Tips for Presenting an Invoice Automation Business Case

Tell an accounts payable (AP) professional that there must be a better, more efficient way to get their job done and they will probably say “Tell us something we don’t know”. Manual processes or partial automation cause daily frustrations and delays, particularly with hybrid working in the mix, but senior business leaders can be slow to give the go-ahead for full AP automation. In this blog, we’ll show you how to build an AP automation business case to secure buy-in from those who can put words into action.

The good news is most AP departments have moved away from paper-only processes but many leaders don’t understand the difference between the digitisation of some processes and full automation – even though moving from the first to the second could greatly impact efficiency and growth across the business.

So, what does automated invoice processing look like? It’s mobile with near real-time access to data through the cloud. It makes sense in today’s world that’s how it would work, so why do some leaders need convincing? Resistance to change is often a fear of risk. Senior leadership look at online banking, payment processes and spreadsheets and think “These are online, so we are digital and it works well enough”, but those are just the tip of the iceberg. 

Your best tool to get allies from within your organisation is a business case which scratches below the surface to reveal their specific pain points and outline how automation can help. Consider each of the stakeholders’ motivations and business objectives. Break down the AP automation business case into arguments directed at:

• AP personnel who process invoices and reconcile budgets
• The IT department who manages and computes all the data
• The senior executives who need to understand the big picture

Drawing out the key concerns of each of these groups will give you the internal champions you need to help gain buy-in from those who make the final decisions.

So, what should be included in a business case for each of these stakeholders?

 

How Can Accounts Payable Professionals Secure Buy-In for Automated Invoicing?

Check out the groundwork to plan, write, and present a business case that you can sell into your business leaders.

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The Bottom Line – Start With Finance

The AP team are all about speed of payment, visibility into spend and securing early payment discounts. They are naturally going to be receptive to anything that pulls together fragmented processes to create effortless, connected and transparent workflows.

Focus your business case on the benefits of automated invoice management creating a complete view of employee and supplier spend data, including purchase orders, e-invoices, p-card spending and supplier networks. SAP Concur solutions scan and verify invoices using Optimal Character Recognition (OCR) technology, so employees don’t have to. Employees can easily locate supplier invoices and expenses in the workflow and, by doing this, they can make timely payments as well as capture early payment discounts and better rates. 

With automation, the AP team can ensure managers review invoices before approving them. The creation and management of spend policies become easier, which boosts compliance. On a wider business level, emphasising automated invoice management helps contain costs and supports additional revenue growth.

Drill Down to Data With IT

IT teams are typically juggling many demands at once, whilst worrying about resources and budgets, so make sure your business case cuts to the chase. Focus on the ease of integration, the support available and the short implementation times associated with cloud-based invoice management solutions, such as Concur Invoice (which includes upgrades and updates and data integrations at no additional cost). With data security a constant challenge for IT, the fact that SAP Concur solutions provide secure hosting facilities and audits is a winning argument. End-user training, resources and administration are also included. 

If they push back saying “It’s not the right time for change” then remind them there is never a good time for change and continuing with disjointed invoice processes increases the risk of non-compliance with data privacy regulations. 

Get Strategic With Senior Leaders

You’re now ready to collate the positive feedback from the finance and IT teams and draw up a bird’s eye view of the benefits of automation for your senior leadership, focusing on total value, ROI and KPIs. Aligning all the key points with your organisation’s core objectives is a great way to go. A big draw for senior leaders will be that a fully automated invoice management platform pulls together all the invoice data into one place so they can route it, approve it and get it paid – fast. Strategically, it means the business can discover new opportunities and increase buying power through better data visibility and significantly tighten up on spend control and compliance.

Timely and accurate reporting for accruals and cash flow enables leaders to make the right decisions for their business. Finally, employee satisfaction increases when manual processes are replaced by automation, a key driver for leaders battling employee acquisition and retention.

How SAP Concur Solutions Can Help

Once the invoice automation business case is ready, you can back it up with a demo of Concur Invoice. Seeing invoice automation in action will drive home how a cloud-based mobile app can help streamline the invoice management process, make employees happier and provide the insight required to make informed decisions about spending and spend policy across every corner of their business.

To find out more about how to build a business case for automated invoice management, read the eBook: How to Build a Business Case for AP Automation