AP Automation

AP automation in the cloud with intelligent invoice data capture, mobile approval workflows, complex PO matching, and an archive with audit trail. Book a demo with Rillion and learn about our accounts payable automation software.

Smart & Flexible

  • Automated data entry
  • Tailored approval workflows
  • AI-powered AP automation
  • Scalable for growth
  • Intelligent 3-way-matching

Visibility & Control

  • Full visibility and transparency
  • Automated communications
  • Full audit trail and compliance
  • Advanced invoice search capabilities

Intuitive & Ease-of-use

  • Get started in a few days
  • Minimal training requirements
  • Easy to use interface
  • Anytime, anywhere, any device

How does AP automation work?

Capture

Incoming invoices are auto interpreted and their data fields are captured. The data is intuitively extracted using OCR and AI digital capture technologies, regardless if the format is regular paper or PDF, XML, Word, or any other digital format.

The technology recognizes each invoice by vendor and collects all the essential information – vendor data, reference, amount, and VAT. The system suggests an approval workflow based on supplier reference and predetermined rules.

Approve

Artificial intelligence and pre-set rules automatically route and code invoices for approval to the designated approver or exception handler. The approvers have full visibility into the payment and approval status of the invoices and can approve online on any device, whenever they want. They are also sent automatic reminders and notifications to ensure the invoices are approved in time.

If everything is in order, the invoice is sent to the ERP/accounting system for final booking and payment. Exceptions are routed to the appropriate person by the system, according to pre-defines rules.

You can easily make notes and communicate with approvers or administrators about the invoice – within the platform. Once the exception has been resolved, invoice data is transferred to the ERP/accounting system for recording and payment.

Match

The information in the invoice is automatically cross-referenced with its corresponding purchase order (PO), delivered goods receipt, and/or contract to ensure all the pertinent details, such as quoted order amount and number of items ordered, match. It reduces the risk of fraudulent invoices going undetected and possibly being paid.

If the invoice has a PO and it matches with the invoice, the invoice is sent to the ERP or accounting system for recording and payment, meaning you get a zero touch process.

If one or more details fail to match, the system determines a proper workflow for reviewing the invoice.

This means you will only be spending time on deviations.

Pay

Approved invoices are automatically transferred to your ERP/accounting system for recording and payment.

Once the payment is effective, payment data is transferred back to Rillion where all documentation about the transaction is archived.

You can also choose to manage the payment within Rillion, using Rillion Pay.

Capabilities of Rillion’s AP automation software

Full visibility and control

Gain full visibility to your data and actionable insights allowing you to detect bottlenecks before they arise.

Complex or simple approval workflows

Tailor your approval workflows however you want to match your needs and requirements with drag and drop functionality and 1-click approvals.

Seamless integration to ERP/accounting system

Easily and quickly integrate your existing ERP/account system to Rillion’s accounts payable automation solutions. Support for over 50 of the world’s leading ERPs and accounting systems.

Recurring invoices

Manage service contracts and match to recurring invoices with Rillons’ AP Automation solutions. Reminders and notifications with self billing.

Advanced search functionality

Search for any word or number on an invoice, no matter where the words or numbers are located, to find current and paid invoices.

AI Coding

Rillion AP automation software is powered by machine learning, learning as it goes on how to code your invoices and improve your workflows.

Automated PO-match

Our Cascading PO Matching engine automatically matches hundreds of lines between a purchase order or goods receipt with vendor invoices. Exceptions are sent to approvers with all of the information they need in order to clear them.

Ease of use

Rillion’s AP automation solutions are intuitive and easy to use, with a full audit trail and built in compliance.
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Automate and streamline your AP with Rillion

Eliminate manual data entry with paperless AP automation, create automated approval workflows for everyone in your organization who approves invoices, and have Rillion’s matching engine automatically match purchase orders to invoices and goods receipts. AP automation not only speeds up your invoice processing, but also minimizes the risk of human error.

Rillion gives you completely automated accounts payable workflow:

  • Current and paid invoices are searchable with an invoice archive in the cloud.
  • PO invoices are automatically matched to purchase orders and goods receipts.
  • Approvers can approve on laptop or mobile device with one click.

Automating your accounts payable lowers invoice processing costs and gives you faster accounts payable approval cycle times. You get insight into invoice activities, statuses, and ownership with greater transparency and accountability.

Invoice Processing for smaller companies to ace the basics

With Rillion you get a cloud-based accounts payable automation solution that is lightning-fast to implement, simple to integrate with your existing accounting system, and easy to use right from day one. You’ll be up and running in only a few days, with minimal requirements on training, and support included from start to finish.

Rillion provides a reliable and easy to use accounts payable automation solution, streamlining and automating the capture of vendor bill data and approval workflows to your team. It also includes advanced invoice search functionality that allows you to find current and paid invoice data quickly.

Accounts payable automation software for larger companies with complex needs

Rillion’s AP Automation Solution is for ambitious businesses with more complex needs who want to unlock the true value of accounts payable. It automates the entire process, taking AP processes to the next level. It enables AP professionals to thrive and have your business do more, faster, with less.

