Ocr (OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION) Scanners

[NITIN]

I'm in charge of the customer service index department of a leading 5star chain processing over 8000 GUEST COMMENT CARDS a month.
As things stand,we have 3 staff on a full time basis doing just data entry.
This data is converted to statistical reports ,presented to the Top management at Management Review Meetings along with other quality review reports.
The challenge is trying to get the whole thing automated.
Im on the lookout for any software/hardware that can recognise ticks and crosses and a couple of hand written sentences.
Price is obviously not a concern.

[NITIN]

Jim ,I can pay 10 MBA's a fraction of that and get them to work on data entry 24hrs a day.
Am I asking for too much?With so much advances made in ROCKET SCIENCE-dont tell me we dont still have a decent OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION product in the market which is worth its salt!!!
Im not against employement,but definitely against using human beings do repetitive mundane tasks.

[NITIN]

What I meant by "price not a concern"is obviously in the long term it would justify not paying 3 employess salary+food+transport+gratuity+accomodation+end of service benefits+teabreaks+children school fees etc etc etc.

[James Gutherson]

NITIN,

You could also ask some schools and universities, they use a lot of automated systems to mark multiple choise exams. There might be some cross over there?

[NITIN]

Thanks James,I will certainly look into that.But the challenge remains not making guest comment cards look IMPERSONAL and automated but rather something the GM would personally read!!!