Context

InnovateWire is a team of experts in Software Automation field. Providing the quality and expertise over the years we've built numerous automated solutions for our customers. In this case-study you will learn about postal automation for one of our USPS clients. We already explained how such automation makes business grow in one of our recent articles.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) processes a vast number of postal forms daily, ranging from change-of-address requests to customs declarations. Traditionally, these forms require manual verification by postal employees, which is time-consuming and prone to human errors. Our USA client come to us with a request of an automated solution to streamline this process, reducing manual workload while ensuring accuracy and efficiency in data handling.

Solution

We developed an intelligent automation system that leverages Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and AI-driven verification to read and validate postal service forms. The system extracts user-filled data, checks for accuracy using AI models (OpenAI), and then submits the verified information directly to USPS systems. Additionally, we created a simple UI for postal employees to monitor, validate, and process forms with minimal effort.

Discovery

Through discussions with USPS representatives and our client, we identified key challenges:

• High volume of forms requiring manual entry
• Frequent errors in handwritten entries leading to processing delays
• The need for a scalable, easy-to-use solution for postal employees
• Verifications of user documents
• Outdated documents

We conducted an initial assessment of sample forms and analyzed the feasibility of OCR and AI verification with OpenAI vision models to achieve high accuracy in data extraction.

From the request of customer we developed a system to manage processed forms by folders with specific filters. If the form was failed to process - it was automatically sent to the specific folder. The same process was for each filter "setting".

Automation of the web was made using Python + PlayWright library. It ensured stability and scalability of the final solution. A dedicated framework was developed for this project, so each module of an application could be reused in future automation or in case of extension of current tasks. An example of such framework could be found at Inject-Framework

Technologies & Tools

To implement the solution, we utilized the following technologies:

• OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Pytesseract and OpenAI vision models for extracting text from scanned forms
• AI Verification: OpenAI's visual recognition models for validating extracted text against expected form fields
• Python: Backend automation and data processing. Here we explained why Python is a great choose for software automation.
• Playwright: Automation of web filling forms with webdriver
• USPS API: Direct integration for submitting validated data
• Simple UI: A lightweight interface for postal employees to review and correct potential discrepancies. Built with Python and Tkinter

Results

The automation system significantly improved the efficiency of processing USPS forms. Key outcomes include:

• Money Savings: Customer Post Office saved 80% of the monthly expenses by leveraging automation made by InnovateWire, as well as decreased workload on it's employees.
• Time savings: Reduced manual entry workload by 70%
• Error reduction: Improved accuracy of data extraction and validation, decreasing processing errors by 80%
• Enhanced user experience: Postal employees reported smoother workflows and reduced stress from manual verification
• Scalability: The system can be expanded to accommodate additional form types in the future

By implementing this solution, our client successfully modernized the form-filling process, leading to faster, more accurate document handling and improved efficiency for USPS operations.