2014 Invoice & Workflow - PayStream Advisors · and usage of IWA solutions. This 2014 Invoice...

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© 2015 PayStream Advisors, Inc | www.paystreamadvisors.com | [email protected]

2014 Invoice & Workflow Automation Report

Q4 2014 | Featuring insights on...

» Current Market Trends in IWA Usage » The IWA Universe » Benefits of IWA Software » IWA Adoption Best Practices

Optimizing Invoice Movement and Management

Q4 2014 © 2015 PayStream Advisors, Inc | www.paystreamadvisors.com | [email protected]

Introduction 3Executive Summary 4Today’s IWA Gaps and Needs 5Defining the IWA Universe 11Benefits of Invoice Workflow Automation 16Workflow Automation Best Practices 19Key Performance Indicators for AP 21Conclusion 23Concur 24Corcentric 28Coupa 33Direct Commerce 38Nipendo 42ReadSoft 46Case Study:ReadSoft 50Recall 53About PayStream Advisors 57

Contents


While Procure-to-Pay efficiency begins with automating the invoicing process, it does not end there—expanding automation to encompass the entire invoice lifecycle results in optimized processes and increased revenue. This process, Invoice Workflow Automation (IWA), is the next step towards greater efficiency—the Ultimate P2P Innovation for any organization.

The demand for a more streamlined, holistic approach is increasing as companies realize that a static eInvoicing process is only the first step towards organizational efficiency. eInvoicing certainly aids in streamlining procedures, but for an optimized data flow and integration with ERPs, companies need to synchronize their invoice automation with robust workflow software.

The functionalities of IWA systems have become more advanced, accessible, and intuitive than ever, and the value of these systems is highly apparent in cost savings and captured discounts. Using this technology to integrate all invoice activities also aids in the strategic allocation of labor and reduces tedious manual processes. Ultimately, the benefits of invoice workflow automation exceed what can be achieved by eInvoice processing alone, and can be seen in increased company control and revenue.

This report serves as a market guide to help organizations recognize the subtle, simple ways they can use IWA software to transform their entire company.

Introduction


PayStream Advisors surveyed individuals employed in many different industries and compiled this data to reflect current attitudes towards and usage of IWA solutions. This 2014 Invoice Workflow Automation report analyzes survey results and market trends in order to provide a comprehensive look into today’s IWA software sphere.

2014 IWA Key Findings:

» The use of electronic methods in invoice processing has increased since 2011.

» One quarter of companies surveyed only pay between 1 and 10 percent of their invoices electronically.

» Most companies don’t measure processing costs. » One half of companies wait between 10 and 25 days for invoice

approval. » The greatest barrier to automation is the belief that current

processes are working. » Most companies find it difficult to consistently capture discounts. » Lengthy approval times and manual routing of invoices are the most

common reasons for missed discounts. » Companies identified fewer lost and missing invoices and quicker

approval times as the benefits they wish to receive most from automation.

» Data Capture/OCR and Workflow Approval are the technologies least utilized by companies, but are also the top technologies they wish to implement.

PayStream has seen increased interest in invoice workflow technology, and attributes this attention to the growing success IWA software has seen in reducing approval times and increasing revenue. PayStream offers this research report to business professionals as a benchmarking tool, a market guide, and general insight into the uses and benefits of IWA software.

Based on the number of survey respondents, PayStream believes that the survey has a confidence level of +/- 5 percent.

Executive Summary


Today’s IWA Gaps and NeedsBefore an invoice workflow can be automated, the invoice itself must be received and put in the system electronically. Fortunately, PayStream has seen consistent growth in electronic invoice processing for several years, and the 2014 survey results are no exception. AP departments have reported increased use of eInvoicing, EDI, email, and web portals since 2011, see Figure 1.

However, despite increased use of electronic formats, there are still companies that do not automate the next steps in the invoice workflow. An important component of invoice lifecycle automation is the ability to automatically send an invoice through approval to payment. However, survey results show that 24 percent of companies pay less than 10 percent of their invoices electronically, see Figure 2. Only 15 percent pay over 75 percent electronically, and 13 percent of companies pay no invoices electronically at all.

Figure 1

Electronic Methods of Invoicing Are Increasing

“Which invoice formats does your

organization receive?”

99% 96%

Paper Fax

63%69%

80%

93%

Email

42%

57%

EDI

33%

57%

Web portal

29%

48%

eInvoicing network

2011 2014


Figure 2

Most Companies Do Not Pay Many Invoices

Electronically

“What percentage of your invoices do you

pay electronically?”

Figure 3

Most Companies Lack Vital Visibility into

Processes

“What is your average fully-loaded cost to

process an invoice?”

13%

19%

23%

15%

12%

18%

None

1-10%

11-25%

26-50%

50%-75%

More than 75%

26%

5%

13%

10%

47%

9%

Under $1

$1 - $5

$6 - $10

$11 - $15

Over $15

We do not measureprocessing costs

These statistics show that while companies may receive invoices electronically, they are not always using electronic methods to continue the P2P process. Not employing a workflow solution can lead to other problems, like a lack of visibility and high processing costs.


Survey results show that almost half of companies (47 percent) do not measure their processing costs, indicating a lack of transparency in their business procedures, see Figure 3. A manual invoice workflow results in this poor visibility, and it can cause many other problems, including lack of insight into outstanding liabilities, missed discounts, and duplicate invoices. A supplier could also cut off shipments to a company or put that company on a credit hold—all because of lost invoices and the subsequent outstanding payments.

Another reason manual invoice workflow leads to late payment is a lengthy approval process. Although 35 percent of respondents report invoice approval times of less than 5 days, there is still a number of companies waiting 5 days or more for approval, see Figure 4. These payment delays result in missed discounts and weak supplier relationships.

Manual invoice workflow also leads to lost revenue. Survey results show the majority of companies (62 percent) are only able to capture early payment discounts occasionally, often missing out on valuable savings opportunities, see Figure 5.

Figure 4

Invoice Approval Times Show There Is Room for

Improvement

“On average, how long does it take your

organization to approve an invoice from the time

it is received?”

Less than 5 days

10 – 25 days

25 – 45 days

5 – 10 days

15%

3%

35%

11%

36%

More than 45 days


Respondents also stated that the biggest reasons their organizations miss discounts are problems with manual invoice routing (68 percent) and lengthy approval cycles (58 percent), see Figure 6.

Figure 5

Companies Are Not Able to Capture Discounts

Consistently

“How often is your organization able to

capture discounts available?”

Figure 6

Manual Routing and Lengthy Approval Cycles Lead to Missed Revenue

“What problems most often lead to late

payments and missed discounts at your

organization?”

Always

Never

Sometimes9%

29%

62%

29%Decentralized invoice receipt

24%Lost invoices

58%Lengthy approval cycles

18%Large number of exceptions

18%Missing information on invoices

68%Manual routing of invoices


Many companies experience invoice workflow pains because they do not fully automate the invoice workflow. Survey results reveal that data capture, automated workflow, and front-end imaging solutions are among the least-used technologies, see Figure 7.

Although some companies do not currently use IWA solutions, many have plans to employ them in the near future. The technology that most organizations plan to implement in the next six months is automated workflow (35 percent), see Figure 8. This is followed by automated data capture (28 percent) and front-end imaging (22 percent). The combination of these technologies creates an optimized and integrated invoice automation process.

Figure 7

Companies Use Low Levels of Invoice

Automation

“Which of the following technologies does

your orgzanization currently use?”

59%

Front-endimaging

OCR/Automateddata capture

31%

55%

Automated workflow

91%

Electronicpayments

83%

Purchasingcards


Overall, this research shows that although manual invoice workflow is causing processing pains for many companies, there is movement among these organizations towards a more efficient procedure. However, it is important that any company considering an invoice workflow transformation understands the steps in that journey and the different degrees of automation available.

Figure 8

Companies Plan to Implement Invoice

Workflow Automation

“Which of the following technologies are you

planning to implement within the next

6 months?”

22%

Front-endimaging

OCR/Automateddata capture

28%

35%

Automated workflow

13%

Electronicpayments

7%

Purchasingcards


The benefits of IWA reach the entire Purchase to Pay process (see Figure 9), including everything from invoice receipt to the final reporting and analytics procedure. The system responsible for tracking and storing an invoice throughout its lifecycle is a document management system (DMS), and its enduring success depends on the level of integration between front-end invoice processing and workflow software. IWA systems combine front-end processing with matching and workflow capabilities to streamline invoice receipt and approval, bringing benefits that document and data capture solutions alone cannot provide.

It is important for accounts payable professionals to understand the process of IWA throughout the invoice lifecycle. While the specific movement of an invoice can vary depending on the technological choices a company has made, the movement of an invoice generally goes through two stages of IWA before its final payment and posting to the ERP. These are Invoice Receipt and Capture, and Matching and Workflow.

