Closing the Loop: Confidence Scoring and Human Review in IDP

When you automate document processing via IDP, the main benefit is faster data extraction. But there is also real value in what happens when the data is unclear. A modern IDP solution knows when to stop, ask for a check, and record every step. That is how you keep accuracy high, keep regulators satisfied, and keep work moving without endless revisions.

In the IDP process, every extracted field carries a confidence score. The score reflects how sure the model is about that specific value, based on text clarity, layout context, language model signals, and any validation rules you apply. You can set a minimum threshold per field. For example, you may allow 0.90 for invoice totals, 0.85 for line descriptions, and 0.98 for identity numbers. If a field falls below the threshold, it is routed to a human queue with the source snippet highlighted.

While having one global threshold for confidence makes sense on the surface, the reality is that there is some nuance around what fields need absolute confidence and those that can have more flexibility. A customer name on a marketing form, for example, although needing to be accurate, does not need the same certainty as an IBAN on a payment instruction. In EDC’s IDP solution, thresholds can be set by document type, by field, by source, and by business unit. This removes many false positives and keeps reviewers focused on the items that matter most.

Finding exceptions is only the first part of the process. In order to be truly useful, an IDP solution needs to present these exceptions in a way that the user can follow and have a straightforward way to manage them. A strong review process user experience should:

• Let reviewers see the source document alongside the extracted data.
  
  
• Identify where each captured value came from in the document.
  
  
• Present the current value, any suggested correction, and a confidence indicator.
  
  
• Show which validation rules, if any, were triggered.
  
  
• Record a clear history of changes with timestamps, user details, and comments.

Confidence scores are not your only control. Robust validation rules can cut noise before human intervention. Typical checks include:

• Format rules such as IBAN, VAT number, or date.
  
  
• Cross-field checks, such as line totals against the invoice total.
  
  
• Database checks such as supplier status, watchlists, or sanctioned party flags.
  
  
• Business rules such as allowed currencies, contract expiry dates, or spend limits.

Human review takes time when everything needs a second look. It becomes more cost-effective when only a small slice needs attention. In practice, most teams aim to auto-approve the majority of fields and route the rest. EDC’s IDP benchmarks report up to 99.5 percent data accuracy, 30 to 40 percent time saved on document processing, processing speeds of about 6 seconds per page, and cost reductions of up to 80 percent when automation is fully applied. 

When using IDP, it’s vital to keep a close eye on the process and carefully track the metrics that link to quality and cost. Useful ones for most organizations include the share of fields auto-approved, average review time per exception, exception rate by supplier or document type, and rework rate after posting. These show where to adjust thresholds, improve rules, or add targeted training.

When assessing an IDP tool for an organization, a good way to start is to pick one document family with moderate volume and clear business rules. Invoices, KYC packs, or trade finance sets are good candidates. Then agree the first set of thresholds with your compliance team and methodically process three months of real files. You can then fine-tune according to the results you get. Repeat this process for the next document types and so on

If you want to see this solution in action, book a short walkthrough of EDC’s IDP solution to test confidence scoring, validation rules, and audit trails with your own samples. You will get a clear view of what can be auto-approved today, what will need review, and how to prove it to an auditor.