Rillion AP Automation delivers everything you need, including:

  • Digital invoice capture
  • Complex approval workflows.
  • Automated PO-matching
  • Contract management and automation
  • Time-stamped audit trail

Rillion enables you to automate and streamline even the most complex of AP workflows, allowing you to tailor it perfectly according to your needs and requirements. Rillion integrates with most popular ERPs such as NetSuite and Dynamics. You can also manage multiple ERPs and/or purchasing systems.

What are the benefits of AP automation?

Accounts payable automation offers a wide range of benefits for small and large businesses alike, including cost savings and invoice processing efficiencies, reduction in errors and exceptions:

Saves time

Accounts payable automation makes your invoice processing faster and more efficient by eliminating many of the manual stages – keying of invoice data, the approval workflow, and matching between invoices, POs, contracts, and goods receipts. It significantly reduces the number of human touches per invoice, thus reducing the amount of time spent on each invoice.

Reduces costs

Accounts payable automation can significantly reduce the cost by which you are processing your invoices, saving your business money as well as time and resources on multiple levels.

Automation not only helps reduce labor costs, eliminating manual tasks and the costs involved in document storage, postage, invoice production, etc., where the workers can focus on more worthwhile tasks, it also minimizes the risk for fraud and costly mistakes in manual handling.

Increases control

AP automation enables you to see the complete invoice flow in real time as well as access a digital invoice archive to see all previous invoices with a full audit trail – when the invoice arrived, who handled it, where it was sent, who approved it – with the possibility to add comments to it.

Enhances accuracy

Accounts payable automation software eliminates the risk of human error and helps reduce the occurrence of payment errors, such as duplicate or fraudulent invoices. By matching the invoices against POs, contracts, and goods receipts early on in the process, erroneous payments can be flagged before they are made.

Improves efficiency

Accounts payable automation provides a completely automated approval workflow with reduced approval times and increased productivity. It helps you avoid late payments as well as identify and avoid bottlenecks. Accounts payable automation solutions may also be integrated with existing ERPs, accounting systems, and other financial systems, creating an even more seamless and efficient workflow.

Boosts compliance

Compliance rules are built into the AP automation software, helping create a fully transparent process to track and prevent common risks and instances of fraud. For example, the system can flag down duplicate issues, additional charges, and suspicious activities.

What is AP automation?

AP automation, or accounts payable automation, is the process by which AP processes are digitized, automated, and streamlined using technology. It has revolutionized the way companies process invoices.

AP automation has become a competitive necessity as many organizations receive hundreds, maybe thousands, of vendor invoices each month. Handling such a large number of invoices manually is not only very time-consuming, the risk of human error is also always a challenge. But AP is not just about collecting the documents and making sure the right person receives them; it’s also about keying the data into the accounting system or ERP and then tracking the approval process with emails, phone calls, and spreadsheets.

There are multiple levels of AP automation with increasing complexity and functionalities for additional accounts payable processes:

Basic level

The most common application of AP automation entails the receipt, capture, and coding of invoices as well as the approval process.

Data is automatically captured from email and paper invoices with OCR and AI.

The invoices are then sent for approval to the proper approver according to pre-set rules.

Intermediate level

Processes are tailored on a more complex level to match each company’s unique needs and requirements. AP automation solutions have more advanced functionality for every step in the AP process – line item capture, automated PO-matching on line level, AI support for automated coding and document workflow.

Advanced level

End-to-end AP automation enabling a zero touch process. Insights platform with standardized reports on spend and AP processes which help you reach the next level of automation.

Introduces additional features such as requisitions, budget approval, 3-way matching, recurring invoice automation, self-billing, and much more.

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FAQs

AP automation FAQs

What is the ROI of AP automation?

It is always important to consider the ROI of any business system, however, calculating the ROI of AP automation solutions is not always very straightforward. This is because it impacts so many different areas of a business, making it difficult to perform a reliable calculation.

When calculating the ROI of an AP automation solution, there are numerous, both financial and non-financial, factors to consider:

Financial ROI factors:

  • reduced processing costs
  • minimized human errors losses
  • increase in on-time payments
  • time savings
  • reduced risk of paying fraudulent invoices
  • increased capture of early payment discounts

Non-financial ROI factors:

  • increased accuracy and control
  • added flexibility for administrators and approvers to work and attest remotely
  • increased transparency
  • boosted compliance
  • eliminates repetitive tasks, freeing up time for higher value tasks
How does AP automation improve the invoice approval process?

AP automation improves the invoice approval process in several ways, making the process both quicker and more efficient. Automatic forwarding to authorized approvers. Sending notifications and reminders automatically. Removes unnecessary human involvement. Stores key elements and conversations in one place for the invoice and makes them accessible to all relevant parties.



How does AP automation improve document management?

All invoices and other invoice-related documents are automatically stored electronically in one centralized location. Cloud-based archives ensure all relevant individuals have easy access to invoices and other transaction related documents and information anytime, from anywhere.


Does AP automation prevent duplicate payments?

Yes. AP automation includes multiple types of matching between invoices, POs, receipts, and contracts where all incoming invoices are checked upon arrival and flag any exceptions, such as duplicate invoices.