Defining the IWA Universe

Figure 9

Invoice Workflow Automation Universe

Matching & Workflow

Reporting & Analytics

Content Management

Electronic Invoicing

Paper Invoice Receipt

Document & Data Capture


Invoice Receipt and Capture

The method of invoice receipt determines the future productivity of the entire AP process, which is why understanding and selecting the most efficient model is vital. Often times, the success of the invoice lifecycle depends on whether or not the company automates from the very beginning. This decision is based off a series of choices that include front-end vs. back-end imaging, mailroom services vs. in-house receipt, and even OCR capture vs. systematic eInvoicing.

» Document Capture and Archival – The simplest form of invoice automation is the use of scanning technologies for back-end imaging and archival. However, this method does not impact the invoice approval process, since scanning and imaging occur after the fact. For this reason, back-end document capture and archival is not favored, as it is primarily a storage and retrieval solution that fails to yield any improvement or efficiency in workflow.

Today, the most efficient way to begin the invoice cycle is with front-end document and data capture imaging. The process involves scanning invoices upon receipt remotely or at a central processing facility. Once invoices have been scanned and images enhanced to optimize recognition, data is extracted from the documents using automated image recognition technologies. Front-end document and data capture represents a quantum leap over back-end imaging because it brings a significant initial improvement to the invoice receipt-to-pay cycle.

Another practice that continues to gain in popularity is outsourcing the scanning and data capture function, a viable alternative for companies with business structures that cannot support an in-house invoice processing center. In this case, a third-party service provider takes on the responsibility of receiving invoices, scanning them, and extracting the requisite data. Outsourced AP processes can be easily integrated with a company’s in-house workflow software, or the company can outsource the entire invoice workflow system itself.

» Data Extraction – After invoices have been received, their continued success depends on the proper use of tools and technologies that facilitate the extraction of information from the scanned invoice images—Intelligent Capture. Workflow without proper data extraction is pointless, as accuracy is sacrificed and documents will fail to follow business rules and routing guidelines. The use of an advanced image capture technology ensures a high level of precision, consistency, and compliance.


Previously known as optical character recognition (OCR), Intelligent Capture is the electronic conversion of scanned images or text to a machine-encoded document. This conversion speeds up the transfer of information tremendously and enables easy storage and quick retrieval of that information. The benefits of Intelligent Capture are numerous—it reduces storage, paper use, and costs; improves document retention, privacy, and security; and improves vendor relationships through faster processing times.

Recently, intelligent document recognition (IDR), an advanced extension of OCR, has emerged as a specialized data capture technology. IDR systems enable end users to extract content from invoices without the system having to learn the layout of the invoice. Some intelligent engines are able to correctly sort batches on the fly, locate data fields such as invoice and PO number or line item information, and extract the desired content. IDR solutions do not require design form templates or rules coding. Rather, the systems learn by reviewing a relatively small number of invoice samples. This helps the software scale to large invoice volumes and widely varying document layouts without requiring a human operator to specify a template for each one or explicitly create and tune an extensive library of keywords.

Embedded fuzzy search methods improve the extraction results by using other known data sources to automatically validate the information before exporting it to the ERP and document management systems. Fuzzy logic can also make the IDR solution language-agnostic, allowing global organizations to process high volumes of invoices in multiple languages. As a result, more invoices can be processed straight through with minimal manual intervention.

» Validation – After invoice data is extracted with Intelligent Capture software, the documents are sent through a verification procedure. Invoices are subject to validation rules, and the solution checks these rules by comparing specific fields against the information held in the appropriate back-end system (e.g., purchase order numbers against the purchasing system). Validation technology is a second round of insurance for invoice consistency and compliance—after the initial capture of data, it re-affirms the integrity of business documents before they are integrated into the main workflow system.

The accuracy of such rules-based matching has reached the point that many companies now opt to automatically pay invoices that meet all validation rules shortly after receipt, freeing AP staff to focus only on exceptions. In addition, many current-generation systems put the responsibility of exception and discrepancy resolution back


on suppliers, returning the document for correction before allowing it to enter the main workflow system.

» Electronic Invoicing – The most advanced automated invoice receipt and workflow integration will employ electronic invoicing. When invoices are submitted electronically through an eInvoicing portal, the processing times, which include data extraction and verification, are cut down tremendously, and invoices enter the workflow without sacrificing accuracy and compliance.

Electronic invoicing reduces the invoice receipt-to-pay cycle by as many as 10 days through the elimination of mail and processing times. It also improves the workflow by increasing supplier participation. The more suppliers are integrated into an automated invoice process, the greater the value of that integration. Some cloud-based software combines OCR technology with advanced artificial intelligence to broaden the range of acceptable invoice formats, making supplier participation even simpler. eInvoicing networks or portals also offer the benefit of collaboration with the solution provider—and the help of their onboarding techniques—to transition suppliers from paper to electronic invoice submission.

Front-End Capture with Matching and Workflow

After invoice receipt, data extraction, and verification, the invoice is ready to enter automated workflow. This is the stage of invoice automation that can potentially increase revenue and help with strategic planning. Invoice worklfow and automation tools will:

» Sort – Workflow solutions enable AP departments to define how different types of invoices are processed. PO-based invoices can be matched against the purchase order and receipt documents automatically, while non- PO invoices are routed to the appropriate approvers. All tasks are routed based on pre-defined business rules, and user roles and access rights can be set to match the organization’s existing approval hierarchy. Many solutions allow client administrators control over individual user access rights to delegate the type of approvals for each employee, the level of visibility approvers are given, and how much each employee can approve.

» Notify – Approvers are typically notified via email or mobile alerts when invoices require their review. Most solutions come bundled with alerts and reminders, out-of-office delegation rules, and escalation procedures to ensure that invoices are processed in a timely manner. Prioritization capabilities allow organizations to move invoices with discounts to the top of the processing queue, ensuring that they are approved in a timely manner.


» Approve – Accessible and dynamic interfaces make approvals easier. Many systems align the approval notifications with a transparent history of the document. Some solutions offer approval capability directly from emailed notifications, or users can click on the hyperlink contained in the email and log onto the system to view, code, and approve invoices online. Many solutions have mobile approval functionality that keeps invoices moving through the system when approvers are on the go.

» Track – Workflow solutions track every action taken by each user on every invoice, providing a complete audit trail for all transactions. With a transparent and complete transaction history, users can respond quickly to supplier inquiries, while supervisors can track the status of individual invoices, view the work of individual approvers, and monitor the entire approval process.


The benefits associated with invoice workflow automation are leading more companies to invest more resources into implementing this technology. Research results show that 40 percent of organizations surveyed are already using an approval workflow solution, and 22 percent are considering the implementation of one, see Figure 10.

However, even with the substantial portion of companies using or moving towards adopting IWA, there are still some holdouts. A third of companies report they have no plans to implement an approval workflow solution.

The majority of respondents (33 percent) reported that the belief that current processes are working is keeping them from implementing a solution, see Figure 11. However, PayStream’s research has found that their belief is far from the truth—the current state of manual business processes is only creating failures and inefficiencies in business activity.

Benefits of Invoice Workflow Automation

Figure 10

“Where do you stand with regards to the

usage of an approval workflow solution?”

22%

33% 40%

5%

We currently use anapproval workflow solution

We are currently deployingan approval workflowsolution and will go live inthe next 6 months

We are consideringimplementing an approvalworkflow solution

We do not have a workflowsolution and have no plansto implement one


Implementing an automated workflow system eliminates many processing pains and relieves barriers to productivity. To correct the misconception that current processes are working, it is important to educate business professionals on the benefits of IWA.

The strategic and tactical benefits of a fully integrated workflow solution include spend visibility for accurate forecasting, cash management, increased control of the entire invoice process through workflows and business rules, and improved vendor relationships. Automated approval workflow also brings companies consistent discount captures, process efficiency, and increased revenues.

With the benefits of IWA, companies gain:

» Ease-of-Use –Today’s turnkey P2P software eliminates disparate legacy solutions, simplifying the approval process and moving documents along with clear rules, permissions, and escalations. The functionality and usability of today’s automation solutions allows for widespread adoption in companies of all sizes and types. In addition, mobile functionality keeps invoices moving seamlessly through the system under any circumstances.

Figure 11

The Belief that Current Processes Are Working

Keeps Companies from Automating

“What barriers have kept your organization

from adopting an automated approval

workflow solution?”

