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Resources   /   Glossary

Payment Automation

When it comes to ensuring that suppliers are paid promptly and accurately, a sound accounts payable strategy would ideally be in place. Such a system could be efficiently handled with minimal manual input, as handling such a process manually could not only be prone to human error but also time consuming for an accounts payable team to handle alone. This could in turn distract them from attending to other pressing matters. For this reason, many middle-market companies may opt for payment automation to ensure that their suppliers are paid on time.

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It may help to answer the question: what is accounts payable automation? To describe it simply, accounts payable automation does not entail uprooting your current accounts payable workflows completely. Rather, payment automation may focus on accounts payable process improvement so that your team may focus less on manual tasks and instead allow payment automation software to assist with these tasks. That is what AvidXchange could manage. Our software could automate payment processes, streamlining and accommodating your current processes rather than forcing you to abandon them altogether. Some payment automation examples from AvidXchange might include purchase order, invoicing, and payment processes. As a result, your suppliers could be paid when they expect to be paid and according to their needs.

Moreover, AvidXchange’s payment automation software could allow for accounts payable teams to have transparency and visibility into their payment processes and accounts payable system while still enjoying automated solutions. For example, our platform could allow the accounts payable team access to payments information 24/7, so long as they have access to the internet and a working device. That is because the AvidXchange platform is cloud-based. Your system could still function as the main system for records, as you could keep track of files that contain relevant information concerning your automated payment information for reconciliation of your B2B payments.

Payment Automation Companies

The accounts payable software market may offer a wide array of accounts payable payment automation solutions; however, not all payment automation companies may offer features that could allow companies to retain their present systems while still streamlining the accounts payable process. As far as accounts payable companies are concerned, AvidXchange could provide middle-market companies with a practical solution for handling some of the more tedious tasks associated with accounts payable. Our software could allow accounts payable teams to customize their workflows and also retain round-the-clock access to their payment information via our cloud-based platform.

Moreover, the most innovative AP automation companies would ideally offer a system that could allow accounts payable teams to eliminate excessive amounts of paperwork from their everyday processes. AvidXchange could help an accounts payable organization or a middle-market company as a whole reduce some of the costs associated with paperwork-heavy accounts payable processes by eliminating the need for stamps, envelopes, and check printing. That is because AvidXchange could automate certain routine tasks and paperwork by offering a software that could streamline the process for you. With a more streamlined process of managing accounts payable, your team could not only focus on more pressing tasks, you could also better ensure that suppliers can be paid according to schedule.

Invoice Payment Automation

Managing, processing, and ensuring the approval of invoices could be a time-consuming endeavor for accounts payable teams to handle on their own. This could be especially true for middle-market companies that may find themselves having to manage a large volume of invoices at one time, particularly if these invoices are complex in nature. With that in mind, the best automated invoice processing software could take these heavy workloads into account while also allowing accounts payable teams to customize the workflow to match their present needs and to be adapted to their present process.

With automated invoice processing software offered by AvidXchange, your accounts payable team may be able to enjoy invoice payment automation while still taking into account your accounts payable controls and current needs. AvidXchange could support invoice automation by allowing for your invoices to be automatically scanned and coded. You could then match the invoice information to the receipt or purchase order. From there, the invoice could be directed to the person tasked with invoice approval. Once the invoice is approved, payments to suppliers could be authorized.

In sum, automated invoice processing would not have to replace your current systems. Your accounts payable team could retain the system with which they are familiar and still possibly reap the benefits of invoice payment automation with AvidXchange. They could also view the statuses of payments at any time on the dashboard via our cloud-based platform.

Accounts Payable Automation

Ideally, accounts payable automation would not require your accounts payable team to completely revamp existing systems or learn how to navigate a new system altogether. Rather, to automate accounts payable would entail allowing AP teams to experience a customized AP automation workflow that would allow them to streamline the process so they could manage fewer tasks manually and ensure that suppliers could be paid on time and according to their specific preferences.

First, it may be helpful to address another common question: what is AP automation? To put it simply, when your team can automate accounts payable, they may be able to spend less time performing tedious tasks by hand and more time attending to the responsibilities associated with the growth of their middle-market companies. Accounts payable automation software would also ideally employ accounts payable automation best practices, which streamlines the AP process and reduces or removes the need for excessive paperwork throughout the process.

Beyond these factors, accounts payable automation software would allow accounts payable teams to automate the accounts payable workflow and oversee the process via one centralized platform. With AvidXchange, invoices could be scanned, coded, and directed to the person in charge of approving invoices. Once that occurs, payment to suppliers may be completed. The AvidXchange platform could allow AP teams to view the statuses of payments at any time.

Accounts Payable Software

The best accounts payable automation software could help medium-sized businesses manage their accounts payable processes via customized workflows that allow all members of the AP team visibility into the process so that they could monitor the status of payments and approvals. AP software companies could also allow medium-sized businesses to streamline tedious accounts payable tasks so that the AP team could focus on tasks that more closely relate to a company’s overall growth.

