While the market frequently focuses on the capabilities of AP automation platforms, far less attention is given to the realities of managing the people expected to use them. The 2025 Accounts Payable Leadership Priorities Report underscores a persistent concern among financial leaders: teaching teams how to adapt to new tools often proves more difficult than selecting the tools themselves.
This is not a question of technological aptitude. Rather, it is a matter of how tools are introduced, how well they fit within existing workflows, and how much friction they add to already burdened departments. When automation is perceived as intrusive or difficult to operate, resistance is not only expected—it is rational.
Poor user adoption, in tangible terms, can delay the expected return on investment by months. Training sessions become recurring events rather than a brief phase. System errors go unreported as teams revert to legacy methods. In extreme cases, entire AP departments may continue operating outside the system, forcing leadership to either invest in a new platform or rebuild trust from within.
Many platforms promise increased efficiency, but the most valuable AP automation systems are those that align with the user’s existing patterns and preferences. True innovation in this category does not require dramatic change in behavior. It enables better performance with fewer disruptions.
A well-constructed AP platform should:
Minimize the number of steps required to complete familiar tasks
Integrate directly with the organization’s ERP, without cumbersome third-party tools
Offer interface logic that mirrors the user's expectations and established workflows
Ascend AP, for instance, integrates natively with Workday Financial Management, reducing the need for duplicate data entry and secondary systems. Its deployment requires minimal retraining and adapts to the user, rather than the reverse. Real-world deployments have shown significant increases in both touchless processing rates and employee engagement, due largely to the simplicity of the system’s configuration and the transparency of its outputs.
Artificial intelligence in the AP context is most effective when it remains narrowly focused. Ascend’s AI, for example, does not attempt to reimagine accounts payable. Instead, it performs targeted, repeatable tasks that free the user to concentrate on more nuanced responsibilities.
AI tools in AP should be designed to:
Improve the consistency of data entry and field validation
Anticipate common invoice patterns and recommend appropriate coding
Surface exceptions or discrepancies with clarity, not confusion
Importantly, these features are not meant to replace judgment. They are designed to improve confidence in routine decisions and reduce the frequency of preventable errors. Within Ascend, machine learning models are trained on each customer’s specific invoice history, allowing them to make practical predictions that reflect that organization’s financial logic, not a generic industry baseline.
For finance teams concerned with auditability and control, these models offer detailed insight into why a prediction was made, and provide options for override, making the system less opaque and more accountable.
The human benefit of well-implemented automation is often understated. When AP professionals spend less time battling outdated tools and correcting system errors, they report higher job satisfaction. In organizations with historically high invoice volume and turnover, this change can be significant.
Benefits of user-aligned automation include:
Reduced training time for new hires
Less reliance on institutional knowledge
Lower incidence of rework and exception handling
Improved transparency in task ownership and status
These outcomes translate not only into greater efficiency but also into better retention, fewer escalations, and a stronger sense of ownership within the team. A well-run AP function becomes a stable, strategic contributor rather than a source of recurring operational problems.
While the most immediate benefits of automation occur within the AP department, the effects extend into the broader finance organization. Real-time visibility into invoice processing enables more accurate cash flow forecasting. Reduced cycle times improve the company’s ability to capture early payment discounts. Automated remittance data supports reconciliation efforts in treasury and accounting.
Moreover, platforms like Ascend that maintain direct ERP integration reduce the need for siloed reporting systems or manual data reconciliation between AP and general ledger accounts. In doing so, they contribute to stronger internal controls and more timely financial close processes.
For executives responsible for modernizing finance operations, selecting the right automation platform is not only a technical decision—it is a leadership one. While features and pricing are important, the long-term success of any tool depends on its cultural and operational fit with the teams using it.
Key questions to consider:
Does the platform accommodate varying levels of user experience?
Can it be deployed without interrupting core financial operations?
How easily can it be adjusted or scaled as the business evolves?
Is the platform’s AI transparent in its logic and flexible in its application?
What support is available during onboarding and beyond?
It is not necessary to pursue the most advanced tool. It is far more important to implement a platform that will be used, trusted, and improved over time. In this regard, the ideal AP automation system is one that disappears into the background—quietly making the team’s work simpler, more accurate, and more predictable.