16%Lack of budget

12%We do not think therewill be an ROI

8%No executive sponsorship

0%Lack of understanding of currentavailable solutions

8%Lack of technical resources tomanage an automated solution

33%Current processes work

4%None of these

16%16.7%Other


» Integration with AP Systems – Many organizations have valuable data in distinct systems that are unable to communicate with each other, making the management of this information difficult. Integration of automated workflow with an organization’s invoice processing and payables system makes it possible to extract and share data between applications, thus maximizing productivity.

» Expedited Approval – Data in captured invoices can trigger automatic alerts that immediately notify the appropriate party when a specific action needs to be taken, helping AP offices avoid late penalties. Authorized personnel can review, annotate, or assign the invoices from any location at any time, removing the delay of interoffice mail and the need to wait for authorized persons to return to the office to render needed approvals. This also eliminates the possibility that papers will be overlooked and further delayed. In addition, workflow provides organizations with an overview of the status of all invoices and the total payables in process, giving them the ability to reorganize and prioritize unapproved invoices.

» Ability to Avoid Penalties and Cash in on Discounts – The most effective solutions for increasing company revenue are those that allow them to pay invoices early. With the proper capture and automated workflow solution, large volumes of invoices and their discount and penalty information can be entered as payables within hours of their receipt, then approved and processed in time to capture all discount opportunities.

» Cash Management / Working Capital – Automated workflow is ushering in a new era of working capital management and buyer/supplier collaboration through supplier portals and dynamic discount management, and the results pay dividends to both buyers and suppliers in the form of liquidity and control. Through automation, buyers can manage their free cash and invest it for great returns in the form of early payment discounts, while suppliers benefit from the accelerated collection of receivables. In addition, with more capital available for use and increased revenue from discounts, buyers have the ability to invest in outside opportunities and improve their standing in their industry.

» Quick Auditing and Compliance – Automated workflow makes it possible for authorized users to see exactly where any invoice is in the process, and to track who completed each action and when. Workflow reporting leaves digital trails that show every action related to an invoice, which allows for quick queries of any data needed. An electronic audit trail can be created in minutes instead of hours, which helps a company comply with audits and regulations and meet service level agreements.


Workflow Automation Best PracticesIn order to properly integrate workflow automation, companies should prepare their current AP department and organizational procedures. In this section, PayStream explores some of the best practices innovators are following to maximize the integration of invoice automation and approval workflow.

IWA Best Practices include:

» Centralizing – Invoice workflow automation is defined by its ability to integrate and centralize processes that were previously scattered and unorganized. Procedural synchronization is achieved through unified company policy and streamlined department activity (e.g., communication between AP and Procurement). Another useful step is mandating invoice submission, whether to a mailroom service, the AP department, or through electronic methods. Suppliers should be directed where to send invoices, and once systematic compliance is achieved, invoice and approval workflow will be able to thrive.

» Business Rules and Tolerances – IWA solutions apply multiple validation checks and reroute incorrect invoices back to the supplier without any intervention from AP staff. In order to fully take advantage of this functionality, it is important to keep business rules up-to-date and consistent, both system-wide with sound technology guidelines and department-wide through clear employee communication.

» Discount Management – Some of the key drivers of AP automation are the emphasis on improving visibility of payment liabilities and the push towards increasing discount capture. IWA solutions empower AP to accomplish both of these goals, enabling them to capture more early payment discounts, increase revenue, and satisfy the goals of higher administration.

» Preemptive Payment Processing – The lack of proper procedures for invoice receipt and approval lead to profit leakage through duplicate and erroneous payments, which can result in stressful, drawn-out dealings with recovery audit services (RAS) to locate and recover old transactions and payment history. Companies can use proactive auditing strategies to prevent future headaches, and many IWA systems offer sophisticated invoice and payment audit technologies. Audit solutions can integrate seamlessly


with numerous accounting applications, and can run a variety of algorithms on the transactions to flag potential duplicates. Clients have the option of configuring the business logic, which will be applied to identify erroneous payments, and reports are generated on a periodic basis highlighting potential payment errors for resolution.

» Leveraging Cloud Technology – With the proper planning, leveraging a combination of appropriate solutions can drive organizations’ IWA success. Cloud-based solutions integrate easily with existing systems, and are appropriate for smaller businesses or those with unique business models.


To ensure the smooth functioning of an AP department, key performance indicators (KPIs) should be measured at least quarterly. These metrics become even more critical when a company is undergoing a merger or acquisition, new technology implementation, or organizational restructuring. Measuring and comparing KPIs before and after any of these initiatives, such as an IWA system implementation, is a good indication of the impact it has had on the AP process.

Below are some key KPIs every accounts payable department should track on a regular basis—and especially before and after implementing a workflow automation technology.

» Number of Invoices Processed per Day, per Operator – This metric helps an organization understand the invoice efficiency of each AP operator. If some operators are ahead of the curve, they may be able to share tips and train others that are lagging behind. Invoice efficiency also encourages companies to try different ways of allocating invoices to specialists—by PO vs. non-PO invoices, by spend type, or by geographic location/business unit—and determine the one that works best.

» Average Cost to Process an Invoice by Type – Calculating processing costs can provide valuable insights into cost drivers and reduce total costs. In their calculations, companies should include salaries and benefits, facilities and hardware, software and IT support, and managerial overhead. It is important to calculate by different types of invoices as well, such as clean vs. exception, and by steps involved in each process to address any expensive invoice types.

» Exception Invoices as a Percentage of Total Invoices – Exception invoices are much more expensive to process than clean invoices, and they drive up overall costs for an AP department. Companies should track the number of dollar-value invoices that end up in an exception queue and log details such as expense type, vendor information, and type of exception. Understanding and addressing the source of exceptions is critical to reduce the occurrence of exceptions.

» Average Time to Approve an Invoice from Receipt to Payment – Knowing how long it takes an invoice to move from receipt to payment can help AP managers identify lengthy points in the process—either from data entry, approval, or exception management—and take the appropriate steps to compress the

Key Performance Indicators for AP


receipt-to-pay cycle. Accelerating the processing cycle can help reduce late payment penalties and increase the capture of discounts offered by suppliers.

» Electronic Invoices as a Percentage of Total Invoices - Electronic invoices are quicker and cheaper to process as there is no mail float, desk float, or data entry involved in the process. Companies should track the percentage of eInvoices as well as the percentage of suppliers sending them. Increasing the percentage of invoices that come into the AP department in electronic format will have a beneficial impact on other tracked metrics.

» Suppliers Onboarding eInvoicing as a Percentage of Total Suppliers – The best electronic invoicing solution will not deliver a payback unless a critical mass of suppliers have been successfully onboarded. Companies should develop a supplier recruitment and enablement plan and periodically track the percentage of targeted suppliers that have been migrated from paper to electronic invoicing. If the percentages are too low, companies should change the activation campaigns and communication methods.

» Discounts Captured as a Percentage of Discounts Offered – While many suppliers may offer a discount for paying early, most companies are unable to capture all the discounts offered due to either a lack of visibility into the existence of discounts or lengthy approval cycles. Companies can track invoices where discounts are missed with reason codes so that invoices with future associated discounts can be prioritized and processed as quickly as possible.

» Erroneous Payments as a Percentage of Total Payments – Duplicate payments, reconciled returns, and other payment errors are a huge drain on the bottom line. Tracking dollars lost to payment errors can help recoup the money from suppliers quickly. Keeping a log of error codes can help organizations understand the source of errors and address the problem at the root itself, instead of trying to recover the funds after the fact.

» Developing the Paper Invoice Quotient (PIQ) – The PIQ, a score developed by PayStream that represents dependency on paper in accounts payable, is indicative of processing efficiency. An organization’s PIQ is determined by dividing the percent of electronic invoices (those that do not need any manual data entry, whether EDI, invoice network, P-card, or conversion of paper invoices by automated data capture) by the average number of approval days from invoice receipt to approval, as shown in Table 1.

Percentage of Electronic Invoices 10% 24% 40%Approval Time (Number of Days from Invoice Receipt to Approval)

28 24 14

Paper Invoice Quotient 0.4 1.0 2.9

Table 1

Paper Invoice Quotient


PayStream Advisors has found that although some companies are not fully optimizing the invoice lifecycle with an IWA solution, many have recognized the need for better process integration. Those companies are seeking smoother business activity, better organizational communication, and increased revenues, and with the implementation of IWA software, they will place themselves at a strategic advantage within their industries. PayStream encourages all P2P professionals to use this market guide as a tool to propel their companies forward in operational and market success.

To provide financial professionals with viable and exciting options for IWA solutions, this report includes several detailed profiles on the market’s leading invoice workflow automation providers who are taking steps to enhance the P2P lifecycle.

Conclusion


ConcurSince 2007, Concur has offered their AP solution, Concur® Invoice Management, with the mission of reducing costs and improving efficiency while providing complete visibility into spending. The company aims to maximize client value by optimizing request, capture, workflow, pay, reporting options through the solution and associated services. Concur also leverages trends such as web services and mobile devices for approvals to meet the needs of the on-the-go user.

