A Guide to AP Automation: Best Practices and Expert Recommendations

by Sophia Riley | Jan 19, 2023 | Accounts Payable, AP Automation

Bringing an accounts payable (AP) conversion project to a satisfactory conclusion can be a simple and gratifying task.

The AP team must exhibit powerful, proactive command, as with any successful endeavor, and there must be a considerable threshold of preparedness, dedication, and cooperation from multiple organizational stakeholders. Such work is worthwhile considering the total productivity, insight, and economic advantages that an effective AP automation project may bring.

Here are some tips for digitizing accounts payable, including what helps and doesn’t. Let’s examine a few expert suggestions and best practices for making the most use of your approach.

Analyze the AP Operations’ Existing Situation

The installation of AP automation should focus on solving the existing AP problems. For instance, a core competency that needs access to additional information may perform numerous procedures simultaneously. Understanding your present system and how it might improve from automating would allow you to fully analyze business terrain since, using AP automation, both operations and datasets are accessible and computerized.

Before implementing, look for easy results by considering present constraints and company objectives.

Select the Best AP Automation Service

When weighing your options, consider the following points:

AP automation objectives

Do you want to cut down on data input, system administration dashboards, or benefit from early-pay price reductions? For example, automatic invoicing collection, powerful accounting software, and data management are important aspects to check for when choosing a solution. Be aware that not every AP automation system provides complete automation; instead, they use external AP centers to manually encode your accounts, which slows down the procedure and increases the likelihood of mistakes.

A careful price comparison

Think about the cost and characteristics which each system promises while thoroughly examining costs. The least expensive option could include restrictions on access to essential services like assistance or data management and monthly invoicing. You may take the necessary procedures to receive a draft agreement ensuring that both the source and you know the cost that would be most suitable.

Functions that minimize theft

Make sure the option you select decreases your chances of malpractices by facilitating cooperation and limiting exposure to private data via integrated internal command systems for accounts payable. Such is the strategy to stop damages inside your private business from exceeding the reported $7 billion companies suffer from fraud each year.

Opt for future-proof technology 

Both today, and then in the hereafter, the ideal approach should be effective. What would take place if you processed 25% more payments than usual? Does the technology you chose continue to work, or do you need to move to a different model? If companies transfer ERPs, would the AP automation system still operate? Then again, certain AP automated processes prioritize transactions above invoicing. To determine whether the benefits outweigh the costs of the company’s demands, evaluate the service’s existing and anticipated focuses.

Step-wise Automation

The accounts payable system has several aspects that should be digitized, but you must be mindful of picking the appropriate automation procedures to implement. One may conserve funds and labor by evaluating the related parts of your AP workflow where such automation is needed and by adopting them appropriately in a stepwise method. Additionally, rather than tackling the process thoughtlessly, you can entirely establish one specific part, like the switch to online invoices and e-payments, fewer physical records, performance strategies, etc.

Additionally, assigning your workers to many automated duties at once may confuse them. When introducing the employees to relatively new automation techniques, let them become comfortable with a certain number of automated operations. By doing this, it is ensured that there will be zero confusion among the staff, and so the transfer will go smoothly. 

Activate Auto-saving Processes

Even though automated processes conserve time at work, manual input is still necessary at some stages. Enabling auto-saving and auto-login might help users spare time and be quite convenient. Users may additionally use advanced automation techniques to ensure that all material is securely recorded and that all pertinent business papers are continuously transferred into the network through digital information storage solutions.

Integration of document management automation tools like Active Directory, SAML, etc., seems to be another stride to boost the model’s performance. One might also consider adopting single sign-on (SSO) to let users safely yet automatically authenticate themselves with their passwords. These technologies would offer a great way to cut down on delays and guarantee that the required outcomes quickly.

Integration 

Accounts If the other processes are not automated, payable automation alone may not be of much use. This applies to all supporting platforms, customer support, and clients or providers. Therefore, it’s essential to design any additional systems and ensure they give digital files for simple entry into another automated AP network. Enterprise resource planning (ERP), order fulfillment, and other related monetary systems are a few areas where it may be helpful.

For suppliers, most AP software enables the creation of provider-accessible gateways to support self-service. By incorporating this into your network, companies will save time because they can quickly track the progress of their accounts and find explanations to frequently asked questions via the site directly. To achieve end-to-end automation and maximize profits, it is crucial to integrate the secondary processes.

Best Practices For AP Automation Implementation

To save you time and effort, we’ve put together a selection of the best practices for accounts payable automation that you should use to keep it functional and productive.

