Ready, Set, Go:
An AP Automation Checklist

Simple Tips for Getting Your AP Automation Initiative
Off to a Quick Start

As one of the leading providers of invoice automation solutions, Bottomline has had the opportunity to work closely with hundreds of organizations, providing them with the software tools, innovative services and knowledge necessary to transform accounts payable into an efficient operational function. Through our experience we’ve helped even the most complex of organizations realize that AP automation isn’t as daunting as some people make it out to be and that initiatives can indeed get off the ground quickly. If you are considering launching an AP automation initiative, here are a few tips to help get you get off to a fast start.

Know Which Questions to Ask
Prior to making any decisions, you will be best served by conducting internal due diligence while evaluating the features and functionality of prospective solutions. Given the number of variables within an AP department, haphazard automation will only add to your challenges. With that in mind, give careful consideration to:

• What are the organization’s internal invoice processing goals?
• Is the organization prepared to adopt a solution that encompasses process automation from purchasing through to payment?
• How complex are your processes?
• Will document capture and imaging solutions for paper invoice receipt be part of the mix, or are a portion of your preferred vendors enabled for electronic invoice submission?
• Is the proper course to build or buy, license or host, modular platform or point solution?

Keep in mind that each of these five questions carries pros and cons. But by asking these questions and weighing the answers, you should be able to accurately assess the scope of a successful AP automation initiative.

Identify the Right Solution
With all of this talk of automation, it’s easy to begin to view business in purely electronic terms, with paper no longer playing a major role. While that may indeed be the long-term result of your process automation initiatives, the AP environment of the foreseeable future will continue to consist of both paper and electronic invoices. Therefore, any solution you choose has to have the flexibility to handle invoices in any form in which they can be received.

The modular nature of most Web-based platforms has opened the door for organizations seeking greater flexibility and scalability from their IT investments. Whether an AP department is large or small, modular software components can provide the opportunity for departments to grow into a solution rather then be constrained by its limitations. For example, with a modular platform an AP department could quickly and easily add capabilities to:

• Incorporate contract and purchase requisition management into their AP automation initiative;
• Establish a supplier/vendor portal through which data relevant to invoice status can be obtained; and
• Extend automation of invoice receipt and approval through to payments processes, thereby streamlining the entire Purchase-to-Pay cycle.

Explore Alternatives
As you evaluate your organization’s AP automation readiness, perhaps what’s needed most is a way to simply eliminate paper. In such situations, the path to AP automation can start by partnering with an outsourced services provider to quickly transform paper into electronic invoice data, or by leveraging in-house document capture solutions as an on-ramp to more complex automation.

Partnering with an outsourced services provider can ease the burden of labor-intensive paper handling. Conversely, intelligent document capture technologies can help you take those first steps toward AP automation. Either way, capturing documents electronically provides a mechanism for establishing convenient electronic workflow for invoice review and approval. Though this approach is narrower in scope, it can be a vital step toward streamlined accounts payable.

Learn more about Bottomline’s AP automation solutions, including convenient and affordable invoice data capture services, or call 1.800.472.1321 to speak with a Bottomline AP automation solution specialist today.