correction before moving forward with the loan application.
Complete documents can be manually transferred to databases or scanned and entered into databases. Document processors either file or shred the originals after producing legally acceptable facsimiles, using the company’s filing system and ensuring that the digital file includes notes about physical location. When all of the data has been verified, the document processor can release it into the system for other employees to use. People can look up physical documents for reference or look up digital records to gather information for tasks such as initiating insurance payments or verifying a client’s status with a law firm.
This position necessitates comfort and familiarity with filing systems, sensitive material handling, and database work. Medical billing and coding, as well as the preliminary review of mortgage applications, are tasks that some document processors have received special training for. Others concentrate on data entry and storage and may not require specialized knowledge. Unless tasked with contacting customers to ask them to address incomplete documents, a document processor’s opportunities for customer interaction are usually limited.
In most cases, the work environment is similar to that of most offices. Document processors may spend long periods of time in front of the computer and must be able to bend and lift to gain access to records. Breaks are usually scheduled throughout the day, and work may be more self-directed, as people do not require constant supervision when performing basic document processing tasks. Those interested in management positions may need additional training or certification, as well as the ability to demonstrate competency and a willingness to learn in the workplace.