1. Get Your Staff Involved

When you bring automation techniques into a company, little opposition is unavoidable. However, each respondent of the financial team must support and be a dedicated participant in the program for the automated approach to be fruitful. Most imposed change initiatives risk negating any potential advantages of the automated procedures. Therefore, it is wise to discuss with staff members and let them see how it will simplify their lives.

Try to notice any challenges that may arise within your team with such automated systems and try taking prompt, decisive action to address the problems. By recording such concerns and comments, you can fully understand the integral aspects that need to be prioritized to solve the users’ genuine difficulties. When the automated process has been implemented, make sure to conduct periodic inspections of the system and adjust it as necessary for successful outcomes.

2. Appoint A Program Manager To Oversee The Workflow

It might be challenging to switch from manual to automated accounts payable processes. Therefore, it is essential to have a committed individual who serves as the key point of access for every one of the software company’s operations. The individual will be in charge of streamlining the automated processes and keeping lines of communication open with all organizational stakeholders to guarantee that any potential problems are fixed immediately.

In addition to keeping an eye on and optimizing operations, a project manager may also be entrusted with creating periodic reports and strategies to enhance the framework so that it may be adjusted to retain the best capacity in all different situations. Since automation is a computer methodology, upgrading the mechanism in real life seems to be the only way to maintain consistency in consistency and control. The project manager is indispensable in this regard.

3. Make Sure Learners Receive Expert Instructions

Even though automation calls for little to no user interference, the operations still need human oversight and knowledge. Untrained staff members could cause substantial expenditures due to system impairment, delays, or malfunctions if they are not knowledgeable as to how the mechanism operates. Therefore, it’s necessary to ensure that the appropriate workers receive competent training using automation technologies.

Additionally, real-time statistics and recommendations are available at the flick of a switch from automation software. To extract the maximum power of the automated systems, it is essential to keep the team informed with these real-time statistics and modify the system in response to feedback. Always keep an eye on such information and use it for learning.

4. Establish Specialized Processes

Once there is a defined procedural strategy that assigns every worker a particular role, the automation approach can run as efficiently as possible. This assures that there are no misunderstandings and that the staff can function effectively without any interpersonal issues, especially when there are pressing schedules. Additionally, workers may become capable of handling additional work without degrading the performance and production values.

Each staff member has a specific role, making it difficult for them to avoid their duties. They can also be made responsible for the job they were assigned. A defined role also ensures that someone will be held accountable and enables you to prod that person to do the task immediately. 

The Takeaway

To increase system performance and accuracy, the automation process substitutes robots for labor-intensive human tasks. Yet, if the shift to automated processes is not supported by a transformation in the linked elements, such as educated staff, software integration, and digital accounting, it is difficult to be sustainable. It is critical to note that these procedures require the best practices to ensure smooth operation.

Traditional payable process vs. accounts payable automation

by Sophia Riley | Jan 16, 2023 | Accounts Payable, AP Automation

The accounts payable process is often perceived as a cycle of making payments to vendors and tracking them throughout the month until they are repaid. This is how traditional accounts payables are completed. However, there are many advantages of companies adopting an automation system to process their monthly financial transactions.

Sure, both of these accounts payable processes have lots in common. Both are about getting the right checks into the right hands. But there are plenty of differences as well.

And if you want to understand how accounts payable automation works differently than traditional payables, you need to compare the two processes closely. That’s what we’ll do here, kind of like a blog post version of dueling banjos!

Problem — The traditional accounts payable process is manual, involves paper, and often requires multiple people

The accounts payable process is a necessary evil. It’s a necessary evil because we have to pay our bills on time. But it’s an evil because it’s time-consuming, tedious, and requires multiple people to complete the process when done traditionally.

You might have one person who enters invoices into your system, another who approves them, and someone else who issues the check. Sometimes, you may even have a separate department to manage accounts payable.

Automated accounts payable software streamlines this process by automating many of the manual steps involved, allowing you to spend less time on administrative work and more time growing your business.

Solution with AP Automation — Accounts payable automation is handled electronically by a piece of software

With accounts payable automation, you don’t need to send out bills or checks to vendors or suppliers. Instead, the program will automatically process invoices and issue payments after they’ve been approved.

The software collects all relevant information, such as invoices, purchase orders, and receipts, and automatically applies the information to the accounts payable ledger. It’s much more efficient than traditional methods because it cuts down on paper and manual labor.

The software may be cloud-based, meaning it can be accessed from any computer or device with an internet connection. Accounts payable automation systems are typically used by businesses with more than one employee who needs access to accounts payable transactions and data.