Website www.concur.comFounded 1993Headquarters Bellevue, WAOther Locations Eden Prairie, MN; Vienna, VA; Australia; Canada;

Czech Republic; France; Germany; Hong Kong; India; Japan; Mexico; Philippines; Singapore; UK

Number of Employees

Over 4,000

Number of Customers

Over 22,000

Number of End Users

Over 20 million

Key ClientsTarget Verticals Banking, Finance, Insurance, Higher Education,

Retail, Restaurants, and Professional ServicesAwards / Recognitions

Steve Singh voted CEO of the Year, Washington Technology Industry Association (March 2012); 2012 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (#154); Software Magazine’s 2012 Software 500 (#151); Forbes 100 Best Small Companies (2010) (#57); 2009 Most Admired Tech Provider, The Beat Readers’ Choice Award

Partners American Express Aquis Consulting Group ESM Solutions Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting

Solution Functionality

Concur’s complete spend management platform provides an end-to-end solution for pre-approval and ongoing management of purchases and


indirect spending. Concur’s service integrates seamlessly with back-office systems, from enterprise-wide ERP systems to smaller processes. With a large, global client base, Concur has extensive and diverse experience with back-office configuration. The service’s infrastructure utilizes load balancing, redundant network, server, and storage components. A disaster recovery plan ensures that Concur’s hosted services are recoverable in the unlikely event of disaster; these formal disaster recovery plans are tested regularly.

Purchase Requests

Concur Invoice Management provides the ability to manage key elements of the spend process that occur prior to invoice receipt through purchase requests. The user creates a purchase request through a simple shopping cart experience that allows employees to define the purchases they require while providing all the key information the back-office needs to approve and process the request. To approve a purchase request, an automated workflow routes the request to the proper approver. Approvers can review, update, reject, approve, or return for more information, while requesters can view the status of their requests at all times. Once approved, the purchase request will generate a purchase order and provide the ability to email that PO to the supplier.

Invoice Capture Options

Concur Invoice Management helps customers efficiently manage their spend from authorization to supplier payment, eliminating paper and reducing costs. Suppliers can submit eInvoices directly via EDI or other formats through the OB10 supplier network. Paper invoices can be emailed or scanned and uploaded into Concur, where optical character recognition (OCR) technology extracts the data and adds it to a payment request, requiring the AP department only to verify the results. For companies that wish to outsource the process of capturing invoices, Concur’s optional Invoice Capture service provides suppliers with email, mail or fax options to submit the invoice to a central location where Concur personnel then scan and upload the invoice, verify the data in the payment request, and add it to the company’s standard workflow.

Concur provides storage and archival functionality for captured invoices, images, and data. There are extensive search functions throughout the main workflow application and the reporting tools. Clients can even retrieve images with one click in RSS their ERP system via a web service or via a feed on an ongoing basis.


Approval Workflow

The workflow capabilities of the Concur solution are particularly powerful, supporting complex coding, allocations across departments or projects, and automated comparisons to pre-approved POs. Beyond the PO matching capability, invoices can be routed according to an array of parameters such as type, dollar limit, or any other attribute. Cost Object Approval also allows an invoice to be routed simultaneously to all the relevant approvers whose budgets are affected. In this way, costs can be split among multiple GL codes while keeping invoice cycle times low. Approver signing authority includes limits and mobile approvals.

Customers can also seamlessly incorporate new suppliers as an invoice progresses through the approval cycle, and employees can keep the cycle moving by using the Concur mobile app. Once approved, invoices automatically queue for ACH or check payment.

Authorized approvers can review and approve invoices and check requests from an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry device, ensuring that the workflow process isn’t slowed down even when they are out of the office.

Payments

Concur Invoice Management can streamline the payment process by making it easy to select the payment method for an invoice: check, ACH, or credit card. Approved invoices are automatically queued for check or ACH payment based on supplier terms, ensuring payments are made on time while also maximizing cash on hand. Payments can easily be held at any point, and all remittance information is posted to your ERP system providing total control and visibility.

When credit card is the selected payment method, Concur can send an automatic email notification to a vendor authorizing them to charge the card they have on file for an outstanding invoice.

Supplier Portal

To automate the interaction between the AP department and suppliers, suppliers are given access to a secure website which allows them to check the status of payments on their invoices. Concur clients can send automatic portal invitations directly from the solution to encourage new vendors to enroll in the portal.


Reporting and Analysis

An array of reports and graphical dashboard modules are available in the Concur reporting module. These reports include Accrual Report and Invoice Cycle Time, Spend by Vendor, Expense Type, and more. “Bursting” enables an administrator to create a report definition once, then have multiple recipients automatically receive ongoing data that fits both that definition and their budget ownership area. Users can also generate custom reports and save queries for later use. This data can then be downloaded into third-party reporting tools for further analysis, or into Excel templates to allocate hierarchies and monitor cost object approvals.

Pricing and Implementation

Clients with less complex needs may use Concur’s Standard Edition, which can be implemented in as few as 30 days. Clients with more complex needs may require Professional Edition, which requires a 12-16 week implementation on average. Concur has no up-front costs for Standard Edition. There is a nominal implementation fee for Professional Edition based on the complexity of the client’s requirements. Once implemented, all clients pay an ongoing monthly subscription fee based on the number of transactions processed. Price ranges vary based on the specific needs of the client, and volume pricing models are available that lower the cost per transaction as the number of transactions increase.

Post-implementation, Concur provides 24-hour access to the Client Support online resource site, where system administrators can enter and search for issues in the Concur knowledge base. Live phone support is available 24x5, with pager support available 24x7 for high-priority issues. Concur supports customers globally through Support Centers located worldwide. Clients may also choose to purchase an optional User Support Desk service so their employees also have access to the experts at Concur for ongoing assistance.


Founded in 1998, Corcentric delivers accounts payable imaging and workflow automation solutions that enable companies to gain significant cost efficiencies by digitizing their business-to-business transactions. Corcentric creates a paperless conduit between procurement, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and suppliers, which allows companies to receive and automate 100 percent of their invoices electronically.

Corcentric’s flexible and scalable accounts payable automation solutions incorporate best practices, multiple invoice capture capabilities, customizable workflows, automated invoice matching, and strong reporting capabilities to help companies increase efficiencies and reduce costs associated with invoice processing and payment management. Corcentric’s AP solution, COR360, provides comprehensive purchase-to-pay functionality that includes electronic purchase order creation and delivery, electronic invoicing, invoice scan and capture, invoice matching, and approval workflow. Corcentric’s tools are delivered in a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) architecture, which allows solutions to be configured in days rather than months for immediate return on investment.

Website www.corcentric.comFounded 1998Headquarters McLean, VAOther Locations Cherry Hill, NJ; Fairfield, NJ; Atlanta, GA; McLean,

VA; Downers Grove, IL; Coral Springs, FLNumber of Customers

3303

Target Verticals Retail, Healthcare, Banking, Higher Education, Transportation, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Leisure & Hospitality

Awards / Recognitions

SSAE16 certified, PCI Compliant

Solution Name COR360


Corcentric’s COR360 solution is a multi-tenant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that requires no software or hardware to buy, install, and maintain. It enables users to quickly automate accounts payable and streamline the

Corcentric


review and approval process to significantly reduce costs. COR360 delivers the benefits of configurable invoice approval routing and automated three-way invoice matching, while eliminating the hassle of managing paper-based invoices. The system streamlines all manual accounts payable processes through easy-to-use, easy-to-implement automation technology.

COR360 adds new features and functionalities quarterly, which are immediately available to all clients at no additional cost. The solution also has multi-lingual and multi-currency capability.

The system is ERP-agnostic and can integrate with any ERP or accounting system. COR360 seamlessly transmits data to and from a client’s financial system through proprietary COR360 ERP Business Connectors.

The COR360 solution has mobile invoice approval functionality that is available through any smartphone or tablet, keeping invoices moving through the workflow even when approvers or managers are on the go.

Invoice Receipt From Suppliers

Corcentric supports invoice receipt directly from suppliers in a number of ways, including a managed post office box for paper invoices, a COR360 email address, direct invoice image upload from a scanner or multifunction device to COR360, eInvoices, or an online invoice submission form. Suppliers can also access the COR360 supplier portal to input or submit invoices electronically. Corcentric has the capability, if required, to handle all mail opening and receiving of paper invoices. Paper-based invoices are scanned upon receipt and the data is captured at a 99.8 percent guaranteed accuracy level. All invoices received electronically input directly into the COR360 system and are ready for data capture. Corcentric handles all aspects of supplier onboarding and participation in eInvoicing and EDI submission, including directly reaching out to the suppliers to connect them through the Corcentric Supplier Network

Supplier Portal

Corcentric’s COR360 solution includes a supplier network where suppliers can connect and transmit invoices electronically. There are no supplier fees charged to connect to the Corcentric Supplier Network for electronic invoices or to use the COR360 supplier portal. The portal provides suppliers with real-time information on invoice status, including payment information. Clients control which suppliers have access to the portal and exactly what each supplier can view.


