How to digitise delivery dockets

Step one: capture at the point of delivery

The docket is at its most legible the moment it is signed. Photograph it there rather than letting it live in a van for a fortnight. A shared folder or a single email address that site staff send photos to is usually enough structure to start with.

• Photograph the page flat, straight on, with the whole docket in frame
• One docket per photo — avoid fanning several across a desk
• Agree a single destination so nothing sits on someone's phone
• Capture the reverse only if it carries terms you actually rely on

Step two: turn images into data, not just files

This is the step most paperless projects skip. A PDF in a folder is still something a person has to open and read. Converting each docket into rows — product code, description, quantity, unit price — is what turns the archive into something you can filter, total and match against invoices.

Step three: file consistently

Name and store by supplier and date, and keep the original image alongside the extracted rows so a query can always be traced back to the signed page. Consistency matters more than the naming scheme you choose.

• Keep the source image with the extracted data
• Use one date format across the whole archive
• Record the site or job reference at capture, not later from memory
• Store where your accounts team can reach it without asking anyone

Step four: retention and access

Digitised dockets need to be retrievable for as long as the invoices they support. Files uploaded to DocketFlow are stored privately against your account and downloadable at any time, and the extracted spreadsheet is emailed to you so a copy also lives in your own systems.