Now, having your entire AP process handled by sophisticated software comes with some benefits, including:

• Centralized database
• Single source of truth for all financial data
• Audit trail
• Elimination of post-payment costs

Problem — Traditional processes require time-consuming data entry

Traditionally, AP departments are required to enter invoice payments into their ERP system manually. This means that you need someone with accounting knowledge in your organization who has access to the information systems necessary to enter each payment. In addition, these individuals must also be able to access and update purchase orders, invoices, and other documents associated with your AP processes.

Although some organizations may use Excel spreadsheets or other tools for these tasks, these tools aren’t designed for large-scale operations like those found within an AP department. These tools also don’t provide any automation capabilities — they’re simply used to store data temporarily before it’s manually entered into another system.

This process is time-consuming and prone to errors. It also requires employees to spend time every day collecting and entering information into the system, which they could be spending on more productive tasks.

Solution with AP Automation —Automation allows documents to be scanned and converted into readable files without data entry

Traditional processes require time-consuming data entry, manual reconciliation, and workarounds that add cost and complexity.

Accounts payable automation can simplify your process by automating the entire process from invoice receipt to payment.

New automation technology is transforming how companies process accounts payable. Automated processes are helping businesses capture more accurate data and make faster payments, ultimately reducing their risk exposure.

Automation is key to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your business’s accounts payable function — but it’s not just about getting rid of manual data entry or speeding up your AP process. Automation offers real benefits beyond the obvious ones, like faster payments and fewer errors.

Once your organization has implemented an automated system, you can expect to see faster payment processing, fewer errors, and more consistent compliance with vendor terms and conditions.

Problem — Manual data entry results in more mistakes and inaccuracies during the accounts payable process

Manual data entry is prone to mistakes and inaccuracies because it involves many different parties and departments.

For example, if you have 100 vendors with the same name but different addresses, the manual process requires the same information to be entered into the system multiple times.

If you’re not double-checking each invoice before entering it, there’s a good chance you’ll make mistakes when entering the invoice into your system or even on the invoice itself. For example, if an invoice has been entered for $100, but it was actually for $200, you’ll end up paying $200 instead of $100 — and then have to try to get the money back later.

This can cause many problems, like:

• Missing invoices: It’s also possible that your system won’t pick up a missing invoice because it wasn’t entered correctly in the first place. This can cause delays in getting paid and result in late fees or penalties being applied to your account.
• Inaccurate payment dates: If your system isn’t set up correctly, it might not be able to process payments on time because they were entered incorrectly or the wrong dates were used when entering them into the system (for example, if you entered an invoice as being due on January 1st but it actually should have been due on January 5th).

Solution with AP Automation — Automation lessens the risk of mistakes because it automatically populates specific fields within an invoice or purchase order

Many companies are turning to accounts payable automation solutions to streamline their processes and save time and money, which makes it easier to track expenses, pay vendors, and manage cash flow.

This ensures that data is complete and accurate before being sent to an accounts payable clerk, who then has to check it manually (if they even have time). Once approved, the payment can automatically be issued without human intervention or error.

For example, if you want to pay for a purchase order that includes several line items for different amounts, you can designate which fields represent each item. The automation takes care of the rest by automatically filling in all these fields with the correct information from your spreadsheet.

Section: Companies that use manual processes need people to do that work

The accounts payable process is a key part of the larger operational cycle and can be one of the most time-consuming and costly processes for companies.

These companies also need to pay those people, which means they must keep track of who’s doing what, and when they’re getting paid. And, as you might imagine, this can get complicated pretty quickly.

Accounts payable is one of the oldest departments in a business. It’s been around for hundreds of years, but it hasn’t always been a smooth process. In fact, accounts payable was originally a paper-based system that required manual data entry and processing.

For example, let’s say you have a business with 100 employees who work in different departments throughout your organization (across marketing, accounting, sales, and operations). You want to pay them all at once by electronic check or direct deposit into their bank account. If your company only has one employee who handles all payroll tasks manually (which is common), then this process could take several hours each week because they need to:

• Gather all employee information from various sources such as Excel spreadsheets or paper files
• Enter each employee’s information into the payroll system manually
• Print out checks or deposit slips for each employee

As technology has become advanced and more affordable, businesses have started using accounts payable automation software to streamline this process and make it much more efficient.

