Hello, I’m Mana from Ethical Works!
I’m an expert on PDF.co, which is a strong API service for PDF-related operations. For more effective automation, as an Integromat certified expert partner, I use the API service with Integromat to connect the API service to other apps seamlessly.
I have 19 years of experience in the IT business and 10 years of experience in technology consulting, including digitalization and app development.
Our main focus is on business analysis, assisting your digital strategy, project management, system integration, and automating your complex workflows.
The reason we joined the expert program of PDF.co is that we’d like to assist you to effortlessly solve problems related to digital transformation and digitalization in the Japanese market.
Of course, we’d like to contribute to not only Japan but the APAC region with PDF.co!
Table of Contents:
What we can offer
We provide the following services to assist you in digitalization, DX strategies, and operations:
- Strategic support
- Hands-on support in digitalization
- Automation consulting
All the services are provided with hands-on implementation so that you’ll get your process consultant for your digital transformation.
When it comes to DX strategies and system analysis, we use an approach integrating design thinking with systems thinking, especially identifying leverage points for expanding your strategies progressively with prototypes and minimum viable actions.
What that means is that you can introduce the “lean startup way” into your project(s.)
In case of assisting the digitization process, we actually take full advantage of the PDF solution provided by ByteScout so that you’ll be able to digitalize the existing tasks and workflows one by one.
With this approach, you can organize and optimize the existing tasks and workflows for the digital structure by reducing unnecessary loops and settings.
When it comes to automation consulting, we provide you with PDF.co Web APIs and the platform for system integration called Integromat for automating your business processes.
The goal is to develop an effortless system to get optimal results with less effort.
Examples of PDF Automation
So let me introduce some examples of how you can automate your workflows and business processes with PDF.co and Integromat.
With these 2 strong solutions, you’ll have an effective approach to activating citizen developers in the organization since the combination of technologies doesn’t require any line of codes.
Therefore, you don’t no longer need to hire programmers for the digital project!
Convert PDF File to Text File
The first example is very simple. It converts a PDF file on cloud storage to a text file.
Challenge: Want to reuse and utilize the existing PDF files for the data management
Solution: Convert the existing PDF files to text files
But, how does this automation apply to your day-to-day work?
First of all, you can develop a database system with the existing PDFs. For example, if there might be only PDF data in your organization, you can pick the text data from them and insert the text data into the database system to make full use of the data you extract.
Or you can collect the data from PDF forms to create the internal data rakes.
That kind of automation can be used as preserving the data for business intelligence by inserting text data from PDFs into the internal database management system.
Then, you’ll have an effective “digital” environment for data management.
Add Security Options to PDF File
The next example is about “security.” It encrypts a PDF file and adds passwords to a PDF file.
Challenge: Want to enhance security for your PDFs and cloud storage
Solution: Encrypt PDFs or add passwords to PDFs
First, what the key icon describes is a file encryption process. This process encrypts a PDF file itself so that no one can have access to the data without the encryption key.
With this implementation, you’ll get a secure environment and the data will be protected if someone gains access to the shared folders or the database records since the data is encrypted.
The most important thing is to secure the key the same as your crypto wallet!
The next step is to add passwords to a PDF file and it attaches 2 types of passwords to open and edit the file. The first password is for administration and the second one is for the viewer.
If you correctly set the admin password, you can get rid of the passwords from the PDF file.
As you can see, by automating the information security process, you’ll be able to effortlessly implement the file management system according to your business rules.
Split a Large PDF File
This example shows how you can split a large PDF file at appropriate points in the document. For instance, it splits a single file with 100 pages into 5 PDFs automatically.
Challenge: Want to use some part of a large PDF file
Solution: Select pages you want to use and set them to an automated scenario
For example, you can split a large PDF file that has 100 pages into 3 PDF files if the large file is made with a particular template.
If the file consists of some chapters like a 5-page index and table of contents, a 3-page executive summary, and 93 pages of detailed information, you can split the file into 3 PDF files.
In this case, you can take out only an executive summary from multiple files and merge them as a single report for executive members. Otherwise, the summary can be inserted into the database management system by converting them to text data.
Then, you’ll be able to search content with a full-text search option and the implementation reduces your time to check all the PDF files at once.
Replace a String in PDF File
This example is available for English only, but it replaces specific strings with new ones. For example, you can replace all the company names with a new one when the company name has changed.
Challenge: Want to modify some part of a PDF file
Solution: Make an API call to replace text
To replace all the keywords in the file, we recommend you to use the API for documents, such as MS Word and Google Docs. The reason for this is because of layout issues if you apply automation to a presentation.
Therefore, this API and automation will be useful when you edit text-based documents, such as contracts, agreements, and privacy policies.
Automate Creating Contract Document
For a more practical use case, you can automate creating and sending a contract or an agreement. You can automatically create a contract from a template when you have information about your client by combining the information with the template made with Google Docs. Then, the contract data can be published in PDF format to send.
Challenge: Want to reduce pesky tasks in the process of signing a contract
Solution: Create a template and merge it with the client’s information
This use case shows you how to create and send a contract to your client.
The first process is to get the client’s information from Airtable, which is the spreadsheet-like database. And the second process is to merge the information with a template of the contract made with Google Docs.
Then, add a password to the created document with the API of PDF.co. After that, it automatically sends your client a shared link to the PDF file.
For the password to open the PDF file, you need to manually send it for security reasons.
For the same reason, this scenario automatically deletes the password from a temporary table and also removes the original file without the password.
By customizing the use case and the scenario, you’ll be able to make it fit your business rules and security policy.
Automate Creating and Sending an Invoice
The last use case is a bit more advanced and complex. It creates an invoice from the database records and an HTML template, then it sends the PDF invoice to your client.
Challenge: Want to reduce time-consuming tasks in creating and sending invoices
Solution: Automatically create and send invoices from the database records
This scenario enables you to automatically create an invoice from the database you have. It merges the data you get from the multiple tables in the database with the HTML template stored in the PDF management system (PDF.co.)
With this implementation, you can automate the entire process from creating an invoice to sending the invoice. Moreover, you’ll get a notification when the due date has come by creating a task with the due date in Todoist, which is a simple and easy task management app.
That kind of business process automation allows you to be free from annoying “manual” tasks and it also enables you to automate the tasks called “work about work.”
About Ethical Works
Ethical Works is a freelancing project to assist your digital strategy with NoCode/LowCode technologies. With these technologies, we can provide fast implementation as part of consulting services.
In case you need some help with digitalization, we use PDF.co, Integromat, and Google Workspace for instance according to your environment and business rules.
In addition, the type of implementation can be used for “dynamic specification” in app development and it doesn’t require a lot of writing documents and having tons of meetings.
And we can pass it over to the development team in Ukraine. If you need the development team or a new app from scratch, we can cooperate with the Ukrainian partner as well.
Free Services
We provide 2 types of services for free – tutorials and an automation community for the Japanese market. With these services, we help you use PDF.co and Integromat for your digital transformation. We’re waiting for you to join our Slack community!
Note: the services are provided in Japanese, but you’re welcome if you don’t speak Japanese.