Invoice Virtualization

Corcentric provides multiple invoice virtualization options for scanning and data capture of received invoices, allowing customers to shift completely to a paper-free environment from day one. Clients can take advantage of Corcentric’s scan and capture services via outsourced virtualization centers, or can continue receiving and scanning invoices themselves, while still using Corcentric for the invoice data capture. All data is captured through a combination of optical character recognition (OCR) technology and manual data validation. Invoice data from images is extracted and validated within COR360 with a guaranteed 99.8% accuracy level. Clients can choose to use Corcentric to perform data capture and validation as an outsourced option, or they can continue to perform the data capture themselves within the COR360 solution via the indexing feature.

Clients can access current and historical invoice images stored within the COR360 SaaS solution via a web browser with the search and ad hoc query feature. Corcentric’s U-Call feature allows images to be searched and retrieved from within a client’s ERP or other legacy systems linking back to the COR360 enterprise content management repository. This feature allows users to view images in their ERP system without needing to log into COR360 or physically store the images in their ERP system.

Approval Workflow

Corcentric’s solution has advanced workflow functionality which routes all invoices for approval, in addition to routing those exception invoices that fail the invoice matching process to the appropriate user for automated exception handling. Client administrators have complete control over user access rights, invoice approval authority, workflow routing hierarchy and rules, invoice visibility, and any action that may be required of the user. Clients’ existing approval hierarchy structure can be used in COR360 to automatically route invoices for approval via the client’s delegation of authority policy. The system’s ease of use and flexibility allows clients to set up their own business rules and configure the workflow process as needed.

COR360 SmartRouting analyzes captured invoice data after scanning to automatically route the invoice to the first level approver without manual intervention. The invoice is routed for higher approval through the delegation of authority rules in COR360. The user simply needs to complete their required actions and click on the approve button; the system knows whether the user has the proper approval authority, and if not, will route the invoice to the appropriate approver. Clients control the approval routing process, which can be modified at any time. Routing and user approval is electronically recorded in the audit history for each invoice. Escalation


notices can be configured to alert both the user and their supervisor of invoices that are aging and need attention. Dashboards with real-time key performance indicators are also provided that show real-time reporting with drill down capabilities to view all invoices currently in process.

Invoice Matching

COR360 automates the matching process for 3-way, 2-way, and blanket purchase orders by using straight through processing to automatically match invoices to POs and receipt lines using the client’s matching rules. When matches within predefined tolerances are met, COR360 can complete the transaction straight through to the ERP system without AP processor involvement. Invoices that fail the matching process go through COR360’s automated exception handling workflow, which routes the exception to the appropriate user (e.g., purchasing, receiving), based on the reason the invoice failed the match.


Robust reporting and analysis tools are included in the COR360 solution, and come in three types:

1. Dashboards – Graphical reports of key performance indicators with the capability to drill down into underlying data.

2. Standard Reports – Reports that exist for all clients, including accruals, user metrics, delegation of authority, system administration, and audit history.

3. Ad Hoc Reports – Functions that allow clients to create their own reports as needed, with no technical expertise required.

The audit history report tracks all actions for each invoice processed, including opening, routing, suspending, approval, and any internal notes entered. This audit history remains as a permanent record with every invoice. As invoices are routed for approval or matched, the full history of that invoice is tracked. The COR360 audit history report was designed by an audit firm to meet all SOX requirements.

Additionally, COR360 provides a reporting feature called Audit RE-view. This feature was designed to streamline the audit review process by providing online audit folders for external access so internal users can provide auditors with access to audit requests by placing invoices and other related documents into the respective audit folder for review.

All COR360 reports can be exported to Excel or CSV file formats.



The average COR360 implementation time is 6 to 12 weeks, depending on the complexity and client availability to meet and gather requirements for system configuration. The fee structure is based on the number of invoices processed through COR360. There are zero per-user fees, as COR360 allows for unlimited users, approvers, reviewers, and suppliers at no additional cost.

All client implementations are managed by former accounts payable employees with 20 plus years of AP experience, who also implemented the solution at their former companies. Support is provided by Corcentric and includes a 24/7 hotline available to all clients for post-implementation support.


CoupaCoupa’s mission is to deliver software innovations that breed responsible company spending while impacting the bottom line. Coupa allows their users to manage a full suite of financial applications from AP to procurement to expenses and sourcing—all from a single platform. Coupa is known for having high user and supplier adoption rates, 100 percent mobility, and a subscription renewal rate of over 97 percent. They owe their high adoption rates to their strategy of building spend management solutions that mirror how users act in their consumer lives, and that streamline the communication channel between buyers and suppliers.

Coupa works to improve the procedures of their Cloud-based technology based on their clients’ specific needs. Their solutions, modeled after internet consumer services, require little to no training and offer numerous supplier options with no supplier fees. Coupa provides full eInvoicing global compliance and integrates with any format, their full configuration model bringing a business agility that is often lacking with legacy software and other systems. This brings the benefit of little to no IT involvement post implementation, and significantly reduces Coupa’s total cost of ownership.

Website www.coupa.comFounded 2006Headquarters San Mateo, CAOther Locations New York, NY; Chicago, IL; San Diego, CA; Reno,

NV; London, United Kingdom; Frankfurt, Germany; Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France; Sydney, Australia

Number of Customers

450+ in over 40 countries

Key Clients Sanofi, Molina Healthcare, Royal Bank of Canada, NEC, Toyota, Rent-a-Center, UBS

Target Verticals Healthcare/Pharmaceutical, Retail, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Technology, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas



Forrester P2P Leader; Gartner E-Procurement Market and Vendor Landscape” Report Leader; Best in Biz Awards International; Fastest Growing Company; AlwaysOn OnDemand Top 100; PayStream Advisors P2P Excellence Award in Spend Management; Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Award; 2011 Wall St. Journal Next Big Thing Award; Procurement Leaders Award

Solution Name Coupa Spend Optimization Platform - Invoicing


Coupa is a fully SaaS, cloud-based application, which frees clients from the expensive and time-consuming burden of operating and maintaining their own applications and infrastructure. Coupa has partnered with Amazon Web Services to provide their platform’s hardware and infrastructure. Customer instances are configured independently through a user interface, and externalized configuration files and upgrades are all included in the subscription model. Coupa’s security features include high-grade encryption of passwords, state of the art kernel firewalls and intrusion detection software, multi-layered architecture to secure sessions and prevent unauthorized access, and best-in-class disaster recovery protocols that eliminate data loss in the event of system failure.

eInvoice Functionality

Coupa Invoicing provides organizations with a complete and intelligent solution for managing their accounts payable processes. It supports capture through a supplier self-service portal or multiple electronic formats, including cXML, EDI, Coupa’s API, email, and more.

Customers can elect to use Coupa’s partners for scanning and document conversion into Coupa’s system, or they can integrate with other providers for scanning and OCR. Key Coupa Invoice capabilities include automatic PO-to-invoice conversion, application of quantity and dollar-based approval tolerances, support of PO and non-PO invoices, invoice amount adjustment (to reflect shipping, tax, etc.), invoice fast entry, and more.

Vendor Portal

The Coupa Supplier Network, comprised of over 1.3 million suppliers, provides B2B communication and commerce at no cost to users. The Business Network allows vendors to create and send invoices in any electronic or manual method (e.g., cXML, EDI, fax, email, paper). Suppliers can track electronic invoices on the network, and “flip” purchase orders into


invoices or create invoices without a PO. Disputed or rejected invoices are queued up for manual resolution between buyer and supplier. Suppliers also have access to catalog management and other procurement features through the Business Network.

Coupa’s newest product release includes their Supplier Actionable Notification feature, which allows suppliers to create invoices, acknowledge purchase orders, and add comments to documents directly from email—all without registering to the network. The conversation thread is automatically updated in Coupa, and the supplier can switch between this feature and the Coupa Supplier Network to perform these functions as needed. For any suppliers that will not use Supplier Actionable Notifications, cXML or EDI to invoice, an enhanced shared AP inbox within Coupa helps manage AP’s PDF invoice queue.

Data Capture

Coupa’s primary goal is to reduce their AP customers’ dependency on OCR over time by making it easier for suppliers to transact electronically without any hurdles (no preregistration, no contract, no enablement, no fees). This focus on increased supplier participation ultimately decreases Coupa customers’ OCR costs and manual data validation efforts. Because this transformation takes times, Coupa has 100 percent OCR support through best-in-class partners, as well as an open API that any OCR provider can use to feed scanned invoices into Coupa.

