Day 4 – Finance: Automated Invoice Processing

Automated invoice processing is now essential. It’s the first Monday of the month, and your Accounts Payable inbox is already overflowing.

Each invoice means the same routine: open it, type the number and date into your finance system, check the vendor against your database, match it to a purchase order, and scan the line items for accuracy. If it matches, you post it. If it doesn’t, you flag it and send an email for clarification.

By lunchtime, you’ve only processed a fraction of what’s there. Tomorrow’s pile will be just as big. It’s repetitive, tiring, and far from the best use of your skills.

Now imagine a different picture. Every invoice that arrives is automatically captured, read, validated, matched, and posted straight into your finance system. You and your team only touch invoices if something unusual needs your expertise. That’s the promise of automated invoice processing with intELIEdocs.

Manual vs automated invoice processing

Accounts Payable is still one of the most manual finance functions. It creates hidden costs and unnecessary risks:

• Fraud exposure – fake invoices and diversion scams slip through more easily
• High processing costs – APQC puts the median at $12.44 (£10) per invoice, with UK costs often £5–20 depending on complexity
• Slow cycles – weeks from receipt to payment is still common
• Error rates – mistyped numbers, missed line items, and duplicate payments are frequent
• Lost discounts – early payment opportunities (2–5% of spend) are missed without automation

Even with automation, a human in the loop is essential to review exceptions, validate unusual entries, and protect compliance. The right balance is speed from automation and assurance from people.

The real cost of doing nothing

For a mid-sized company processing 3,000 invoices a month:

• At £12 per invoice, that’s £36,000 a month, or £432,000 a year in processing costs
• Payment delays damage supplier relationships and trust
• Late payments mean lost discounts worth tens of thousands annually
• Poor visibility makes cash flow forecasting unreliable

The status quo is expensive.

What touchless invoice processing looks like

The ideal workflow is simple:

• Invoices are captured from any source – email, upload, or scan
• Key details are extracted with near-perfect accuracy using AI invoice data capture
• Data is matched instantly to purchase orders
• Only exceptions go to the AP team
• Approved invoices post straight to the ERP or finance system
• Every action is recorded in an audit trail

This is touchless invoice processing – and it’s exactly what intELIEdocs delivers.

How intELIEdocs automates invoice processing

1. Automatic capture
   intELIEdocs connects to your AP inbox, upload points, and scanners. No matter the file type or format, invoices are pulled into the system instantly.
2. AI invoice data capture
   Advanced OCR and AI extract details like vendor names, invoice numbers, dates, VAT, currencies, line items, and purchase order numbers. Accuracy improves continuously as the system learns from your layouts.
3. Purchase order matching
   Invoice data is cross-checked against approved purchase orders. Matches flow through automatically; mismatches are flagged with clear summaries.
4. Exception handling
   Only problem invoices are sent to your AP team. Instead of keying in data, they solve issues and ensure compliance.
5. Direct posting
   Approved invoices post directly into your ERP or finance system, ready for payment scheduling.
6. Full audit trail
   Every step is logged, so you know when invoices were received, what was extracted, who approved it, and when payment was made.

Real-world results

A UK construction company processing 3,000 invoices monthly was paying £19 per invoice with a 35-day cycle. After moving to intELIEdocs invoice processing software UK:

• Costs dropped to £6 per invoice
• Payment cycle reduced to 21 days
• Duplicate payments fell to zero
• Supplier satisfaction improved with faster, predictable payments

The annual saving in processing alone: £468,000.

The ROI of automated invoice processing

For a company processing 3,000 invoices a month:

• Reducing cost from £12 to £6 per invoice saves £18,000 per month or £216,000 per year
• Recovering 2% early-payment discounts on £10m spend adds another £200,000
• Indirect savings come from fewer disputes, faster cycles, and less rework

Automation slashes costs. Humans safeguard accuracy. Together, they deliver real ROI.

Why finance leaders value intELIEdocs

• Scales easily from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of invoices
• Improves accuracy the longer it runs
• Provides a clear audit trail for compliance and governance

Why AP teams prefer it

• No more endless data entry
• Focus on exceptions, cash flow optimisation, and supplier relationships
• Better job satisfaction and more strategic work

Beyond invoices

The same intELIEdocs engine also automates expense reports, credit note matching, and approvals – moving finance teams closer to a fully automated back office.

The bigger picture

This is the final day of the Just Imagine with intELIEdocs series. Over four days, we’ve seen how the platform transforms customer service, compliance, procurement, and finance. In every case, the story is the same: automation doesn’t just make processes faster – it makes them better, more reliable, and more scalable.