AP Automation

Automate accounts payable from invoice capture to approval. Guides on reducing manual data entry, three-way matching, reconciliation, and AP workflow control.

18 articles

AP Automation Articles

Invoice GL Coding: A Complete Guide to Accurate Account Assignment

Master invoice GL coding from data extraction to account assignment. Covers common errors, automation options, and strategies by chart of accounts complexity.

AP AutomationGL codinggeneral ledger
26 min

Automated Bookkeeping: The Missing First Step Most Guides Skip

Learn how to automate bookkeeping from document extraction to reporting. Covers the 5-layer automation stack, maturity model, task-by-task guide, and ROI data.

AP Automationbookkeeping automationaccounting technology
22 min

Pre-Accounting: What It Is and How to Automate It

Learn what pre-accounting is, how the collect-extract-prepare workflow operates, and how automation transforms each stage. Includes a practical checklist.

AP Automationdocument processing automationaccounting workflows
17 min

Cost to Process an Invoice: Breakdown and Reduction Guide

What it costs to process an invoice, broken into six components. Includes benchmarks, a calculation framework, and three paths to reducing your cost per invoice.

AP AutomationCost AnalysisAccounts Payable Benchmarks
21 min

Invoice Matching: 2-Way, 3-Way, and 4-Way Explained

Invoice matching explained: 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way types compared with practical examples, tolerance thresholds, common failures, and data quality guidance.

AP AutomationPurchase OrdersInvoice Matching
26 min

Invoice Processing Time: Benchmarks, Speed, and Capacity

Invoice processing benchmarks by method and complexity tier, with cycle time vs touch time analysis and a capacity planning framework for AP teams.

AP AutomationAP BenchmarksCapacity Planning
22 min

Invoice Reconciliation: What It Is and How to Do It Right

Learn the invoice reconciliation process: three-way matching, root-cause discrepancy framework, and why upstream data quality determines reconciliation success.

AP AutomationInvoice ReconciliationThree-Way Matching
28 min

Invoice Validation: Process, Checklist, and Best Practices

Learn the invoice validation process from data capture to payment approval. Includes fraud detection methods, type-specific rules, and a priority checklist.

AP AutomationInvoice ValidationFraud Detection
24 min

Paperless Invoice Processing: A Practical Guide

Go paperless with invoices using a three-tier model: digitize, extract, automate. Implementation by org size, ROI framework, and pitfalls to avoid.

AP AutomationDigital TransformationPaperless Processing
22 min

Invoice Approval Workflow: Data Capture Is the Missing First Step

Build an invoice approval workflow that works. Learn why data capture is the missing first step that determines whether approval automation succeeds or fails.

AP AutomationApproval WorkflowsInvoice Routing
20 min

Invoice Processing for Accountants: Multi-Client Automation Guide

Guide to automating invoice processing across client portfolios. Covers multi-client workflows, GL coding, tax season scaling, and compliance-ready output.

AP Automationmulti-client workflowsaccounting firms
19 min

Invoice Processing Accuracy: Measure, Benchmark, Improve

Calculate your invoice accuracy rate, compare it to APQC benchmarks, classify errors by root cause, and follow a phased improvement roadmap.

AP Automationaccuracy metricsAPQC benchmarks
13 min

What Is Manual Invoice Capture? Costs, Challenges, and Why You Should Automate

Manual invoice capture means typing invoice data into spreadsheets by hand — a slow, error-prone process. Learn the true costs and how to automate it.

AP AutomationExcelmanual data entry
9 min

Invoice Forms Data Entry: Outsource or Automate?

Should you outsource invoice forms data entry or automate it? Compare costs, speed, accuracy, and security to choose the right approach for your business.

AP AutomationOutsourcing vs. AutomationData Entry
10 min

5 Common Invoice Processing Challenges (and How to Overcome Them)

The 5 most common invoice processing challenges — data entry errors, approval delays, high costs, poor visibility, and OCR failures — plus practical solutions to fix each one.

AP AutomationInvoice ProcessingAccounts Payable
9 min

AI for Accounts Payable: How Small Businesses Automate AP

AI tools automate invoice data entry, approvals, and payments for small businesses — saving time, preventing errors, and cutting AP costs without big-company resources.

AP AutomationSmall BusinessAI Invoice Processing
10 min

Multi-Language Invoice Processing: AI for Global AP

AI-powered invoice extraction handles multi-language and multi-currency invoices automatically — helping global AP teams eliminate errors and standardize data.

AP AutomationMulti-LanguageMulti-Currency
11 min

Invoice Processing Automation 101: How to Automate Your AP Workflow

Learn how to automate invoice processing end-to-end: key stages, OCR vs. AI technologies, implementation paths, and the ROI you can expect from AP automation.

AP AutomationInvoice Processing WorkflowAccounts Payable Guide
13 min