How to Implement Automated Invoice Processing for Businesses in the UK

The invoice processing is an essential component of the accounts payable cycle. This process includes receiving, approving, and paying supplier invoices.

An effective invoicing process encompasses the management of outstanding invoices, which leads to reducing operational costs, ultimately boosting profitability and freeing up resources to focus on developing strategies for growth.

The UK Department of Business and HM(His Majesty) Revenue and Custom has taken an initiative that aims to gather information from businesses on how to adopt e-invoicing in the UK.

As technology advances, so too does the invoicing process. The UK government is actively encouraging businesses to adopt automated invoice processing to foster growth and efficiency.

What are automated invoices?

Automated invoice processing uses software to streamline the invoicing process, significantly reducing the need for human intervention.

Traditional invoicing is time-consuming and often causes payment delays. Using invoice automation can help streamline operations by automating transactions, boosting workflow speed and enhancing transparency.

The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has a mandatory requirement to adopt the e-invoicing they are using. It isn't a mandatory requirement for all sectors in the UK but the push for healthcare, education, banking and B2B is promoted. Early adoption of automated invoicing processes is encouraged.

E-invoicing automates the invoicing process, leading to improved precision, optimised financial efficiency, increased productivity, and significant reductions in time and errors for businesses.

Automated invoice processing can help streamline operational activities such as data entry, invoice-to-purchase order matching, and approval workflows. This significantly cuts down manual work and accelerates the processing speed, leading to quicker payments, more effective cash flow management and strengthening vendor relationships.

How does automation invoice processing work?

Invoice capturing:

• The process begins with invoice capture, either through electronic submissions or using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to scan and extract essential data like invoice numbers, supplier details and quantities.
• OCR is when a text image is converted into a machine-readable format, eg, when you scan a receipt it is saved as an image but in OCR the image converts into text format and can be edited.
• OCR is used in sectors such as the National Health Service (NHS) for digitising various documents such as billing, prescriptions, and administrative records. This technology is also used to extract information from insurance forms, thereby minimising manual data entry and subsequently lowering the error rate.

Data validation:

Once captured, the data is validated-this includes checking payment terms, verifying purchase orders, and flagging duplicate invoices.

Approval:

The invoice then moves through an automated approval workflow. Approvers are notified and can review invoices based on pre-set business rules, eliminating bottlenecks.

Integration:

Integration with accounting systems such as QuickBooks, SAGE, or FreshBooks ensures invoices are automatically scheduled and processed according to vendor-specific preferences.

Insights:

Reporting tools provide historical insights into vendor transactions, empowering businesses to optimise payment strategies and unlock potential discounts.

Why does your business need automation for invoice processing?

Technology is redefining business processes, including end-to-end invoice management, to improve transparency between companies and their vendors. No more payment delays or waiting for approvals! By using automation, a business can expedite the payment process, and it can experience quicker turnaround time, improving efficiency.

Automated invoice processing helps businesses maintain transparency and manage finances more effectively. Maintaining transparency in business helps in gaining public trust and improves the goodwill of the company.

Top 10 reasons why automated invoicing is best for your business

1. Reduces cost: Invoice automation reduces manual errors, there is little to no room for mistakes, and you can save up to 80% of cost.
2. Reducing time: Automated invoice processing significantly speeds up the approval process, reducing processing times considerably. This also frees up valuable staff time, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and high-value tasks rather than tedious, manual data entry and invoice routing.
3. Improves accuracy: Invoicing processing software uses automation intelligence, which helps in reducing errors such as duplicate invoices and all kinds of inconsistencies and improves accuracy.
4. Access dashboard: It gives your business real-time access to the financial activities, which provides better tracking, helps in decision making.
5. Business transparency: It can integrate with existing ERP software or any finance management tool, which helps in managing data and boosts transparency with the vendors and employees.
6. Easy in audit log: This software reduces the paper usage and maintains the audit log. Digital record-keeping enhances the audit log process through simplified storage and accessibility. This simplification is vital for businesses, enhancing financial accountability within the organisation.
7. Faster process: The automation software assists in automating the workflow and streamlining the approval cycle. It avoids making late payments and can obtain an early payment discount.
8. Enhance Visibility: It streamlines communication between vendors, suppliers, and service providers while enabling seamless management of credit and debit memos.
9. Reports: Generates comprehensive reports on receivables, payables, and payment statuses. Implement efficient e-invoicing workflows and multi-level invoice approval processes.
10. Improve productivity: Automated invoice processing handles routine financial tasks, freeing up employees to focus on higher-value, strategic work. This streamlines operations and significantly enhances overall efficiency.

How are various industries currently utilising automated invoice processing?

Healthcare: Automating the supplier invoice and matching with the purchase order, the system helps in tracking the vendors which makes sure the payments are made on time.

Insurance: The data is extracted from the insurance during the claim which reduces the manual intervention and errors.

Manufacturing: Tracking orders, suppliers and linking them with the invoices helps in ensuring payment in time and streamlines the operation.

How is the UK implementing automated invoice processing?

Implementing automated invoice processing effectively requires more than just new technology. A strategic approach is essential, one that aligns with financial processes and business objectives. A well-planned implementation ensures automation delivers tangible benefits, including improved accuracy, enhanced efficiency, and reduced costs.

According to an EY report on September 23, 2024 UK government has announced a major digital transformation initiative. The aim is to reduce administrative tasks to increase productivity, automate the workflow, and reduce errors during tax return filing. While e-invoicing (automated invoicing) is not yet mandatory in the UK, the government actively promotes its early adoption as part of its broader push toward digitalisation.

The UK health department is implementing an e-invoicing strategy for the National Health Service(NHS). The aim is to streamline the process and make it more efficient. Pay.UK is actively promoting the e-invoicing adoption to promote a faster payment process. They are supporting the government program of digital transformation.

Implementing and adopting e-invoicing or an automated invoicing process is a game-changer for businesses.

What matters?

Automation: Automating the payment process allows for the automatic approval of invoices, which can lead to early payments and discounts for businesses and individuals.

Integration: Integrating the automated invoicing process with the existing banking platform and payment gateway will smoothly and efficiently handle the payment cycle. Automate your business to create a more sophisticated financial workflow.

Productivity Gains: By reducing administrative overhead, businesses can shift focus to higher-value tasks and strategic decision-making.

The new Digital Transformation roadmap has been rolled out by the UK Government, the motto being digital-first. Early adoption of automated invoice processing can be a game-changer for companies looking to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

Next step for your business:

• Keep updated on new developments and changes in taken place by the UK Government. The UK is heading towards digital transformation.
• Early adoption of automated invoice processing is recommended
• Consult the expert if you want to start with invoice automation software or e-invoicing compliance.

Nikita Deosarkar