Use OCR to extract expense reports uploaded to Box and add them to Google Sheets

■Overview

Reviewing the contents of expense reports and receipts uploaded to Box and manually entering them into Google Sheets can be time-consuming and prone to input errors. With this workflow, simply uploading a file to Box triggers OCR to automatically read its contents and record the data in Google Sheets, helping resolve common challenges in expense processing and streamline your operations.

■Recommended for

• Accounting professionals who use Box and Google Sheets to process expenses
• Anyone looking to streamline the management of paper receipts and invoices, as well as data entry
• Anyone looking to eliminate input errors and missed entries caused by manual data transcription

■Benefits of using this template

• Automate everything from reading file contents to entering data into Google Sheets when a file is uploaded to Box, reducing the time spent on manual work.
• Eliminate the need for manual data entry and help prevent human errors such as mistyped amounts and missing item entries.

■Flowbot steps

1. First, connect Box and Google Sheets to Yoom.
2. Next, select Box as the trigger and set the action to “When a file is uploaded to a folder.”
3. Then, set the Box “Download a file” action as an operation to retrieve the file detected by the trigger.
4. Next, set the OCR “Read any image or PDF” action as an operation to extract text from the downloaded file.
5. Finally, set the Google Sheets “Add a record” action as an operation to add the data extracted by OCR to the specified sheet.

※“Trigger”: An action that starts the flow. “Operation”: An action that performs processing within the flow after the trigger starts.

■Customization options

• In the OCR action, you can specify the text fields to extract from expense reports and receipts, such as receipt numbers, vendors, and pre-tax amounts.
• In the Google Sheets “Add a record” action, you can specify the destination spreadsheet ID, sheet name, and the values to add to each column.

■Important notes

• Connect both Google Sheets and Box to Yoom.
• AI operations for OCR and audio transcription are available only on the Team and Success plans. Please note that flowbot operations configured on the Free and Mini plans will result in an error.
• Paid plans, including the Team and Success plans, come with a two-week free trial. During the free trial, you can use apps and AI features (operations) that are otherwise subject to plan restrictions.
• The maximum downloadable file size is 300 MB. Depending on the app specifications, the limit may be less than 300 MB, so please be aware of this.
• For details on the file size limits for triggers and individual operations, see here.