Convincing an accounts payable manager to adopt automation tools for managing communications in the shared AP inbox should be easy, as the case to do so is pretty compelling.
While some finance professionals may hesitate to automate routine, manual processes due to cost concerns, skills gaps, and compliance worries, here are six reasons why the benefits gained outweigh any negating factors.
1. Improve Efficiency Gains
Automation drastically reduces the time spent on manual tasks, such as sorting through emails, responding to routine inquiries, and managing invoices. Advanced technology enhances efficiency by swiftly sorting, classifying, and responding to emails based on predefined criteria and guided training. This allows the team to focus on more strategic tasks and elevates the type of work the finance team accomplishes.
Automation also helps streamline workflows, reduce mistakes, and ensure consistency in communications, leading to more efficient operations. Automation helps speed up operational bottlenecks that arise from manual processes in AP, including the risk of errors, delayed transactions, and the inefficiency of scale.
2. Achieve Cost Savings
Despite initial cost concerns, the long-term savings realized through improved efficiency and reduced error rates present a compelling return on investment. Automating routine tasks also saves on labor costs by freeing up staff to work on higher-value activities.
The timely processing of invoices and communications helps avoid late payment fees and takes advantage of early payment discounts, improving the company's bottom line.
Automation allows AP teams to handle increasing volumes of invoices and communications without proportionally increasing the team size. This scalability is a critical factor in cost savings, especially for growing businesses facing expanding operations.
3. Enhance Accuracy and Compliance
Automation reduces human error in invoice processing and communications management, enhancing accuracy in accounts payable by automating the sorting and filing of invoices and queries. This means suppliers are less likely to experience delays or issues due to misplaced or incorrectly processed documents, leading to smoother transactions and fewer disputes.
Automation tools maintain compliance with regulatory requirements and could be tailored to comply with specific requirements, mitigating risks by providing a clear, auditable trail of communications and transactions. Furthermore, advanced detection algorithms help identify and prevent fraudulent invoices, avoiding potential losses.
4. Improve Supplier Relationships
Automated systems provide quicker responses to supplier inquiries, improving communication and satisfaction. Technology systems are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long, able to respond at any time, day or night.
Automation ensures that incoming supplier communications are quickly acknowledged and routed to the appropriate person or team for action, building trust with suppliers through reliability and consistency. This swift response time reduces supplier uncertainty and frustration, fostering a sense of respect and attentiveness toward their concerns.
5. Leverage Data and Insights
Advanced automation technology offers analytics and insights, enabling better decision-making based on real-time data. This type of technology provides valuable data for cash flow forecasting and financial planning, helping the accounts payable department manage resources more effectively.
Advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) empower finance teams to analyze vast amounts of data in real-time. They move beyond traditional reporting to offer deeper insights and foresight into financial performance, customer behavior, and market trends.
Cloud-based financial management systems offer scalability, flexibility, and accessibility, enabling finance teams to access data and insights from anywhere, at any time. This supports a more agile and responsive finance function that adapts to changing business needs and market conditions.
6. Detect Fraud and Mitigate Risk
AI-based automation employs machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze patterns and flag unusual activities or anomalies in invoices and emails. This includes detecting inconsistencies in sender information, invoice details, or payment requests that deviate from established patterns, which could indicate fraudulent attempts.
Advanced technology verifies the authenticity of emails received in the AP inbox by checking for signs of phishing, such as spoofed email addresses or malicious links, to help prevent fraudulent emails from being acted upon.
Automation streamlines the verification of invoices and payments by cross-referencing them as they are received in the shared inbox against purchase orders, email metadata, sender data, and supplier records. This reduces the likelihood of paying fraudulent or duplicated invoices by ensuring that only legitimate transactions are processed.
7. Enhance Security and Scalability
The security features built into automation tools protect sensitive financial information, and the support available for implementing these systems, including training for the AP teams ensures a smooth transition.
Automation software is configurable, often with low-code / no-code set-up that quickly and easily integrates with existing systems, minimizing disruption to current processes.
As the volume of transactions increases, automation allows the AP function to scale efficiently without compromising on service quality. This means that even during peak periods, suppliers can expect the same level of service and responsiveness, which is crucial for maintaining strong relationships.
Conclusion
Advanced automation software equips AP teams with the technology to harness data and insights more effectively, driving strategic decision-making, operational efficiency, and competitive advantage.
By embracing these technologies, finance teams transform their role within the organization, moving from traditional record-keeping and compliance roles to becoming strategic advisors and value creators.
Collectively, these benefits make a persuasive case for adopting automation in managing accounts payable communications, outweighing the potential drawbacks.