Getting Started with AP Automation
Automate Manual Tasks & Activities to Eliminate Errors, Delays, & Costs
Accounts Payable (AP) Automation is the application of software and technology to replace everyday manual tasks, activities, and decisions related to invoice processing. This includes everything from extracting and validating header and line item data, pairing PO items with your ERP, and assigning, routing, and approving invoices.
With AP Automation, your organization can avoid costly delays and errors that occur every day during invoice processing. By replacing manual tasks, activities, and decisions, invoices are handled with nearly 100% accuracy and your AP Processors are free to focus on exceptions and other higher-value activities.
Get vendors paid faster with fewer errors by automating manual data entry, validation, and invoice processing.
Create transparency and gain visibility into your invoice processing workflows to measure user efficiency, identify issues and bottle necks, and pinpoint opportunities for improvement.
Use increased efficiency to avoid late payment penalties and qualify for early payment discounts.
Key Functions of AP Automation
Capture physical and digital invoices into ERP, ECM, or Intelligent Data Capture solution
Extract invoice header and detail data from invoice images using Intelligent Data Capture
Validate invoice data against vendor and PO tables, ERP data, or other accounting system
Export invoice image with validated invoice data to ECM or ERP for approvals
Assign & Route invoices to approvers according to the approver matrix with automated notifications.
AP Automation Technology Stack
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is your primary system for managing resources and data related to the enterprise, including vendor data, PO data, approver matrix, etc.
Advanced Data Capture utilizes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to intelligently “read” invoice images to recognize and extract keywords and values like the Invoice Number, Invoice Date, and Vendor Name.
Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is your document imaging system that typically includes capture, indexing, digital workflows, document access, system integration, and archive.