All customer data and image files are stored for the duration of users’ subscription with Coupa, and users can run simple and advanced searches of invoices to gain quick and easy access. Search results provide summary data with the ability to drill down into each invoice, which also provides access to any documents attached to the invoice.

Approval Workflow

With Coupa’s workflow management, different approval chains can be configured for different purposes (e.g., requisitions, invoices). Tasks are routed via email and/ or application display, and auto-notifications are emailed to users to inform them of action items required, status changes, or updates. These notifications also feature automatic escalation.

Coupa supports 2-way and 3-way matching of invoices against purchase orders and receipts, and can combine matching with checks to make sure invoices meet specific tolerance thresholds. Discrepancies are placed on hold for additional review and approval. From configurable operational dashboards, AP teams can easily set up Coupa’s invoice approval workflows


based on pre-defined validation criteria. This allows them to manage their workloads, drive on-time payment, and ensure that companies benefit from pre-negotiated early payment discounts. These workflows can handle multiple approvers and disputes, and users can create customized invoice management views to see different groupings of invoices for workload management and other role-based views.


Coupa provides over 100 pre-built reports to ensure complete spend visibility for any organization. All reports in Coupa can be easily generated through an intuitive web interface. Reporting dashboards can be set up for different business levels, featuring real-time graphical views that provide critical insights into spending management performance, supplier performance, liquidity, and more. Users can also build their own custom views and self-schedule reports.

Coupa’s unique benchmarking capabilities can calculate company performance across 35 purchasing and expense management KPIs and compare those metrics against a market benchmark that is updated nightly, entirely from transactional data pulled from across the Coupa platform. Coupa also provides a spend analytics module that includes customized dashboards, and all transactions, approvals, and important master data contain an audit trail with date/time stamps throughout the application.

The Coupa Customer Success portal is a help and training tool through which suppliers can find out more information about the Coupa Supplier Network, and where Coupa continually notifies buyers and suppliers of any updates or new trainings. Coupa routinely monitors the regulatory environment to ensure ongoing compliance in the development and delivery of their product and services.

Implementation & Pricing

Coupa’s robust implementation methodology is based on best practices and templates that have been refined over the course of 450 Coupa implementations. They work to tailor the entire process to customers’ specific business needs and requirements. The typical timeline for a Coupa implementation varies, but deployments range from 3-6 months. Although little training is required for their intuitive system, customers can opt for both online and in-person training, and training specifically for administrators. Coupa’s service includes a one-time implementation fee and annual subscription fees that cover all hosting, hardware, software, support, maintenance, and upgrade costs.


Available for companies after implementation and training is complete, the Coupa Best Practice webinar series runs weekly, giving customers the opportunity to interact with each other and discuss topics relevant to their business. Coupa provides customers with three options for pursuing support: phone, email, and the Coupa support portal. Depending on the support package, support technicians are available 24x7 for priority cases. Coupa also provides a Customer Success program, which entails defining and maintaining long-term success goals.


Direct CommerceFounded in 1999 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, Direct Commerce is a leader in Accounts Payable and Procure-to-Pay Automation Solutions. Their mission is to provide easy-to-use P2P SaaS-based tools that transform an organization through paper-free processing and rapid ROI.

Direct Commerce (DCI) offers procure-to-pay products that include electronic invoicing, discount management, dispute resolution, workflow, and more over a secure web-hosted Supplier Portal. Direct Commerce solutions are easy-to-use and configurable, and deliver bottom-line savings to their clients. Direct Commerce minimizes the client’s IT efforts by configuring its core functionality to meet their customers’ current processes.

Renowned for their technical innovation, project execution, and premier customer service, Direct Commerce has been a first choice for Fortune 1000 clients such as The Home Depot, Eli Lilly, Merck, and many more. Free for suppliers, the Direct Commerce network supports over 150,000 suppliers submitting hundreds of thousands of electronic invoices annually—all adding up to billions of dollars per year in transaction volume.

Website www.directcommerce.comFounded 1999Headquarters San Francisco, CAOther Locations Boston, MANumber of Employees

<100

Number of End Users

200,000+

Key Clients Home Depot, Eli Lilly, Merck, Office Depot, Mayo Clinic

Target Verticals Aerospace and Defense, Chemical, Energy, Food & Beverage, Gas & Power, Healthcare, Insurance, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Retail, Transportation, Technology, Fortune 1000

Transactions Processed Annually

More than $300 Billion



Numerous client innovation awards, including Eli Lilly & Company, The Home Depot, Memorial Hermann Healthcare Systems and others


Direct Commerce offers a secure, SaaS-based platform that provides companies with an easy-to-use portal for eInvoicing, discount management, dispute resolution, workflow, vendor management, and more. Customers can implement one or several of DCI’s product modules—all within a controlled, secure, and continually audited environment. Direct Commerce features over 200,000 end users and a large, growing database of suppliers.

DCI can integrate with any ERP system, and the Direct Commerce architecture serves as a reliable, scalable, and flexible backbone for all DCI applications and services. Because they employ industrial-strength technologies such as Enterprise Java and relational databases, DCI delivers a reliable, high-performance suite of applications.

Direct Commerce employs state-of-the-art tools, methodologies, and approaches to achieve and maintain a high-level of security for their clients. Their fine-grain, multi-tiered security framework ensures that only those users who are authenticated and authorized are allowed to view data and perform business tasks.

Supplier Portal

Direct Commerce’s Supplier Portal is a secure web-hosted tool configured to specific buyer requirements that enables suppliers to enter invoices and look up status information. It is a self-service tool that users can access to submit invoices and attachments, query document data, and communicate with the buying organization. A complete two-way match can be performed before invoice submission, giving the supplier the opportunity to ensure that their invoice is in line with the corresponding purchase order (line numbers, units of measure, remaining purchase order amounts, etc.). Authorized suppliers can use the supplier portal to check the status and progress of invoices throughout the reconciliation and approval process, and to file queries to supplier support. Suppliers also receive notifications as invoices are approved for payment.

Invoice Receipt Functionality

Direct Commerce allows invoice submission in a variety of formats, including EDI, web entry, PO flipping, and CSV/Excel. In addition, their solution features an imaging module that allows paper invoices to be


incorporated in the system directly. They also provide complete mailroom, prep, scanning, and data entry services for any paper documents.

Data Capture

Direct Commerce supports a wide variety of formats including many proprietary ERP formats, XML (Sandia, RosettaNet, CIDX, proprietary), flat file (fixed-width, delimited), ERP-specific, EDI, EDIFACT, and various image formats (PDF, JPG, GIF).

The Direct Commerce system retains all system data according to their customers’ data archiving requirements, and this content can be managed in separate archive data stores or offline. The solution can run and create queries and reports using quick search or advanced functionality. Advanced search criteria is determined by variables such as invoice number, PO number, date types and ranges, invoice status, dollar amount, and other factors.

Approval Workflow

Direct Commerce offers a workflow engine that includes multiple levels of approval, complex task routing, timeout tasks, vacation schedules, forwarding, and many other real-world features required to operate a large-scale invoice approval process for different workflows. The workflow engine is configured according to the various document flows and validation criteria within customers’ systems, and the end result is a tailored approval workflow powered by DCI-specific logic that enables documents to be authenticated and routed to the correct users, locations, departments, and divisions.

Matching (2-way or 3-way) and validations are performed on documents (including non-PO invoices) during submission, and invoices can be pre-encoded to ensure efficient routing. Other validation and routing rules can be created so that invoices with exceptions are sent to error processing queues for further review. The Direct Commerce workflow engine is designed to send notifications under specified exceptions and match failures, and notifications can also be sent to the supplier to inform them of errors.

Admins have complete control over user access; these controls include highest level of activation/inactivation, approval limits, reporting hierarchies, and assignments to various locations.


Direct Commerce can generate a number of different types of reports relating to various aspects of the invoicing process, including invoice


statuses, receipts, approvals, reconciliation, and more. Within Direct Commerce, suppliers can quickly and easily browse through a highly detailed summary of their upcoming scheduled payments. For buyers, standard reports are defined and configured for each client specifically before the system is live, and are made available online to the appropriate personnel. These real-time data reports are produced and delivered in a variety of forms: displayed in an executive dashboard within the application, emailed in spreadsheet format, and/or sent via a secured transmission for upload into a reporting engine. Direct Commerce’s advanced search capability allows users and administrators to formulate their own ad-hoc reports by inputting the appropriate search criteria.

