Today I am going to talk about an accounts payable (invoice) automation project we recently completed.
I'll start with an overview of the process and then go into some details of how we accomplished these tasks using our software. All of the customization discussed here can be done by any knowledgeable computer user. There was no programming required, but scripting was required for some functionality.
Invoices are e-mailed from vendors. The e-mails are automatically picked up by the DocuVantage OnDemand Email Uploader Service and uploaded into DocuVantage OnDemand. The first user that gets the invoice does basic data entry. This user can determine and select who must approve the invoice or it can be looked up automatically by the vendor. The user then clicks Complete and the invoice goes to the approver.
The approver gets an e-mail notification that tells them there is an invoice that needs to be approved. When they click the link in the e-mail, they login to DocuVantage OnDemand and see a screen that gives them clear instructions of what must be done. They will only see the companies, vendors, accounts and departments that they have access to based upon pre-defined permissions. They select which accounts the invoice should go against and the system performs validation to verify the required information was entered and that it is valid.
In some cases a second level approval is required. The system determines if this is necessary, determines who the second approver is and sends the item to the second approver.
Periodically someone in accounting exports all of the approved invoices and imports them into the accounting system. This can also be set up to be done automatically.
At any time anyone can search for invoices that they have access to and determine where in the workflow process the invoice is and who has it.
Accounting users can easily update the account, vendor and department lists. We can also make it automatically export the account list and vendor list from the accounting system and import it into DocuVantage periodically so that both are always in sync.
We use form scripting to further customize the routing form. The companies displayed are filtered by the user's access. Accounts, vendors and departments are filtered based on the Company that is selected.
We can use the archive alerts feature to create reminders that are automatically sent out for all invoices. For example, when an invoice has not been approved seven days before the due date an alert is sent to the person responsible for this invoice and also to their supervisor.
If you would like an accounting department with a streamlined accounts payable process give us a call at (866) 367-3467 ext. 1.
