Did you know employees spend 10 to 20% of their time on repetitive computer tasks? Once you’ve decided to streamline your accounts payable process and relieve your staff from manual processes, there are a few things to consider to make sure you get the most out of your investment. Follow these tips to ensure your transition is as smooth as possible.
Get Your Entire Team Involved
Although adopting an AP automation solution will primarily impact your finance department, it can affect every aspect of your business in some way—finance staff should feel comfortable within the new workflow and be able to instruct other staff members on submitting invoices. But to fully optimize the AP process, you need buy-in from all team members. Communicate with your team about the transition and how it will change their day-to-day responsibilities. Communicate a timeline for the transition and encourage your team to provide input and ask questions about the platform to help prevent any issues.
Many AP automation solutions will be able to provide support to your team ahead of the transition, including what to expect during training or live demonstrations to help your team reach the full potential of your new solution.
Update Your AP Controls
One of the major advantages of an AP automation solution is the visibility and command you’ll have over approvals, notifications, and other security controls. When the new solution goes into effect, you will need to establish a compliance policy that your whole team understands. Here are some helpful questions to consider when developing your plan.
- What payment amount requires authorization?
- What is the hierarchy of approvers?
- Who has access to company credit cards?
- Who maintains which vendor relationships?
- Is there a system for internal audits?
While some of these questions may already have answers in your current process, switching to a new solution is a good time to reevaluate. For more information on maintaining a secure process see our blog about mitigating payment fraud with AP automation.
Sync with Your ERP System
If you’ve already invested in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, you’ll want to guarantee that it works in harmony with an AP automation solution. AP automation can fill many gaps in your process that an ERP cannot handle, including the receipt, review, and approval of invoices.
Be sure to choose an AP automation solution that integrates with your ERP system. Paypool, for example, works with hundreds of accounting packages, supporting both cloud integrations with NetSuite, QuickBooks, Intacct, and NOW Acumatica, as well as file integrations with other solutions.
Make the Most of Customer Support
Despite the best efforts, sometimes things can go awry. That’s why it’s important to choose an AP automation solution known for customer support. Paypool offers comprehensive customer support before, during, and after transition so your team is never held up. Paypool’s AP solution comes with a team of experts ready to assist your organization. In addition, Paypool will keep you up-to-date on the accounts payable industry through events and our regularly updated resource library.
Notify Your Vendors
When you are ready to transition, be sure to notify your vendors. Keep them informed and be sure to provide them with any new instructions to ensure a smooth changeover. For example, switching to automation might mean vendors need to send invoices to a new address or email. Often your automation vendor can support this effort but it helps to touch base with your vendors personally.
Unlike most AP automation solutions, Paypool includes a full-service vendor portal, a simple way for vendors to check on the bills they send to clients. The vendor portal includes online invoice submission, status checks and reporting, updating vendor data, and vendor onboarding.
Request a Demo
Still weighing your options? Try Paypool, an AP automation solution that makes the transition process simple. Learn more with a live or pre-recorded demo.