Much has been written about the value of accounts payable (AP) automation technology in driving efficiency, productivity and cost savings across the enterprise, but just how tangible can that value be? Consider the story of a major architectural glass and aluminum fabricator and distributor – one of Metafile’s longest-running customers.
The organization’s AP function, both in its corporate headquarters and among its branch locations, was heavily paper-based. AP staff in each branch location would receive, stamp and sign suppliers’ invoices, and handwrite general ledger (GL) coding instructions on each invoice. The invoices would then be scanned and sent via e-mail, near the end of each month, for processing and GL coding in the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution by corporate headquarters’ AP staff. Corporate AP staff members with questions regarding particular invoices contacted individual branch locations for help, but determining which branch AP employee managed which invoice proved difficult. The resulting delays prevented timely invoice processing.
The organization sought to eliminate its paper-based process in its corporate headquarters and branch locations and to centralize its entire AP function within its corporate headquarters for Web-based “read” and “write” access (based on pre-established workflow and approval rules) by branch AP staff. The company also sought to enable its branch AP staff to assign GL coding at the branch level.
Consider these ROI-driven results:
- Centralization of accounts payable across the enterprise. MetaViewer, our signature AP document management and workflow solution, enabled the company to centralize its AP process within its corporate headquarters and extend GL coding and approval responsibilities to AP staff throughout the organization’s nearly 200 branches, boosting productivity.
- Advanced general ledger coding functionality. Using an advanced GL coding interface from Metafile, the organization migrated its GL coding process from corporate headquarters to branch locations, streamlining invoice-processing.
- Expanded reporting. MetaViewer’s advanced reporting capabilities enabled branch and regional managers to gain visibility into the status of invoices and associated due dates for which they are responsible at the employee level, and to take corrective action.
This story is just one example of how organizations can leverage AP automation technology to drive tangible, impactful ROI for their technology investments, rooted in operational visibility and simplicity.