Automating accounts payable can save your business time, money, and effort

With automation, there’s no need to hire people to do the work that AP software can do for you or pay overtime for the work that needs to be done on a tight deadline. Automating AP also makes it easier for companies to track their spending and prevent overspending on items like travel expenses or equipment purchases.

When it comes to accounts payable automation, there are two main ways that businesses can go about it:

• Automation through an AP system – This is a software solution that plugs into your existing ERP system and handles much of the process of paying vendors and suppliers on behalf of your company. It will also handle invoice validation, reconciliation, and payment processing requirements.
• Automation through a vendor – There are also companies who offer an outsourced option where they take care of all aspects of their client’s accounts payable processes, including invoice verification, reconciliation, and payment processing requirements. 

Takeaway — Automating your accounts payable process is the way to go!

The accounts payable process is one of the fastest-growing areas of automation in the enterprise. The primary reason for this is simple: it’s a significant cost center for most businesses, and automating it can help you save money.

So, if you’re thinking of going all in with AP automation software in your workplace, you need to choose from the following categories:

• Payables automation software — This software automates the entire accounts-payable process, from invoice generation through approval, payment, and reporting.
• Accounts payable automation solutions — These are solutions that automate some aspects of the accounts-payable process but not all. For example, an AP automation solution might generate an invoice but require you to enter data manually into fields such as purchase order number or supplier name.
• Payables automation tools — These are tools that automate only one aspect of an invoice or purchase order — for example, they might let you generate a purchase order online. Still, they don’t integrate with other systems such as ERP or accounting software.

From what we’ve seen and heard, many businesses have chosen to automate their business processes, ranging from marketing to payroll. Businesses everywhere are always looking for ways to reduce costs; automating business functions can help organizations do just that.

Of course, it’s up to you which is the best option and which makes the most sense for your organization. As we’ve seen, many benefits go along with using AP automation software. Hopefully, this article has made AP automation a more attractive option for your business. Make sure to carry out due diligence before investing in an AP automation software for your business.

The Ultimate Guide to Accounts Payable Process Automation

by Sophia Riley | Jan 12, 2023 | Accounts Payable, AP Automation

A manual accounts payable process can be time-consuming and susceptible to mistakes. Continuing to work through stacks of invoices, personally contacting approvers, and mailing checks is time-consuming, exposes the organization to fraud, and makes audits difficult. Accounts payable automation allows companies to process supplier invoices without human interference by offering a digital workflow to manage processes that were traditionally performed by an Accounts payable clerk.

Systems-based accounts payable automation begins with digitizing invoice data, typically by a scanning or capture technology – for example, optical character recognition (OCR).

Accounts payable automation can offer your company substantially reduced expenses and minimize manual labor. Businesses may optimize their vendor portfolio, eliminate duplicate or incorrect payments, and benefit from early payment discounts.

What is Accounts Payable?

Accounts Payable is the debts your company must repay within specified time frames. Since it is a short-term debt, it falls under liabilities in your balance sheets. The amount of AP on a company’s balance sheet is significant. If accounts payable rises over what kit was earlier, the business is using credit rather than cash to purchase more products and services. If a company’s AP declines, it indicates that it is paying off its debts from earlier periods quicker than acquiring new goods and services using credit. 

Managing accounts payable is important for regulating a company’s financial flow.

To a certain extent, the company may influence the firm’s cash flow through AP. For instance, management might stretch the time it takes for the company to pay all outstanding AP bills if they wish to raise cash reserves for a given period. The continuous ties the business has with its suppliers must be considered when evaluating this option to pay later.

Why Should You Automate Your Accounts Payable?

As its name indicates, accounts payable automation refers to the technology that automates the manual components of accounts payable. Most process automation aims to act faster, decrease mistakes, and facilitate easy company growth. With all that being said, you still have to invest in automation. Here are the reasons AP automation is a necessity for your company’s expansion:

Saves Time

Think about how automation may increase the output of your staff. In manual processing, data for invoices is recorded in standard accounts payable procedure before being sent for assessment and approval. Due to human error, this manual invoice payment cycle frequently causes data inaccuracies, lack of visibility, and delayed answers. By automating your accounts payable workflow operations, you may cut down on the repetitive tasks like data entry and back and forth that used to occur with administrative duties and simplify the digital validation of invoices against data from purchase orders, contracts, and delivered products.

Saves Money

For manual processes like printing checks and gathering approvals, businesses with high payment volumes often invest significant resources. The manual accounts payable procedure involves plenty of expenditures. You must pay for the overhead charges of your staff and the cost of processing checks and invoices. Automating this process allows businesses to use quicker payment methods and drastically reduce processing times.

