Accounts Payable Automation – a Senior Project Leader’s View

I had the opportunity to sit down recently and talk with Debbie McDowell, one of our Senior Project Leaders, about accounts payable automation. During that discussion, I asked Debbie what she would tell companies that were considering an accounts payable automation initiative.  Here were her thoughts…

Your Current Process

• Don’t neglect it. Just because it’s problematic and you want it to change it doesn’t mean it’s not important.
• Map it, analyze it, document it.
• The more you understand it the better you can help us understand it (and its apparent pitfalls).
• Identify roadblocks
• The only way to improve your process is to know what’s broken in the first place.

Your Project Goals and Objectives

• Should be clearly defined
• You’ll only know if a company can meet your goals if you’re very clear on what you want out of the solution.
• …and measurable
• Instead of “faster approvals” say, “Approvals in 3 days or less.”
• Start capturing benchmarks now.
• Invoice volumes
• Per type, per processor, per large volume vendor, per day
• Processing cycle times
• End-to-end process
• Receipt of mail to approval and coding to data entry to payment
• Specific steps
• Approval and coding (one step or two?)
• Entry into ERP
• Discounts taken and discounts lost
• Exceptions

Vet your vendor’s implementation team

• Certifications
• Industry experience
• Longevity with the company

Begin to prepare users for the change.

• Hiding it will only make them less willing to accept it.

Begin to put together an implementation project team.

• An AP business process expert will need to be heavily involved in the implementation, so begin now to make it possible for this person to be away from their day-to-day responsibilities for several days or a week at a time.
• Don’t skimp here – it will only hurt you in the end!!

I found Debbie’s insight to be very informational and helpful, and thought companies considering an accounts payable automation initiative would as well. For more information about accounts payable automation and how your company can take advantage of such capabilities, please Contact Us.

Dave Litzenberg

Dave Litzenberg, a Senior Sales Executive at Image Integration Systems, has spent his entire professional career helping small, mid-market, and enterprise-level businesses leverage information technology to deliver business results. In his role at IIS, Dave works with enterprise-level and mid-market businesses to evaluate and apply IIS’s DocuSphere software suite to AP automation and business process management initiatives. Prior to joining IIS, Dave has held sales and marketing positions with IBM Corporation in various roles including as International Account Executive for the global Ford Motor Company account, Technology Group International as Vice President of Sales, and Meritage Technologies as Business Development Executive. Before moving into sales and marketing, Dave began his career working in information technology at Marathon Oil Company. Dave is a summa cum laude graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science while concurrently being a four-year member of the BGSU varsity baseball team. During Dave’s senior season, he earned second team Academic All-America honors and was named BGSU’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.

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