Learn More About Accounts Payable Automation Software
What is AP Automation Software?
Companies use accounts payable (AP) automation software to manage large volumes of invoices and financial transactions between a company and its suppliers. AP automation software can reduce manual work and avoid human errors, as well as improve the efficiency and accuracy of the AP department and help with other accounting activities such as financial closing. AP management functionality is included in most accounting systems, but it is not always sufficient for companies that do business with hundreds of suppliers and need to process thousands or tens of thousands of invoices and payments.
AP automation software should not be confused with billing and invoice management systems—the main difference between them is that AP automation focuses exclusively on purchasing transactions while billing and invoicing software manages both sales and purchase invoices.
What Types of AP Automation Software Exist?
AP automation software is usually available in two different platforms:
Standalone AP automation software
AP automation software is usually delivered as a standalone product that needs to be integrated with other software, such as ERP or accounting solutions. The primary benefit of this type of software is that it focuses exclusively on AP automation and provides the most advanced features in the market for this business need.
Procure-to-pay suites that include AP automation
Since AP automation is directly related to purchasing, some vendors decided to create procure-to-pay suites that cover all procurement needs, including AP management. Procure-to-pay suites are usually made of separate products or modules that can be used in different combinations. Buyers should be aware that not all procure-to-pay suites include AP automation as a standard module.
What are the Common Features of AP Automation Software?
Invoice management: Invoice management refers to purchasing invoices (or AP). While these invoices may be created using ERP systems or accounting software, they need to be transferred to an AP automation solution for processing. Importing invoices includes data transfer, optical character recognition (OCR) scanning, or document transfer for files in various formats such as PDF or text.
Supplier management: Supplier management for AP automation is usually limited to the financial information required for payments, such as vendor bank account details. Maintaining accurate supplier financial information helps companies avoid banking errors and ensure that vendors receive their payments.
Purchase order (PO) matching: PO matching helps companies ensure that suppliers are invoicing them for the products and services they received. Between the moment when companies place a PO and the invoice date, both parties may agree on changes, such as the amount, the number of products, or the payment terms of the invoice.
Payments management: Payments tracking does not refer to payment processing but to the ability to identify which invoices have been paid, what invoices are due and when, as well as payment errors. Similar to PO matching, payments need to match the purchasing invoices to avoid overpaying or underpaying.
Approvals: Approval workflows allow managers to decide which invoices should be paid and when, based on multiple criteria such as invoice date and priority. Approvals are also required when companies decide that any invoice that exceeds a certain amount should not be processed automatically.
Other Features of Accounts Payable Automation Software: Benchmarking, Supplier portal
What are the Benefits of AP Automation Software?
There are many benefits to this software that not only automate tasks but also save time and money.
Less human intervention: AP automation software can eliminate unnecessary manual intervention that can slow down an AP team's processes and efficiencies. When using manual AP workflows and procedures, from invoice receipt to payment, there are too many steps that require humans to intervene. Each of these manual steps can lengthen the process of paying an invoice, gaining the correct approval, and ultimately, making the final payment. AP automation software can help eliminate most of these hands-on steps, allowing AP teams to do more than just track down and pay bills.
Accuracy: Accuracy in AP is achieved by matching POs, supplier invoices, and payments. This helps companies make sure that they only pay for what they bought and that there are no processing errors that may impact their profitability.
Return on investment (ROI): ROI can be achieved relatively fast for AP automation software. This type of software isn’t very expensive, and most products are in the cloud, which makes it easy to implement. AP automation brings immediate benefits, such as cost savings and increased productivity.
Scalability: Scalability of payable operations can be a significant challenge for companies whose activities fluctuate in time. For instance, a peak of business may require the processing of thousands of invoices weekly or monthly, while slow periods only generate dozens of invoices. AP automation can help this type of company scale operations without investing in additional personnel for peak periods or being overstaffed during the slow periods.
Who Uses AP Automation Software?
Accounting departments: Accountants need to consolidate AP information with the other financial data of the company. When AP automation is delivered separately, the data it manages needs to be transferred to an accounting or ERP system for the teams mentioned below. AP automation software should, therefore, allow accountants to export and import data. Since errors are unavoidable, accountants also need to be able to find transaction details that may be the source of inaccuracies, such as invoice date, amount, or payment terms.
Procurement teams: Procurement professionals can benefit from using AP automation software to match POs and payables. By paying suppliers accurately, companies can maintain a good business relationship and rely on them in the future. Suppliers may also reward good payers by offering them special discounts and other incentives (e.g., free shipping, a high priority for deliveries).
Vendors and suppliers: Suppliers use online portals within the software, where they can submit invoices and information for payments and communicate with customers. They can also track the status of the invoices and payments for the products or services they delivered.
Managers and executives: Upper management can monitor AP processing activities and refocus manpower on improving working capital management and performance optimization. They are able to spend less time correcting errors and maintaining vendor relationships, and spend more time focusing their efforts on more strategic and value-adding projects.
Software Related to AP Automation Software
Accounting software: Accounting software manages all the financial transactions of a company, including AP. While standard accounting software includes basic AP functionality, advanced features for AP automation aren’t usually covered.
ERP systems: ERP systems manage most business operations that are related to AP, either directly (purchasing) or indirectly (sales, inventory management, and payments).
Purchasing: Purchasing software manages procurement activities, from sourcing to PO management and the receiving of the goods delivered by suppliers. Procurement may also apply to the acquisition of services from third-party consultants, brokers, and other providers of professional services.
