Automate and Chill: 7 Practical Steps to a Smoother AP Workflow
Automate and Chill: 7 Practical Steps to a Smoother AP Workflow
If your accounts payable (AP) process still involves printing invoices, tracking approvals by email, or physically chasing down signatures, it’s time to modernize. Automation is no longer a nice-to-have for mid-market finance teams. It’s essential for staying efficient, secure, and scalable.
In our recent webinar, Automate and Chill: 7 Steps to a Smoother AP Workflow, we broke down how to streamline your AP function step by step. Whether you’re struggling with duplicate payments, delayed approvals, or too much manual work, these insights will help you rethink your process and reclaim your time.
Watch the full webinar recording here.
Why Automate Now
The accounting profession is facing a serious talent shortage. According to recent data, 83% of senior finance leaders say it’s harder than ever to hire and retain accounting staff. Meanwhile, existing teams are burned out, juggling growing workloads with outdated processes.
The solution is automation.
68% of finance professionals are actively seeking out employers that embrace automation to improve their job satisfaction. Smart tools can offload tedious tasks, reduce errors, and give your team time back to focus on more strategic work.
The 7 Steps to a Healthier AP Workflow
- Standardize and Automate Purchase Orders (POs)
A high-quality PO is the foundation of AP efficiency. Avoid costly mistakes by ensuring every PO is accurate, approved, and aligned with supplier terms. Leading teams use automated workflows and integration with inventory and ERP systems to make this seamless. - Match Deliveries to Orders
When goods or services arrive, verification is critical. Three-way matching—comparing the PO, delivery receipt, and invoice—ensures you only pay for what was ordered and received. Automation can track supplier performance and lead times in real time. - Eliminate Manual Data Entry
Paper invoices and spreadsheets are not just inefficient, they increase risk. Digitizing your invoices with OCR (optical character recognition) saves time and improves accuracy. It also sets the stage for analytics and intelligent automation. - Automate Three-Way Matching
Three-way matching prevents overpayments and fraud. Manual processes often fall short. Modern AP tools automate this step with real-time visibility and seamless integration with your ERP system. - Streamline Payment Approvals
Legacy approval methods like wet signatures are not feasible for hybrid or remote teams. Automated approvals with tiered workflows, digital signatures, and built-in fraud prevention to improve both security and efficiency. - Modernize Payment Execution
Paper checks are slow, expensive, and vulnerable to fraud. Move to secure electronic payments such as ACH and manage all transactions through a centralized gateway. Dashboards with real-time visibility support better cash flow management. - Conduct Transaction Reviews
Transaction reviews are the final check in your AP workflow. They ensure payments are accurate, authorized, and compliant. Intelligent systems can learn your typical transaction patterns and flag outliers for further review, saving time and strengthening audit trails.
A Look at Sage AP Automation in Action
The webinar also included a live demo of Sage AP Automation. The platform automates invoice capture, coding, approvals, and syncing with Sage ERP, all within a simple interface. There are no user fees, which allows broader visibility across the team.
Watch the full demo and webinar.
Ready to See It in Action
If you are ready to take the next step, we would love to show you what is possible. Schedule a personalized demo tailored to your current Sage setup and business processes. We will walk through real use cases and identify where automation can save time and reduce friction.
Email us at [email protected] to request a time.
Let us help you transform AP from a source of friction into a streamlined, strategic function.
