01Receive the invoice from any channelEmail · WhatsApp · Supplier portal · ScanCapture
Attach the file and its source message to a draft purchase invoice. Record the sender, channel and receipt time; keep later messages about the same invoice on the same record.
Check for a duplicate on supplier, invoice number and amount before any further work. A duplicate is flagged, not created again.
A draft with its evidenceOne record holding the document, the conversation and the receipt time.
Next: read and check the invoice →02Read the invoice and check itHeader, lines, tax and arithmeticAI + checklist
AI extracts supplier, tax registration, invoice number, date, due terms, line items, quantities, prices, tax and totals. It identifies the supplier from the registration number or sender address.
The checklist verifies arithmetic, tax rates and mandatory fields. If something is missing or unreadable, one focused request goes back to the supplier on the channel it arrived on. A second failure hands the invoice to accounts payable.
Readable and complete → matchingStructured lines ready to match.
Unclear after one request → personAccounts payable sees the document and what could not be read.
Next: match to order and receipt →03Match to the purchase order and receiptThree-way match within your tolerancesRules
Match each line to the open purchase order and the goods or service receipt. Apply the agreed tolerances for quantity and price, and the rules for freight, partial deliveries and returns.
AI does not decide a tolerance. Lines outside tolerance, lines without an order, or receipts not yet recorded are listed as exceptions with the difference shown.
Fully matched → postProceed to stage 5.
Any exception → stage 4The invoice waits for a person with the differences in front of them.
Next: Hand over on a mismatch →04Hand over on a mismatchConditional · Quantity, price or missing receipt outside toleranceAP owner
Show the invoice, the order, the receipt and the exact difference per line. The owner accepts within their authority, raises a dispute with the supplier, asks the warehouse to record the receipt, or holds the invoice.
A dispute goes back to the supplier on the same channel with the reason. The invoice resumes only when the owner releases it.
A decided exceptionWhat was accepted or disputed, by whom, is recorded on the invoice.
When matched: post the invoice →05Post the purchase invoiceERP validation and postingRules
The ERP validates period, supplier status, tax, budget and accounts, then posts the invoice and sets the due date from the agreed terms. Early-payment discount dates are recorded.
Nothing bypasses the validation. A failed check returns the invoice to stage 4 with the reason.
A posted invoice with a due dateVisible to finance in the ledger and to the supplier as received.
Next: invoice approval queue →06Add the invoice to approval queue AAbove your threshold, or any invoice that needed stage 4Invoice approver
Present the invoice, match results, exceptions and their decisions, and the AI findings. The approver approves, requests a correction, or holds. Approval is tied to that invoice version.
Invoices within tolerance and under the agreed threshold can be configured to pass this queue automatically, with the decision recorded as a rule-based approval.
Approve → stage 7Eligible for the next payment run.
Correct → stages 2 to 5The corrected invoice is matched and posted again.
HoldStays visible with a reason and an owner.
Next: Build the payment run →07Build the payment runDue dates, discounts, cash position and verified bank detailsRules
Select approved invoices by due date and early-payment discounts, within the cash position and payment calendar. Group by supplier and currency.
Compare every supplier's bank details with the verified record. A changed or new account is never paid automatically; it goes to a person who confirms it with the supplier out of band.
A proposed payment runSuppliers, invoices, amounts and the bank file ready for review.
Next: payment approval queue →08Add the payment run to approval queue BA second person, separate from the invoice approverPayment approver
Present the run with its invoices, amounts, bank details status and any flagged changes. The approver approves, removes an item, or rejects the run. Approval is tied to the run version.
Removing an item re-queues that invoice for the next run and does not require the others to be approved again.
Two approvals, two decisionsA approved the invoice. B approves the money and where it goes.
Approved → stage 9The bank file or transfer is released.
Next: pay and remit →09Pay, send remittance and reconcileBank reference recorded on every invoiceDispatch
Release the approved run to the bank. Record the bank reference and status on each invoice and send the remittance advice on the supplier's channel.
If the bank result is uncertain, the payment stays open and is reconciled before any retry, so nothing is paid twice. Matched bank entries close the invoice.
Paid, failed or awaiting confirmationThe supplier and your team see the same status. A failed payment is never marked as paid.
Where staff time is recovered
Keying invoice headers and lines, locating the purchase order and receipt, resolving small differences, assembling the payment run and sending remittance advice.
What we measure in the pilot
Hands-on minutes per invoice, first-time match rate, invoices waiting in each queue, days from receipt to posting, duplicate and late-payment incidents.