DCI also provides a wide variety of business intelligence tools, including extensive online searching/browsing/reporting capabilities and offline shelf reports using industry standard benchmarks and KPIs (discount performance, workflow, spend analysis, etc.). The Direct Commerce system also has extensive auditing capabilities; DCI’s system was built with regulatory requirements in mind (such as HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, and VAT), ensuring their customers stay compliant.

Implementation

Depending on the scope of a project (company size, reach, and supplier amount), typical implementation processes can be between 12 and 25 weeks. Factors that generally affect the rollout schedule include client availability and desired requirements. Direct Commerce offers pre-built integration tools and adaptors; these include a data synchronization agent module for installation on site within each customer’s middleware infrastructure. The tools provide interfaces that make web services calls between Direct Commerce and the user’s ERP.

Direct Commerce’s secure web-based suite of products is constructed, installed, and managed by an experienced team of professionals that act as a dedicated extension of the client’s team. Direct Commerce is renowned for its fast, well-coordinated deployments and consistent delivery of exceptional customer service.


NipendoNipendo empowers organizations around the globe to reach a new level of procure-to-pay automation that is not only paperless, but also errorless and effortless, achieving over 90% straight-through processing of supplier transactions directly to users’ ERP systems. Nipendo enables seamless interoperability with any supplier communication solution, allowing enterprises to leverage their existing implementations and extend fully-automated electronic procurement to the entire supplier ecosystem.

Nipendo has a record of rapidly onboarding thousands of suppliers to achieve over 90 percent supplier participation. Their Connect-Once-Communicate-with-All offering enables suppliers to exchange trade documents with any buyer connected to Nipendo Supplier Cloud, regardless of any differences in data structure, business rules, process flow, or other specific buyer requirements.

Website www.nipendo.comFounded 2007Headquarters Burlington, MAOther Locations IsraelNumber of Customers

20,000+

Transactions Processed Annually

Over 15 million

Partners/Resellers IBM, SynerTrade, Top Image Systems, Integrate Financial

Awards/Recognitions

Gartner – Cool Vendor (2014) Spend Matters – 50 Providers to Watch (2014) Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 (2014) 2013 Green Supply Chain Award (Supply and Demand Chain Executive)

Solution Name Nipendo Supplier Cloud


Nipendo Supplier Cloud is a cloud-based platform that seamlessly connects buyer-supplier Procure-to-Pay processes. By ensuring interoperability with existing ERP and Accounts Payable systems, Nipendo enables quick


implementation in any enterprise environment, allowing organizations to automate invoice processing without replacement of existing infrastructure.

Bypassing the long and costly on-boarding challenges traditionally associated with buyer-supplier integration, the Nipendo Supplier Cloud offers a plug-and-play solution that facilitates rapid on-boarding of thousands of suppliers, with a range of connectivity options that fit the needs of suppliers of all sizes. Connecting to the Nipendo platform is quick and simple, with no complex customizations, data mapping, or changes to existing business processes. Invoices from any source can be automatically processed and approved, allowing 90%+ straight-through processing directly to the buyer’s ERP system.


Nipendo Supplier Cloud accepts invoices and other documents using multiple methods. The Nipendo Cloud Printer makes submitting an invoice to the Supplier Cloud as easy as printing a document from any system. Invoices accepted directly from an ERP or billing system may be sent via many different ways, including an ERP plug-in, web services integration (Nipendo API), secured web service gateway (Nipendo nPoint), secured file transfer, EDI, and more. The Supplier Cloud web portal allows for direct data entry of documents and for PO flip.

Any invoice processed through Nipendo Supplier Cloud, no matter how it enters the system, goes through an extensive set of validations based on business rules that can be configured by each customer. Customers can use pre-defined business rule templates for specific business processes (e.g., direct vs. indirect purchases) and modify them to match their unique requirements.

Invoices that do not pass validation are not allowed into the buyer’s ERP, ensuring that only valid invoices enter the system. The system provides suppliers with real-time feedback if any errors or mismatches are found, allowing them to take immediate corrective action. This self-correcting process ensures that only a small fraction of the invoices submitted (typically 2-5 percent) are flagged as exceptions, lowering the amount of manual processing required of Accounts Payable.

Vendor Portal

Through Nipendo’s Supplier Cloud portal, vendors gain complete collaboration with the buyer organization throughout the entire Procure-to-Pay process. Nipendo Supplier Cloud provides a user-configurable dashboard that allows each user to have immediate access to all the data


they need at a glance. Users can customize the dashboard using widgets that provide one-click access to search results, task lists, analytics, alerts and notifications. From the dashboard, users can drill down into each of the items presented, allowing suppliers to submit invoices, reply to price quotes, accept/decline POs, update delivery dates, and receive invoice approvals and payment statuses. They can also correct invoices in real time to ensure a higher acceptance rate, as well as select dynamic discount and third party supply chain financing offers. The portal’s extensive self-service capabilities result in significant reduction in supplier inquires reported by Nipendo customers.

Data Capture

Nipendo partners with a number of scanning and OCR solution providers (e.g., Top Image System) to provide organizations with the ability to integrate paper documents into the automated procure-to-pay process.

Nipendo has developed a complete archiving solution for all business documents in any format, and searches can be run based on any field. Documents are kept with complete reference to their specific business process, enabling the user to quickly and easily search and retrieve any document and all related documents and images (e.g., purchase order and all related invoices).

Approval Workflow

Over 90 percent of the invoices that go through the Nipendo Supplier Cloud are processed straight through to the buyer’s ERP system without any manual intervention. For invoices that are not automatically approved, Nipendo offers its own workflow functionality, as well as a number of partner solutions through the Nipendo Open Platform. Administrators can define and manage user hierarchies and permissions for read and write access, and the solution supports routing to internal approvers and reviewers, as well as escalations and reminders.

Nipendo integrates with the ERP and other financial systems to automatically reconcile approved transactions into the general ledger; this is offered through a number of integration methods, including a pre-packaged integration gateway to leading ERP and accounting systems and integration plugins and packages developed by third party partners. Reconciliation can also happen through the Nipendo nPoint, a B2B gateway and integration package preconfigured to connect with Nipendo Supplier Cloud platform over standard Internet protocols, implementing the highest levels of security and encryption with embedded digital signature capabilities.


Reporting and Analytics

Nipendo provides standard reports, user-configured reports, and BI analytics reports. Both buyers and suppliers can generate a wide range of online reports for all types of documents, and reports can be filtered and sorted by any data attributes (date range, supplier, buyer, currency, etc.). Through the BI module, customers can create analyses and reports that uncover trends and spot exceptions across the entire supplier base and throughout the entire process from procurement to payment. Inter-industry benchmarking services are offered as part of the product roadmap.

Organizations can define reports to help them comply with local regulations and analyze different types of spend (e.g., PO vs. non-PO invoices). Any modifications in any part of the process are logged in the system, and can be presented as part of the document history as well as in reports.


Average initial implementation takes 2-3 months and includes project definitions, system configuration, and customer-side development. Nipendo provides on-premise and online training for users and administrators, and a complete suite of deployment and support services that include a dedicated project manager for the entire implementation phase, an account manager during and post-implementation, and online and phone support for both buyers & suppliers. They also provide user guides and walkthrough videos and optional turnkey supplier onboarding management.

The solution is offered on a subscription basis, and customers can subscribe to specific parts of the solution (e.g., eInvoicing) or to the entire procure-to-pay suite. Nipendo’s unique fee model guarantees ROI on the solution: customers pay only for invoices that are processed straight-through to their ERP without any error or manual effort on their part. Suppliers can use the Supplier Cloud portal for free or pay a nominal fee for higher-value services, such as direct B2B (machine-to-machine) connectivity to the Supplier Cloud.


ReadSoftFounded in 1991, headquartered in Sweden, and with operations in 17 countries, ReadSoft is a global provider of business process automation applications, including accounts payable automation, accounts receivable, sales order processing, and multichannel mailroom automation. Their applications simplify business for large and small organizations, enabling them to perform processes more efficiently, manage data with greater visibility and agility, and as a result, improve customer satisfaction and bottom-line profitability.