With AvidXchange’s accounts payable software, AP teams could potentially automate the accounts payable process without sacrificing their current, familiar system. They could simply see that invoices are scanned and coded with the software. The invoices could then be sent for approval to the designated person before suppliers are authorized to be paid. Throughout the process, the AP team could monitor the status of invoices and current payments via AvidXchange’s centralized dashboard. Because the platform is cloud-based, the team could view this dashboard at any time of the day from any device, so long as they have access to the internet.

Accounts payable solutions are most practical when they streamline a known, time-consuming process without requiring the AP team to abandon the systems they understand best. AvidXchange could allow AP teams to create customized workflows that simplify the accounts payable process and allow them to track that process from one platform.

Payment Authorization

When a payment authorization fails, accounts payable teams may have to scramble to resolve the situation so that suppliers still get paid on time. Managing all steps of the accounts payable process could be a challenge to handle manually. AP teams must ensure that the invoice reaches the person tasked with approving the invoice, along with the payment authorization code, so that payments may be completed promptly.

Fortunately, AvidXchange’s centralized platform could ensure that payment authorization occurs smoothly, that invoices can be approved by the appropriate parties, and that payment authorization could be processed when it needs to be. The process of approving invoices and ensuring that payments can be authorized could be a straightforward process. Once invoices have been scanned and coded, they could be sent to the approval dashboard for the accounts payable team to view and approve. Once approval has occurred, the software can automatically pay the bill for you.

With AvidXchange, the payment authorization process could be more streamlined. That is because AvidXchange could allow the AP team to view the statuses of invoices at any time to ensure that they can be approved promptly. The software could also ensure that the payment authorization is finalized and that suppliers are paid.

What is Accounts Payable?

Before you could understand what a streamlined accounts payable system looks like, it could help to define the term and answer the question: what is accounts payable? Simply put, accounts payable entails ensuring that businesses can pay their suppliers who provide a product or service. This could also help answer similar questions, such as what is accounts payable process? The accounts payable process entails purchase orders to suppliers, as well as all the steps associated with invoices and their coding, processing, and approval. Accounts payable also concerns ensuring that bill pay is completed and that payments to suppliers can be authorized.

Some accounts payable examples include ensuring that invoices are scanned and coded. The invoices can then be sent to the proper channels for approval. Once the proper person approves the invoice, payments can be authorized. This could ensure that suppliers receive their payments on schedule and according to their desires.

With AvidXchange’s accounts payable automation software, AP teams could better employ accounts payable best practices. As a result, the accounts payable process could be streamlined so that the AP team may not have to handle such processes manually. Finally, AP teams can view the statuses of all invoices on the dashboard, accessible via the cloud-based platform, 24/7.

More On Payment Automation

Does your accounts payable (AP) team have stacks of papers on their desks about a mile high? Have you and your team ever been frustrated by having to wait on mail couriers or employees with approval authority being out of the office? Or have you been stuck waiting for the mail to finally arrive, and then have to deal with even more delays as important documents are miscategorized or misplaced? These are just a few of the headaches that can come from relying on traditional, paper-based processes for accounts payable. Paper may seem more trustworthy, but data shows that it is actually prone to more fraud than computerized payments. When you think about it, this makes sense. It’s much easier to forge a signature on a bill than to hack into an encrypted device. Unfortunately, though, it can be very hard to break from what you’re used to. Although the digital payments business has only continued to grow, and the top digital payment companies have become very successful in the B2C space, many organizations in the B2B space have been hesitant to make the leap into payment automation. This is starting to change, however, and payments companies are starting to take note.

Accounts payable process automation has many benefits, the most important of which is that it addresses all of the problems with paper-based systems listed above. Don’t want to deal with delays? How about trying instant payment through an automation solution such as AvidPay from AvidXchange? No payment processing companies list could be complete without mentioning AvidXchange. With the features of this solution, you and your team can streamline your vendor payment processes, tighten security, and provide 24/7 access and tracking to managers and administrators. We know the digital payments business and have been trusted by hundreds of thousands of organizations to manage and support their bill payments processes.

Payment Automation Examples

If you’re interested in the idea of lightning-fast bill payments and cloud-powered access to your accounts payable processes, you can look into payment automation examples. This can be done by simply going online and searching for a list of online payment methods. This list of payment methods will show you how many payment automation systems and methods have come into common use, from PayPal to Square and everything in between. E-commerce payment methods have only increased in popularity over the years. The time has come for middle-market organizations in the B2B space to embrace this technological innovation and save their AP teams hours of headaches. Automation solutions such as those provided by AvidXchange allow you to bring the speed and efficiency of e-commerce payment to the B2B space. This means that you can instantly pay your suppliers’ and vendors’ bills from within a comprehensive and easy-to-use platform. AvidPay is a solution designed to be one of the best online payment systems for B2B transactions and can provide you with a wide array of features. The idea is to give you a new way to pay through vendor pay automation. Compared to other payment systems, AvidPay from AvidXchange has experience and reliability, having been trusted by over 700,000 businesses.