Treasury management: Treasury management manages the cash and liquidity of a company, which is directly related to its ability to pay suppliers. If businesses don’t have enough money to pay suppliers on time, they may be penalized or even lose relationships with vendors that are critical for their business.
Billing: Companies use billing software to create and send invoices to customers in order to request payment for the products and services that they deliver. By using this type of software, companies can reduce the time and effort required to manage invoices and improve the accuracy of their billing processes.
Invoice management: Invoice management software helps companies automate tasks related to invoice processing. When companies or accounting departments receive invoices, these invoices typically go through an approval process, after which their information is matched with sales and POs, as well as payments. Invoice management software streamlines this workflow by scanning invoices, reading and pulling data into the system, and transferring payments electronically.
Challenges with AP Automation Software
The automation of AP can save companies time and money when implemented and onboarded properly, but all software solutions can come with their own set of challenges.
Integration: Integration with accounting and ERP systems is critical because most AP automation solutions are standalone and do not provide accounting features. Since most standalone AP automation solutions are delivered in the cloud, integration with other software is more straightforward. Most vendors also offer APIs or partnerships with ERP or accounting vendors to improve integration. This does not mean that AP automation can be easily integrated with any type of software. Integration with on-premises software can still be a challenge, especially for companies using legacy systems based on obsolete technology and using old programming languages such as COBOL.
Learning curve: All new software comes with a learning curve, but some are more complex than others. If some AP automation features are too complicated or cumbersome, the automation could be costing the company more money than it’s saving. Oftentimes, a platform will push automatic updates, which can come with new features or updates that require employees to relearn how to use the software.
How to Buy AP Automation Software
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for AP Automation Software
When selecting AP automation software, it is important to first look at how the business operates, and then familiarize oneself with the different types of software available. There are a variety of options when it comes to AP automation software products, including those designed for the business needs of small and medium-sized businesses.
Compare AP Automation Software Products
Create a long list
Depending on the industry, the buyer might want to first create a long list of software that is designed to help businesses in the particular industry. For example, there are platforms specifically built for businesses in retail, manufacturers, restaurants, etc., as well as for many other types of commercial organizations.
Create a short list
After reviewing and researching the software on the long list, the buyer can widdle down this list based on the budget. AP automation software is available to suit all budgets and some general applications may be downloaded free or bought off the shelf at a lower price.
Buyers must keep in mind, however, that the more specialized a software is, the more expensive it gets. This is the case because the user base for specialized software is usually relatively small. If the company wants something specific to their industry or customized for the business, they should be prepared to pay a premium.
Conduct demos
As a rule of thumb, companies should make sure to demo all of the products that end up on their short list. During demos, buyers should ask specific questions related to the functionalities they care most about, for example, one might ask to be walked through any image capturing features, how to run reports, or how to match supplier invoices with corresponding POs.
Selection of AP Automation Software
Choose a selection team
It is important that the accountants or members of the AP team who will be using this software are involved in the selection process. The accountant may prefer an application that is compatible with the ones they currently use. Every business is different and the accountant is most likely in the best position to offer an educated opinion about which one is the best choice for the particular needs of the business. The accountant may even be able to help the company install and set up the software of choice.
After choosing a software, buyers must remember that they don’t have to be stuck with this selection forever; most platforms allow for add-ons or modifications. However, this decision shouldn’t be made lightly because no matter what software is chosen, it will be a big time and money commitment. In order to see ROI, buyers can’t change their minds a few months later and switch software again.
Negotiation
Negotiating a software contract is important to minimize risk, whether it is in terms of performance protection, security protection, or simply making sure that both parties are in complete agreement with what to expect from the other.
If the business has the cash flow, they could ask for a discount in return for annual upfront payment, and many software providers are happy to make that deal. Other times, a software provider may offer unlimited usage if the buyers pay upfront instead of paying a monthly or quarterly package price.
Buyers should also determine if they will need help implementing the AP automation software or integrating with another system. Usually, a software provider's first offer will include some implementation services in a given timeframe. Buyers can ask for these services to be removed if they can manage it themselves, or if a third party can do it for cheaper.
They also need to decide for how long they will need this software. If the company will use the software for years and years, the buyer can negotiate longer terms which sometimes results in more favorable pricing.
Final decision
The final decision should be based on all the information gathered previously. Businesses should try to prioritize needs and select the solution that meets most of, if not all of, their requirements. Companies must remember that there is no one perfect software, but there is one that is best for their business.
If possible, buyers must conduct a pilot program with a smaller sample size of users to gauge how well the software is received. If the platform gets high marks, they can buy with more confidence. If the tool is found to be inefficient or not performing as expected, it might be time to test another software.
AP Automation Software Trends
Artificial intelligence (AI)
AI has the potential to analyze large volumes of AP transactions to detect hidden errors or trends. AI can also be used to identify potential issues with future purchases, such as late payments. This type of technology can also be used to create bots that can assist employees and suppliers. While AI is still in its infancy, it is already used to improve accuracy and reduce the time needed to process large numbers of transactions.
Cloud-based solutions
Cloud-based AP automation platforms are becoming more popular because of their advantages over on-premises options. Integrating new technologies into existing systems, such as an ERP, can be easier, allowing for product upgrades and new features to be released to customers on a regular basis. Also, companies can be up and running with a prepackaged or customized AP automation platform quicker, therefore improving ROI.
