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More and more people are receiving their supplier invoices in electronic format directly into their business system. The solution is perceived as simple and time-saving. The recipient service also benefits the suppliers, which is sometimes forgotten.
It also creates several other benefits.
Sofia Euström, key account manager at Inexchange, gives a number of reasons why it is so good to automate the invoice flow and why e-invoices are always preferable.
Sofia has held a webinar under the title "Fastest way to 100% e-invoicing" on four occasions in September and November. In the webinar, she and Jari Urkko, senior sales manager at Scancloud, talked about the recipient service and how it works.
But of course, Sofia is happy to talk about supplier invoices even outside the webcasts. As I said, it's more convenient to center the flow on a single communication channel.
- You get a better overview. Everything ends up in InExchange web where you can pick out reports and statistics. It also saves a lot of time to receive everything in the same flow, regardless of the format in which the supplier has sent it. You get a more automated management, she says and further explains:
- It also shows how the invoices were delivered. This makes it easier to process suppliers in-house. You can easily see whether it was originally received as a paper or PDF invoice and can distinguish which suppliers you can "push" a little extra to get more e-invoices.
- The advantage is also that we can help increase the customer's share of e-invoices. For example, we can perform supplier processing and relationship mailings to increase the amount of e-invoices.
Is it complicated for the customer to get the supplier processing started?
- No, I wouldn't say it is. We do the work of developing letter proposals, addresses and carrying out the mailings. All we need from the customer is a list of suppliers that we can match against the Inexchange Network, to know which suppliers are not sending e-invoices to them today.
Provides reference checking
Sofia further highlights another smart side of the service:
- When you receive the invoices electronically, we can also add more checks to ensure that the invoice you receive is fully accurate. For example, reference validations. This enables you as a customer to only receive invoices with the correct reference. If the invoice contains an incorrect reference, it is rejected with an error message to the supplier before it reaches your business system. This is also something that many of our customers see as a real time saver for them.
"You get everything at a glance in one place and it always comes in as an e-invoice regardless of the format the supplier used initially."
The fact that the end product, i.e. the invoice that lands in the business system, is always electronic is of course grateful. The recipient service works in such a way that the conversion from PDF and paper to e-invoice is automatic. Scanning and interpretation is a link between the Inexchange platform and the customer's business system. It is a procedure that the customer does not need to be an active part of.
Sofia notes, like many others, that it is very practical:
- Of course, it is advantageous to avoid manual handling. You also don't have to go into other portals if you happen to have your suppliers scattered in different systems. Instead, everything becomes manageable in the same place and it always comes in as an e-invoice regardless of which format the supplier used from the beginning.
- Then, of course, it is easy to work with only one party. If things get stuck, you don't need to contact several different suppliers. It is enough to talk to one supplier. This makes it easier to manage any errors, which saves a lot of time, she adds.
Positive also for suppliers
By choosing this solution, you are also doing your suppliers a favor.
Sofia Euström lists the following positive effects for suppliers:
- First of all, the traceability, if the invoice is sent as an e-invoice, they can see that the invoice has been delivered. They get a receipt message and can be sure that it has arrived. This is not something they receive if they send the invoice by letter, for example.
- When they print or convert an invoice to a paper invoice or PDF invoice, a lot of important information is lost from the invoice. If they send the invoice as an e-invoice instead, all the information is sent to the recipient, who can use the information for both spend and purchase analysis.
- It also means reduced costs for suppliers. For example, they do not have to send paper invoices, which is always more expensive than sending them electronically. At the same time, you make an environmental effort by saving natural resources and transportation.
- You increase liquidity because you shorten the process significantly. The invoice comes straight into the ERP system and is sorted directly by due date. It ends up exactly where it should be. This means that the invoice is processed faster, the accounts are closed faster and you get paid faster.
