What can be automated
Invoices can be ingested from an approved channel, checked for duplicates, converted into structured fields and matched against supplier and purchase-order data. Clean cases move to the next controlled stage; exceptions go to a person with the evidence attached.
Ingest
Capture document and sender metadata.
Extract
Read supplier, totals, tax and references.
Validate
Check duplicates, tolerances and purchase orders.
Escalate
Route mismatches and sensitive changes.
Illustrative value
If invoice handling consumes 20 hours monthly and 70% of that work is suitable, the gross opportunity is 14 hours. Implementation must account for integration, review and audit requirements.
Controls
- Never allow document text to change supplier bank details automatically.
- Separate extraction confidence from approval authority.
- Retain source documents and decision records.
- Use explicit duplicate and tolerance rules.