Payment Automation Software

Payment automation software comes in many different forms, from systems designed to support B2C transactions in an e-commerce environment to products like AvidXchange, which streamlines accounts payable processes in the B2B space. Accounts payable automation tools should be easy to integrate into your current accounting system. That’s why AvidXchange provides over 200 integrations with some of the most popular accounting software for middle-market B2B organizations. Whether you’re looking for accounts payable software for a large business or for a smaller business, automation can not only make your bill payments process faster and easier but can also provide greater security and give you better insights into your performance.

The best accounts payable automation software is easy to use and allows you to pay all of your bills 100 percent electronically. Another feature of the best accounts payable software is that you can create custom workflows. Automation doesn’t have to mean that you lose control over your processes. With AvidXchange, you can create completely custom workflows that ensure each and every invoice is approved by the proper administrators and paid promptly. Payment approval software should also be present in your payment automation solution. Finally, the best automated invoice processing software reduces bill payment processing costs by taking out all of the additional costs brought on by traditional, paper-based processes.

Accounts Payable Automation

With accounts payable automation, as with other kinds of automation, you can use the power of electronics to reduce manual labor. With paper-based billing, the scalability of your organization is limited because of the increased volume of the paperwork that occurs with your increased volume of business. With accounts payable solutions like AvidXchange, you can ensure that your accounts payable team is never overwhelmed with paperwork. Here’s how it works.

The solutions from AvidXchange follow accounts payable automation best practices and allow you to easily digitize the paper invoices you receive. The system will check those invoices for errors and then automatically follow the AP automation workflow you have designated. Once the invoice has been approved by the proper employees, the system will then pay the bill electronically over the internet. There are many options for AP automation companies out there, but AvidXchange possesses the reliability to support your business transactions. Our system processes over $145 billion annually and is only growing. The best accounts payable automation software is also cloud-based, which means that you can get insights into your accounts payable processes at any time regardless of your physical location. Furthermore, the best automated invoice processing software will instantly and seamlessly categorize and transfer your electronic invoices directly into your accounting system, allowing your accounts payable team to focus on more strategic work.

Accounts Payable Automation Articles

If you’re interested in learning more about the accounts payable definition, you could check out accounts payable automation articles. The AvidXchange blog features several pieces describing the accounts payable automation process. Of course, the ideal accounts payable automation is not going to be simply robotic process automation. Accounts payable is not like manufacturing, where manual labor can be simply replaced with robotic equipment and software. Rather, automation seeks to eliminate the wasteful tasks and processes that can take up so much of your valuable time. It’s about using technology and automation to enhance and improve your accounts payable processes so that you can keep your suppliers happier and your accounts payable team more productive.

You may still be wondering, “What is payment automation?” We could give you a simple definition here, such as “accounts payable automation enables your team to pay invoices electronically and instantaneously,” but there’s another way to learn. AvidXchange provides several explainer videos that can provide you insights into how payment automation can be a benefit for your organization. Going paperless can not only make your AP processes more efficient, but it can also reduce the risk of fraud and give your team 24/7 access.

Why AP Automation?

Even now, you may be wondering, “Why AP automation?” However, you could equally ask, “Why not AP automation?” With a solution that follows accounts payable automation best practices, such as AvidXchange, you could end all of the headaches and delays caused by paper-based processes. This means bringing your accounts payable into the digital age and taking advantage of the technological innovations that have already sped up and secured our transactions in so many other areas of the economy. The benefits of AP automation are extensive, and we’ve already talked about many of them here. One benefit that we’ve not mentioned is how easy it can be to keep accurate records with AP automation such as with the Concur AP automation provided by AvidXchange.

AvidXchange makes it easy to keep track of data that could be useful in audits later on by automatically recording and coding every single invoice. The best accounts payable automation software is easy to use and easy to integrate with your existing accounting software. AvidXchange does both of these things. The disadvantages of accounts payable paper processes are extensive, but with automation, they don’t have to be. AvidXchange also provides many other kinds of integrations, such as NetSuite AP automation, Oracle AP automation, and many more. There are many kinds of accounts payable software for banks, but they all should share the characteristics we’ve described here. Accounts payable for banks is much like accounts payable for any organization, and manual processes can always be improved with automation.

Accounts Payable Strategy

The best accounts payable strategy will incorporate automation into its workflows. The strategy will be made up of accounts payable process steps that can then be incorporated into an accounts payable procedures manual. Building a tight structure like this means that you will have an accounts payable management example that your team and organization can refer to. To build these examples and the manual, it may be helpful to look at a sample accounts payable policy and procedures manual for reference. In the end, what will truly benefit your accounts payable strategy is to utilize automation that follows accounts payable best practices.

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