Does AP automation prevent invoice fraud?

Yes. Account payable automation provides multiple types of matching between invoices, POs, receipts, and contracts where the invoices are automatically flagged down if any exception is identified.

The invoices are then forwarded to an authorized approver to control if the invoice is fraudulent or if there has simply been a mistake in the information of the invoice.

The reporting tools within AP automation software also increase transparency and visibility of the invoices, meaning it will be both quicker and easier to identify fraudulent, suspicious, or unusual activity.


How does AP automation software handle tax compliance?

It helps you automatically manage different currencies, VAT rates, and different tax regimes, saving time in every closure.

How can automation improve the structure of an AP department?

When vendor invoice data is digitized and specific data fields are populated with correct information, the solution can easily validate the invoices.

Validated invoices are classified into different categories, i.e. invoices ready for approval, invoices with unknown vendor, duplicates etc. In the central dashboard or the AP solution you can also see if there are invoices approaching the payment deadline.

You will get full visibility and control of how many invoices are pending and where they are in the process. Instead of chasing approvers, the system will send out automated reminders if required.

This way, the AP department can prioritize tasks and avoid bottlenecks before they even arise.

FAQs

Rillion’s AP automation solution FAQs

What’s the advantage of Rillion – compared to other AP Automation solutions?

When our customers compare Rillion with other accounts payable automation solutions in the market, they say Rillion is more user friendly and highly functional. We have many customers that have been using our solutions for 10+ years – thanks to the scalability of the system.

With Rillion you get a modern AP Automation solution that gives you full control and overview of all vendor invoices – regardless of the invoice status. Invoices can be approved 24-7 on laptop or mobile device. Invoice processing cycle times get cut in half when approval workflows are automated. You also get automated data entry, a searchable invoice archive and a time-stamped audit trail.

With Rillion’s AP automation software you’ll save time in almost every step of the invoice handling process. You eliminate manually keying in invoice data, approval workflows are automated and the system sends out a message to the approver. An AI assistant helps with account coding. Rillion has a PO matching engine for automatically matching invoices to purchase orders and goods receipts. Automated matching can be a huge time saver for businesses with large amounts of recurring and/or PO-invoices.

For which kind of businesses is Rillion well suited?

Rillion offers different solutions for AP Automation that suits small- and medium sized businesses – as well as larger enterprises. We have customers in all industries and business sectors and our solutions come with connectors to the many popular accounting systems and ERPs.





Can accounting agencies use Rillion?

Rillion’s AP solution has turned out to be a perfect fit for accounting agencies administering their end customers’ vendor invoices.




What is the cost of Rillion?

We offer AP automation as a SaaS-solution with a monthly fee based on invoice volume. Initially there is a start-up fee which includes implementation, project management and training. The monthly SaaS-fee includes invoice capture, invoices processing and digital approval workflows. We offer add-ons for those customers that need even more automation, such as contract management, PO matching and AI support for automated account postings.

Get in touch, so we can help you choose the right level of automation for your business!

How do we get started with Rillion?

Our onboarding specialists will implement and configure the solution together with you. This includes initial connection to your accounting system/ERP and creating automated approval workflows that fit your organization. We also help you identify which steps and tasks can be automated in the AP process. The Onboarding may be different depending on which Rillion AP automation solution you have chosen, which ERP/accounting system you integrate with and if advanced functionality is needed.

The Onboarding may be different depending on which Rillion AP automation solution you have chosen, which ERP/accounting system you integrate with and if advanced functionality is needed.

Read more about our Onboarding process.

How can we receive vendor invoices?

Our invoice data capture solution processes files in any format including paper, PDF, EDI, XML, Word, Excel, JPG, TIFF, XML, CSV, and more.

There are different ways of scanning and capturing paper and PDF-invoices. You can choose to scan paper invoices yourself – they will then show up in Rillion within 5 minutes, or you can use an external scanning service for this task. PDF invoices are sent to a specific email address where they are automatically captured, populating the central dashboard with invoice data.

Is support included and how can I get in touch with the support?

Yes, support is included. You can choose from different levels of the support service when entering into an agreement with Rillion. We offer support in English, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish.

As a customer you register support tickets in our support portal or by sending an email. The process is different according to the country you are in and type of agreement. During office hours you can call our support (local phone support available in the US, Sweden and Finland).

Each Rillion customer designates 2-3 administrators who will attend the Rillion onboarding training. After the training is complete these administrators get personal user accounts to our support portal, where they can register support tickets and request additional user accounts in case of staff changes.

Read more about our support.

We already have an AP Automation solution in place – can we migrate historic invoice data if we replace it with Rillion?

Yes, we can transfer invoice data into Rillion from several different systems. Get in touch with us to learn how we can migrate your invoice data!

Do we need to change vendor invoice address? How can I communicate the change to our suppliers?

It depends on your current way of receiving invoices. If you already have a dedicated email address for this purpose, i.e. invoices@mybusiness.com suppliers will not be affected. For electronic invoices we help you contact suppliers. If you would like to change your scanning service partner, we can advise on how to communicate the change.