Payment delays can harm suppliers’ goodwill and result in slower delivery times, a reduced readiness to rectify flaws and a delayed response time to inquiries. With AP automation software, your accounts payable team can decide when to pay vendors, freeing up working capital and enabling AP departments to benefit from early-pay supplier discounts. You’ll increase your cost savings and operational efficiency by digitizing as many procedures as you can.

Reduces Error

AP is more prone to errors due to the overwhelming amount of invoices being processed. Errors may raise operating costs, affect cash flow, and ultimately damage vendor relationships. Using cloud computing allows you to have centralized access to data, ensuring the safe storage of valuable documents. With the help of OCR technology, you can input large volumes of data without errors and redundancy. Automation also helps you in directing your current resources into high-priority projects like fast closing and late payment prevention.

Increases Invoice Processing Visibility

Only authorized parties will see critical information when you automate your accounts payable procedures. The accounts payable reports, for instance, may be automated to quickly identify which payments are overdue, which invoices are expiring, the standard approval time, the standard time it would take to pay an invoice after approval, and other crucial information. You know precisely when and where problems occur, and you will always have access to the information you need to fix them.

Hybridize Work Environments

Users may access saved files anytime they want and from anywhere as long as they have a connection to the internet and the proper login credentials. Your employees can work in the comfort of their homes without traveling to get any necessary paperwork. 

Accounting Compliance

Your company has to adhere to compliance rules and provide recorded audit trails. Without the proper mechanisms to strictly regulate procedures and data, some information could be missed, and fraudulent conduct could go unnoticed.

Automation ensures that approval protocols are followed, establishes a paper trail from the invoice to the payment, and gives access for payments only to authorized people. 

How to Find Suitable Automation Solutions

Choosing the ideal accounts payable automation software for your business or organization might be difficult. You want to work with an accounts payable automation software provider that you can rely on to automate your AP properly and effectively. What features should you look for in an AP automation software provider and its products?

• Does it integrate with your existing Enterprise Resource Planning
• Is it user-friendly and easy to use
• How efficiently it converts paper documents into electronic data
• gives visibility into the status of invoices in the workflow or approval process and follows the invoice trail.
• Automates repetitive accounts payable tasks like data entry
• Automates 2-way or 3-way matching for invoices, purchase orders, and delivery receipts.
• Automates approval process
• Decreases the need for storage and office supplies
• Increases early pay discounts
• Provides instant access to documents
• Process a lot of supplier paperwork, such as invoices or credit notes
• Allow users to search and obtain AP materials from a centralized data source

Best Practices to Improve Your AP Automation Process

Prompt Entry of Invoices

You may accelerate invoice processing by putting fresh invoices into the system the same day they come. This guarantees that you won’t misplace incoming bills. The only manual job you’ll need to perform to support this AP automation is scanning paper invoices if you have a good automation software solution.

Centralized Data Management 

If you don’t want to lose track of incoming bills, you need a solution to gather and organize all the data in one area. Receiving invoices, and extracting and validating data shouldn’t occur in different locations. It is simple to centralize all accounts payable processes with AP automation software, even if the individuals in charge of certain duties are not physically present in the same place. This greatly simplifies the application of corporate policies and speeds up the processing of accounts payable.

Take Control of Vendor Data

You require a single, definitive list that compiles your vendor data in one location. If you don’t have an appropriate validation procedure, incomplete, fake, or duplicate vendor information may find its way into your system. These kinds of errors put your business at risk for fraud or incorrect payments. With the correct accounts payable automation software, keeping your vendor information current is simpler.

Digitalize Your Records

Large quantities of storage space are required for paper records. Information in paper files is frequently hard to discover and/or takes a long time. You’ll need digital records of every invoice and its processing history to support best practices in AP. Digital documents are safe, simple to search, and less likely to be lost or destroyed than paper records. Your AP automation software should back up and save the data from paper invoices already being scanned into the system for processing. You can effortlessly manage your information by scanning old paper files into the system.

Calculate Tax Liabilities

Finding out that you don’t already have all the information on file is difficult enough during tax season. All the data you need for taxes is readily available thanks to the system of digital records. Additionally, controls included in the automated system ensure correct information, reducing the possibility of delays or other problems brought on by discovering a mistake in your data.

Conclusion

Accounts payable is the most challenging, longest, and paper-intensive administrative and financial task. Most invoices may be processed without manual involvement, thanks to AP automation software, which digitizes the whole process.

We hope you’ve gained some insights about automating accounts payable processes.