If your finance team is overwhelmed with invoices, constantly chasing approvals, and dealing with late payments, you’re not alone. According to Ardent Partners’ State of ePayables Report, nearly 60% of businesses still rely on manual AP processes, leading to unnecessary delays, missed discounts, and compliance risks.
Many companies put off automation because they think it’s too expensive, complicated, or disruptive. But in reality, modern AP automation solutions are built for fast and seamless adoption—and the benefits are impossible to ignore. Automated AP departments process invoices 80% faster, reduce errors by up to 90%, and save thousands in operational costs each year.
And here’s the best part: you can implement AP automation in just 60 days.
This step-by-step guide will show you exactly how to move from a slow, manual system to a fully automated, high-efficiency AP process in just two months.
Phase 1: Assess & Plan (Weeks 1-2)
Before automating, you need a clear picture of how your current AP process works and where it’s breaking down. Without this, you risk automating an already inefficient system.
Assess Your Current AP Workflow
- How many invoices do you process each month?
- How long does it take from invoice receipt to approval?
- How often do you pay late fees or miss early payment discounts?
- Are you manually entering data from invoices into your ERP or accounting system?
- How many invoices get lost, duplicated, or incorrectly approved?
Let’s say your team processes 500 invoices per month, and each takes an average of 10 minutes to manually enter, code, and route for approval. That’s over 80 hours of work each month just on invoice processing. Multiply that by a full year, and you’re looking at nearly 1,000 hours spent on tasks that automation can handle in seconds.
Set Automation Goals
Once you know where the problems are, it’s time to set clear goals for automation. Common objectives include:
- Reducing invoice processing time by 50-70%
- Eliminating late payments and maximizing early payment discounts
- Cutting manual data entry and approval delays
- Improving cash flow visibility with real-time reporting
Engage Key Stakeholders
Successful AP automation isn’t just a finance initiative—it impacts IT, procurement, and even your vendors. Involve key decision-makers early so there are no surprises when it’s time to implement.
Phase 2: Choose & Integrate an AP Automation Solution (Weeks 3-4)
Now that you have a clear strategy, it’s time to choose the right AP automation software.
The best AP automation platforms should include:
- AI-Driven Invoice Capture – Minimizes errors by automating data entry, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
- Invoice Processing Flexibility – Does the AP automation platform support both Non-PO and PO invoices, or do you need it to handle only one type?
- Advanced Reporting Features – Are you looking for a platform that provides real-time financial insights to help with decision-making?
- Automated Approval Workflows – Speeds up the approval process by automating routing and approvals, eliminating delays.
- Seamless ERP Integration – Easily integrates with your existing accounting systems for a smooth transition and workflow continuity.
- Secure, Automated Payments – Protects against fraud and duplicate payments while ensuring timely and accurate transactions.
- Real-Time Financial Tracking – Offers enhanced cash flow visibility by tracking payments and expenses as they occur.
For example, Ascend AP integrates directly with Workday, automatically pulling in invoice data and routing it for approval based on your company’s rules. Instead of manually reviewing each invoice, the system flags anomalies and only escalates invoices that require human review.
Set Up & Test the System
- Connect the software to your ERP or accounting system
- Import vendor details and historical invoice data
- Configure approval workflows based on invoice type, amount, or department
- Test the system by processing a batch of invoices and checking for errors
The goal here is to ensure a smooth transition before rolling it out company-wide. If something isn’t working—such as an approval delay or an integration issue—it’s better to catch it early.
Phase 3: Train & Optimize (Weeks 5-6)
Even the best AP automation system won’t be effective if your team doesn’t know how to use it properly. A lack of training can lead to unnecessary errors, delayed approvals, and frustration—defeating the purpose of automation. To ensure a smooth transition, structured training for both internal teams and external vendors is essential.
1. Train Your Finance Team
Your finance team will be the primary users of the new AP automation system, so they need hands-on experience before full implementation.
Action Steps:
- Host a live training session with finance staff to demonstrate how to submit, review, and approve invoices. Use real invoices from the past month to provide a realistic example of how the system works.
- Showcase AI-driven invoice capture by uploading a variety of invoices (PDFs, scanned paper invoices, emailed invoices) and demonstrating how the system automatically extracts key details like invoice number, date, vendor, and amount. Explain how this reduces manual entry errors by up to 90% (according to Ardent Partners).
- Teach custom reporting tools so finance teams can generate reports on outstanding invoices, approval times, and payment trends. Walk them through creating a report that compares processing times before and after automation.
- Provide clear documentation that includes step-by-step guides, FAQs, and troubleshooting tips. Make sure support channels (such as an internal help desk or vendor support hotline) are easily accessible.
- Assign automation champions within the finance team—these are individuals who will act as go-to resources for other employees who have questions about the system.
2. Run a Full Pilot Test
Before going live, process a full invoice cycle using the new system to catch any lingering issues.
Action Steps:
- Select a test batch of invoices from different vendors and departments to ensure a diverse range of transactions.
- Measure how long approvals take compared to the old system. If it previously took 10 days to approve an invoice and automation reduces it to 2 days, that’s a clear win.
- Track error rates. Check if duplicate invoices, incorrect payments, or missing approvals occur during the test phase. If errors persist, refine workflows accordingly.
- Survey your finance team and approvers to get feedback on usability. Ask: "What’s working well?" and "What still feels slow or complicated?" Use this input to make final adjustments before full implementation.
Phase 4: Full Rollout & Optimization (Weeks 7-8)
Now that the system has been tested, it’s time for full deployment. The goal is a seamless transition where all invoices are now processed through automation, with minimal manual intervention.
1. Monitor Performance & Track Key Metrics
To measure the impact of AP automation, track key performance indicators (KPIs) and compare pre- and post-implementation data.
Action Steps:
- Compare invoice processing time. If it previously took 10-15 minutes per invoice, check whether automation has reduced this to just seconds.
- Analyze approval speed. Are invoices getting approved faster without finance teams needing to send multiple follow-ups?
- Assess error reduction. Has the number of duplicate invoices, overpayments, or approval mistakes decreased? Industry benchmarks suggest that automation can reduce errors by 50-80%.
- Calculate cost savings. Measure whether the company is now capturing more early payment discounts (which can save 1-2% per invoice) and reducing late fees.
2. Continue Optimizing the Process
Automation is not a one-time fix—it’s an ongoing process that can be refined for even better efficiency.
Action Steps:
- Adjust approval workflows. If invoices under $500 still require multiple levels of approval, consider reducing unnecessary steps.
- Expand automation capabilities. Look beyond invoice processing—explore automating expense management, purchase orders, and vendor payments to gain additional efficiency.
- Schedule quarterly check-ins. Meet with key stakeholders every three months to review system performance and discuss any adjustments needed.
- Stay in touch with your chosen automation software’s main contact. It’s important to remain in contact with your onboarding specialists from your chosen software company, as they are the go-to experts you may need if you run into any issues.
The Bottom Line: A Smarter, More Efficient AP Process
By following this structured 60-day plan, businesses can eliminate inefficiencies, improve cash flow management, and free up their finance teams for more strategic work. Instead of wasting time on manual data entry, chasing approvals, and fixing errors, your team can focus on analyzing financial data, optimizing working capital, and making smarter business decisions.
The shift to AP automation isn’t just about convenience—it’s about saving time, reducing risk, and increasing profitability. With the right solution, your AP process can go from a frustrating bottleneck to a streamlined, value-driving function in just two months.
Is Your Business Ready for AP Automation?
If you’re tired of manual processes slowing down your finance team, now is the time to make the switch. Book a demo with Ascend AP today and see how automation can transform your AP workflow.
