Manual invoice processing can introduce inefficiencies that significantly impact both financial performance and operational efficiency. Use this checklist to assess how much time, money, and resources are being drained by manual AP processes:
1. Time Costs
- Average Time to Process an Invoice
☐ How long does it take to process a single invoice, from receipt to payment approval?
☐ Is your team spending an excessive amount of time on manual data entry, invoice tracking, or correcting errors?
☐ Are there delays in invoice approvals due to manual workflows or bottlenecks? - Approval Time
☐ What is the average time it takes to get an invoice approved?
☐ Are there multiple layers of manual approvals that slow down the process?
☐ How often are payments delayed due to approval bottlenecks?
2. Cost Considerations
- Cost per Invoice Processed
☐ What is the total cost of processing each invoice, factoring in labour, materials, and overhead (e.g., printing, mailing, storage)?
☐ How much could be saved by eliminating paper-based processes and transitioning to digital workflows? - Missed Discounts
☐ How often do you miss early payment discounts due to processing delays?
☐ Estimate the financial loss caused by missing these discounts over time. - Late Payment Penalties
☐ Are late payments occurring frequently due to slow manual processes?
☐ How much has your company paid in penalties or fees for late payments in the past year?
3. Error Rate & Rework
- Error Frequency
☐ What is the frequency of manual errors (e.g., incorrect data entry, duplicated invoices) in your current process?
☐ How much time does your team spend correcting these errors? - Costs Associated with Errors
☐ Calculate the additional costs incurred from errors, such as extra labour, vendor disputes, or even reputational damage.
☐ How much could be saved by reducing the error rate through automation?
4. Vendor Relationships
- Vendor Satisfaction
☐ Are vendors frequently following up for payment status updates due to slow manual processing?
☐ Has your company experienced strained relationships with vendors because of delayed payments? - Impact on Vendor Terms
☐ Have delays in payment impacted your ability to negotiate favourable terms with vendors (e.g., bulk discounts, better rates)?
5. Compliance & Risk
- Audit Trail Complexity
☐ How difficult is it to trace back financial transactions for audits due to manual record-keeping?
☐ Are you confident in your current compliance with industry regulations and internal policies? - Risk of Fraud
☐ Does manual processing increase the risk of fraudulent invoices or unauthorized payments slipping through unnoticed?
☐ What processes are in place to detect and prevent fraud, and how effective have they been?
6. Overall Efficiency
- Month-End Close Efficiency
☐ How much time is spent on reconciling invoices during month-end close?
☐ Is the accuracy of financial reports being compromised due to inconsistent or incomplete data from manual processes? - Opportunity Costs
☐ Are there higher-value activities (e.g., strategic planning, financial analysis) that your finance team could focus on if manual invoice processing tasks were automated?
Evaluate Your Findings
Once you’ve answered these questions, quantify the costs associated with each inefficiency. This will give you a clearer understanding of how much manual invoice processing is costing your organization in terms of both time and money.
Transitioning to an automated solution like IQInvoice can help you drastically reduce these costs, improve accuracy, and increase overall efficiency in your AP processes.