Author: Laura Bulmer
A key part of any digitisation journey is achieving transparent, streamlined processes.
If your finance team is suffering delayed approvals, manual data entry or fed up chasing paper and emails, you’re not alone. DocTech’s clients regularly highlight how these inefficiencies used to hamper morale and hold their business back.
This AP Automation Checklist will highlight the value of:
> Identifying and Addressing Inefficiencies: Start by mapping your current AP workflows to uncover bottlenecks like manual data entry, delayed approvals, and paper-based storage that slow down processes and reduce visibility.
> Implementing Smart, Integrated Solutions: Move to a paperless system using intelligent data capture, automated approval workflows, and software that integrates with your finance systems to eliminate manual tasks and improve accuracy.
> Ensuring Scalability and Adoption: Choose flexible, scalable tools tailored to your business needs, support them with proper training, and leverage real-world case studies to demonstrate ROI and drive internal buy-in.Drawing insights from DocTech’s practical advice and case studies (including their DocuWare-powered solutions), this automation checklist for finance teams will walk you through the steps to digitise your AP process from invoice capture to auditable storage. Reclaim time, accuracy, and transparency.
Identify frustration points: Are invoices getting lost? Is data entry taking too long? Do approvals stall due to remote workers or part time approvers? These real-world issues are what drive clients to switch to digital solutions so there is full transparency.
Document your current AP processes and approval workflows including invoice receipt, approvals, matching, payment, and archiving. Note the time and costs of any printing, scanning and storing or saving.
Move to paperless invoice processing where invoices, whether scanned or emailed, are captured, indexed using AI powered data capture tools, and securely stored in a document management system such as DocuWare.
Consider a data capture tool such as DocuWare’s intelligent indexing which learns as it goes, improving data extraction accuracy and your team’s sanity over time.
Make sure that any systems you invest in can capture data accurately, integrate with your finance/ERP solutions, and automate workflows. These elements will be key requirements for you as you become more digital with your AP processes. You can read accounts payable automation case studies here.
Ensure the software handles different formats paper, email, mobile and can securely push data into your existing finance system. You should be looking to eradicate as much manual data entry as possible.
You might want to consider 2-way or 3-way matching (invoice, PO, delivery note) to clear valid invoices automatically or flag discrepancies.
Familiarise yourself with rules-based routing for approvals whether by amount, department, or PO with reminders and escalation for bottlenecks.
Remember that you should be able to store all invoices digitally in a central, secure repository with search functionality and access permissions.
Other functionality to look for is around audit trails that track who did what and when essential for compliance and internal controls.
Consider both financial and non-financial returns: lower costs, fewer errors, early payment discounts, faster processing, improved supplier relationships, and employee satisfaction.
Implement a system that addresses your business needs don't be lead by the functionality of software. DocTech tailors workflows, alerts, and routing to your specs.
You can implement dashboards to monitor invoice status, overdue actions, and bottlenecks on the fly.
A standard requirement will be to integrate the software with Outlook or email systems to ensure no invoice in the accounts inbox gets missed.
Ensure the system handles higher invoice volumes with ease. Invoice scanning scales up without sacrificing speed or accuracy.
Ensure successful automation with hands-on training, support, and feedback loops to build trust and efficiency.
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11. Learn From Real-World Success StoriesBenefit and learn from AP automation case studies to build confidence internally. For example, CW Plant Hire client saved £60,000 in postage costs through automated invoice scanning.
DocTech are a leading UK provider of AP Automations tools. You can explore their other client stories here.
Automating your AP process is more than just switching from paper to digital it’s about transforming how finance works. Following this checklist mapped to the proven solutions and case studies from DocTech can reduce errors, shorten processing times, and unlock ROI that impacts your bottom line.
Explore our most recent blog article - Awaab's Law - DocTech Create DocuWare Forms to Help Clients Stay Compliant.
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