The Importance of AP Automation in Cash Flow Management

The world we live in today is fast moving; it waits for none. Naturally thus, for businesses operating in this ever evolving environ, it is essential to maintain a reliable cash flow. For only with an effective cash flow management practice in place can they clear their dues on time, invest in growth, and maintain business continuity in times of financial upheavals, if encountered any.

One way businesses can achieve this level of liquidity is through AP automation. What is it and how is it helping businesses achieve the same? Let’s deduce…

What is AP Automation?

AP automation, or accounts payable automation, is a term used to define the intervention of technology in managing the accounts payable processes. Using it, businesses can automate tasks related to the receipt, processing, payment, and final logging of vendor invoices.

Unlike traditional AP processes that rely on manual entry to accomplish the same, these automated solutions are quick and less prone to human error. Thus, acting as an efficient method of handling payments, these significantly enhance cash flow management and the overall efficiency of your business.

For the unversed, the AP automation works in the following manner…

• Invoice Capture: As a first step, automation tools capture invoices to gather important data, including details of the vendor, amount to be paid, and other payment terms.
• Approval Workflow: These then enter the approval workflow for higher ups in an organisation to review and approve for payments.
• Payment Scheduling: Keeping the payment terms in mind, these invoices are then sent for payment scheduling to ensure they are cleared on time.
• Record-Keeping: The automation tools keep a record of each and every transaction thusly made, so all the expenses made become trackable for year-end reporting.

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How AP Automation is Transforming Cash Flow Management

For businesses to effectively run their operations, having a good control over cash flow, i.e., the money that comes in and goes out of a venture, is crucial. AP automation can help them attain the same in sundry ways. A few of them are listed below for your convenience and understanding…

1. Improved Accuracy & Reduced Errors

Anything that’s done manually is susceptible to errors. The same goes for accounts payable processes. When managed personally, these can sometimes lead to payment discrepancies. Owing to which, businesses might end up paying extra money to their vendors and incur losses.

However, AP automation has flipped the script altogether. Using these automated software solutions, the possibility of error gets reduced substantially, for these are programmed to extract data directly from invoices and keep a real-time record of them. This helps businesses make accurate payments, leading to better financial planning and subsequently, healthy cash flow management.

2. Faster Payment Processing

Along with reducing errors, AP automation also expedites the entire accounts payable process. When done manually, invoice processing, approvals, and payments can take days to complete. Since cash required to pay these bills gets stuck during this time, it affects the overall liquidity of a business.

Automated tools help businesses evade these delays by not only capturing invoices in time, but also timely routing them to concerned authorities for approval. Once approved, payments get scheduled automatically. This ensures that money moves in and out of a business on time, so no deadlines are missed and payments delayed.

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3. Better Cash Flow Visibility

If one doesn’t have a clear picture of their business’ cash flow, they are bound to make erroneous decisions. AP automation prevents such mistakes from happening by making cash flow management more transparent. As a result, businessmen can, using these automated tools, keep a tab on outstanding payments, payments already made, and reports related to them for better decision-making.

They can also track upcoming payments and plan their cash flows accordingly. For instance, if a firm is supposed to make several big payments in the coming days, automated tools can be used to curate a cash flow plan, so enough money is available for the said payments. This, so there’s no shortage of cash at any point in time.

4. Optimized Payment Timing

AP automation optimizes payment timing, helping businesses avail both early payment discounts and payment extensions. For instance, some vendors offer discounts to people who make payments in advance.

Businesses can use automated tools to schedule their payments in the same window to avail these discounts. They can also, likewise, keep a tab on payment due dates to get extensions if required any. This so they don’t have to bear any late fees for paying bills post the due date.

This automation of payment timing makes cash flow management easy and profitable.

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5. Increased Vendor Relationship Management

By automating payment handling and accelerating the entire accounts payable process, AP automaion tools also enhance the relationship a business shares with its vendors. For late payments, erroneous invoicing, missed discounts, etc., can hurt both the parties involved to an extent that might cause operational delays for your business.

These systems also act as a platform for businesses to directly communicate with vendors in case any issue arises. This not only strengthens the bond the two share but also gives businesses a chance to negotiate better terms, such as extended credit or discounts. All in all, these ensure that your cash flow does not get impacted by any sort of supply chain related obstructions.

6. Cost Savings & Resource Efficiency

By using AP automation, businesses can significantly cut down on their operational costs. For money spent on hiring and managing staff for invoice processing, payment tracking, and bookkeeping can now be used for other value-added operations and put to better use.

Automated tools also reduce the dependence of a business on paperwork. This further reduces printing, storage, and postage costs. All the money saved thus can be invested in the business once again for growth and better cash flow.

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7. Improved Compliance & Audit Readiness

With AP automation, businesses get to keep a digital record of all the invoices processed and payments made. This makes them more compliant with financial regulations and audit standards. So, in case an audit takes place, they would have proper documentation to showcase for their accounts payable activities.

Manual AP processes, on the other hand, involve unnecessary paperwork that makes management and auditing tough. In the event of an audit failure, businesses relying on it would thus lose credibility, thwarting their chances of raising capital or gaining investors. This would negatively impact their cash flow as a result and might lead to closure.

Conclusion

AP automation thus is an absolute game-changer for businesses looking to optimize their cash flow management and strive towards excellence and growth. It comes equipped with sundry functionalities to take your accounts payable management game up a notch.

A host of accounts payable software solutions, as such, are available in the market for those interested. These include the likes of Tipalti, AvidXchange, MineralTree, Airbase, Stampli and more. In case you require assistance in finalizing one, you can get in touch with the Techjockey product team today itself and spare yourself the hassle.