Introduction: The Illusion of Small Tasks
In accounts payable, where high-volume operations are the norm, individual tasks often go unquestioned. Five minutes spent manually processing an invoice may appear trivial—until one calculates the cumulative effect across an enterprise. Time, when unmeasured, becomes the most expensive oversight.
Quantifying the Time Loss
An organization processing 40,000 invoices annually expends over 3,300 hours if each transaction takes five minutes to complete. By contrast, a system that reduces processing time to two minutes per invoice—through intelligent automation—recovers more than 2,000 hours per year. That reclaimed time can equate to the workload of a full-time employee, without increasing headcount.
The Broader Financial Impact
Time loss is only one dimension of the problem. Manual invoice processing correlates strongly with higher rates of entry error, delayed payments, and reduced access to early payment discounts. These issues are not administrative annoyances; they are measurable financial liabilities. Poor visibility into AP performance can hinder audit readiness, limit cash flow planning, and impair supplier relationships.
Why Automation Matters Now
Ascend’s approach to AP automation is purpose-built for complex enterprises using Workday Financial Management. We are not offering incremental convenience. We are delivering the infrastructure to transform accounts payable into a function that is scalable, resilient, and measurable. With features such as real-time reporting, automatic data validation, and touchless processing capabilities, our platform is designed to handle what others cannot.
Key Performance Indicators That Matter
Ascend provides transparent metrics on Automatic Entry Rate (AER) and Touchless Processing Rate (TPR), enabling AP teams to evaluate and improve operational efficiency with clarity. These indicators do more than measure performance; they help forecast staffing needs, reduce processing costs, and support strategic financial planning.
Conclusion: Reconsidering the Status Quo
The question facing most AP departments is not whether they should automate—it is whether they can continue to afford not to. The longer manual workflows persist, the more expensive they become. For teams processing tens of thousands of invoices annually, the financial justification for automation is no longer theoretical; it is operationally urgent.
Ascend enables AP teams to reduce costs, improve accuracy, and reclaim the time that has long gone unaccounted for. The next step is not technical; it is strategic.
