Invoice Search Feature
One of the benefits of accounts payable invoicing automation (APIA) that is often overlooked – but shouldn’t be – is the invoice search feature.
It’s human nature to ignore what’s already finished and look forward to the next thing. This is especially true with paper records. Take personal bills, for example. We get the invoice in the mail, write a check, mail it off, and it’s done. Except for the record, that is. At tax time, how many of us go sifting through boxes filled with receipts and records that need to be sorted, categorized and calculated?
The business world is (hopefully) a little more organized. Still, so much information contained in paid invoices gets stored away in file cabinets and boxes, never to see the light of day again – until a problem comes up or an audit is scheduled. Then it becomes a nightmarish scramble that can take weeks to sort through.
With the powerful Invoice Search feature that comes with a high-level E-invoicing platform, the information is all there, stored and easily sorted with a few keystrokes and a click of the mouse. Any needed data can be pulled up in seconds to be compiled and viewed in any manner necessary.
Audits aren’t the only purpose for which AP or Accounting may need quick access to account information. Sometimes data must be retrieved from an open invoice as it is being processed. For example, an error may have occurred that needs to be corrected immediately. Or a pending invoice needs to be compared with an older one. With a powerful APIA platform, every bit of that data is stored and easily retrievable in seconds.
Suppliers also benefit from the Invoice Search feature. Each supplier has access to its own account, which they can search from their end whenever they want. From the time their invoice is submitted it is automatically logged into the system and available in a secure file. Using the Invoice Search window, the supplier can look up a single invoice or several invoices at once.
Other authorized personnel within your company can access data as well. This saves enormous time when trying to match purchase orders or searching older data before approving an open invoice. Invoice Search makes storage, retrieval and analyzing data a snap, not just for AP but for everyone with a stake in the invoicing workflow.