ReadSoft processes over one billion invoices annually in the cloud and on premise, and their customers benefit from seamless integration with many ERP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics. ReadSoft features four solutions: INVOICES, their OCR and data capture platform; ReadSoft Online, their cloud-based invoice automation solution (integrated with Microsoft Dynamics AX); and their workflow products, PROCESS DIRECTOR (certified with SAP) and PROCESSIT (validated integration with Oracle E-Business Suite). Its specialized solution lab for ERP-specific solutions and Capture processes ensures cutting-edge solutions with great customer value. Website www.readsoft.com Founded 1991 Headquarters Helsingborg, SwedenOther Locations Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Frankfurt,

Hamburg, Helsingborg, Helsinki, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, Madrid, Oslo, Paris, Santiago, Sao Paolo, Stockholm, Sydney, Wroclaw, New Orleans, Raleigh

Customers 12,000 Key Clients Lockheed Martin, Sony, Time Warner CableTarget Verticals B2B market segment, applicable to all verticalsAwards / Recognitions

Huntington Innovation Award (2013); Oracle User Group ISV Partner of the Year (2012); Document Management’s “Environmental Product of the Year” (2012); ERP Executive’s Best of SAP SAPPHIRE NOW- Best Green Initiative (2010); ECM Connection’s ACE Award in Compliance (2007)

Solution Name INVOICES; ReadSoft Online; PROCESS DIRECTOR; PROCESSIT; ReadSoft Reach


Solutions Functionality

ReadSoft’s solutions are sold either as a license or a hosted service, depending on the modules a user requires, and they are designed to be easily configurable to meet the individual needs of any company. The solutions reside inside the SAP and Oracle E-Business Suite for seamless integration. For other ERPs, the solution resides outside of the ERP system. ReadSoft Online runs on the Windows Azure platform and enables building, hosting, and scaling applications in Microsoft data centers. ReadSoft offers several different security capabilities for their various solutions, integrating and leveraging Microsoft’s Active Directory, SAP security settings, and the highly configurable E-Business Suite (EBS) security model. These measures allow for controlled access, audit trails, and workflow authentication.


ReadSoft’s invoice processing software is an easy-to-install, out-of-the-box software that is highly adaptable to meet a company’s specific business requirements. To simplify setup, ReadSoft offers many different country-specific profiles, programmed with region-specific criteria like VAT rates, date forms, and currency characters.

ReadSoft INVOICES (on-premise solution) and ReadSoft Online (SaaS solution) are compatible with all commonly-used image formats and data feeds. Decentralized capture allows customers to scan from many locations or a central location, depending on internal processing requirements. Paper invoices are scanned, while email invoices are assisted with a module (COLLECTOR) that enables ReadSoft INVOICES or ReadSoft Online to determine whether emailed documents should be processed for data extraction or redirected for further investigation. Faxed invoices are sent to DIM (DOCUMENT IMPORT MANAGER), which validates documents and forwards them to interpret for further processing. Web input is handled via the workflow solution (SAP PROCESS DIRECTOR or Oracle PROCESSIT) directly. Electronic inputs are routed directly to the ERP solution.

Vendor Portal

Vendor portal applications are offered as part of ReadSoft’s on-premise workflow solutions for Oracle E-business Suite and SAP. These additional solution modules provide vendors with the ability to view payment status information, submit electronic invoices, upload invoice images, and dynamically convert purchase orders into invoices to enhance the processing cycle time.

ReadSoft Reach is an option for organizations looking to invest in a cloud-based invoice portal. This business community allows suppliers to make


inquiries regarding the status, visibility, and receipt of POs, update their master data profile, and flip valid POs into invoices. Suppliers can send invoices through standard integration and formats, virtual printers, or a web interface, while the recipient will receive the invoices converted to their specified format and business rules. Complete eInvoices are routed for approval with automated checking, and the system sends incorrect invoices back to suppliers. Business rules for validation are configurable to any customer-specific request. The solution displays status icons and visibility into exception statuses, and vendors can receive email alerts on changes.

ReadSoft’s supplier onboarding tool allows users to perform and stay up-to-date on their onboarding activities, send invites and reminders to their suppliers using ready-to-email templates, and monitor potential savings and ROI in real time.

Data Capture

Paper invoices are converted into bi-tonal OCR-friendly images using image enhancement features built into the scanner to maximize accuracy of data extraction. The solution uses OCR and a combination of free-form, advanced logic, and learning capabilities to extract information from invoices, including invoice data and number, vendor information, quantity, and price, as well as line item detail. ReadSoft INVOICES and ReadSoft Online also have validation interfaces to confirm or correct extracted data.

Aside from the standard despeckle, deskew, and black border removal, ReadSoft INVOICES and ReadSoft Online also allow for text-based auto rotation, character smoothing, and other imaging algorithms to ensure an optimal image with minimal human interaction. Verification fields are flagged using a “traffic light” system—green for complete, yellow for warning, and red for “hard errors.” Although human verifiers can see all extracted data, the system will focus only on yellow and red fields, accelerating the routing process. Verifiers may also circle and store key data to help the system “learn.”

Approval Workflow

ReadSoft’s solutions provide an integrated workflow component for approvals and exception handling within SAP and Oracle E-Business Suite ERP systems. This is done through configurable and easy-to-use setup and access methods, both within the ERP and via web application. Access is controlled by administrative permissions, using existing organization models, role hierarchy, and business rules. Invoices that meet the criteria for a two-way match are automatically posted, while those containing discrepancies are flagged for additional information. Notifications are


handled via email as well as a workflow inbox. Escalations are easy to configure, and are usually contingent upon organizational hierarchies.


ReadSoft delivers robust reporting capabilities through its REPORTER tool, which provides detailed analysis of all aspects of invoice processing. The tool comes bundled with dashboards for high-level visibility into the AP process, coupled with detailed reporting on transaction status, cash flow analysis, and payment details. The system also tracks key performance indicators, such as the number of invoices scanned, accuracy levels, number of invoices per approver, and time taken by approvers to process transactions. While REPORTER comes with a set of standard reports, it also makes data available to clients so they can load the information into third party reporting tools for additional analysis. The workflow functions provide the ability to control and monitor approval processing, ensuring that Sarbanes-Oxley approval rules can be followed and audited. It also tracks what actions are performed, when, and by whom, and provides data audit trails indicating what data elements are changed, when, and by whom.


Implementation of an on-premise ReadSoft capture-only solution takes less than two weeks, while a ReadSoft Online implementation is completed at an even faster rate. Implementation times for full capture and workflow applications range from 3 to 12 months, with an average time frame of 4 to 5 months. Customers are assigned a Project Manager to work with them throughout the implementation process, from the Kickoff Workshop to the post-implementation review. The process is designed to supply mutually-defined deliverables, role responsibilities, and project timelines, and ReadSoft’s “Best Practices Solution Deployment” provides a predictable and measurable outcome.

Fees are based on the number of annual transactions processed in the system, and the solutions can be purchased on a perpetual or subscription basis. ReadSoft and its partners offer a full support team for their customers during the duration of the business relationship.

Case Study:


Step by step, W.R. Grace achieves best-in-class invoice processing performance in SAP

Global chemical and materials conglomerate, W.R. Grace and Company, ventured into business process automation slowly and in stages. Working with a home grown solution for its workflow approvals, coding and exception handling, the company first enlisted ReadSoft for its data capture needs. Today, after several important steps, the veteran chemicals giant has steadily simplified, automated and consolidated its worldwide Accounts Payable (AP) processing¬, achieving best-in-class performance of a two day cycle time and an average cost per invoice at less than one dollar¬–and utilizing the latest, best practice invoice processing solution.

Early on, W.R. Grace’s North American division supported 13 AP clerks who processed 20,000 invoices per month. They were overwhelmed by the paper associated with manual processing, and struggled to maintain a semblance of accountability while 60 percent of invoices were lost during processing. Decision makers recognized the undeniable need to get rid of the paper and in turn, deployed ReadSoft’s advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. The solution captured the data directly from the invoices so that the clerks no longer needed to type in the data a second time. It not only helped to dramatically reduce the number of lost invoices, but it also helped the clerks get more organized,

Client: W.R. Grace &

Company

Industry: Chemical

# of Employees: 6,500 +

Headquarters: Columbia, MD

Realized savings of $500k per year (through the employment of a single shared service center)

Case Study:


and allowed for email correspondence–rather than faxing–as a faster option to handle problem invoices.

W.R. Grace, however, still utilized its high-maintenance, highly-customized legacy solution for invoice routing. It limited the company because of the solution’s inability to integrate with the company’s ERP system. Clerks continued to input data into SAP manually until the next phase of W.R. Grace’s adoption of ReadSoft automation. Working as a control center for incoming invoices, ReadSoft’s invoice verification automation was deployed. The solution automatically matched invoice line item data against purchase orders and master data in SAP and then posted it in SAP. This important step eliminated manual entry and further drove AP efficiencies and visibility to the firm.

Prior to consolidating the company’s AP operations in Asia and Europe, the organization needed a tighter integration with SAP and a lower cost per invoice, and subsequently replaced its home grown solution with ReadSoft’s automated workflow. This pivotal step not only enabled a tighter integration with SAP Archive Link for invoice images, but made for an end-to-end streamlined process that delivers bottom line results.

“The process is simple,” declares Global AP Manager, Michele Blessing. “Once we get the invoice, we push it through [the] ReadSoft solution into verification. It gets verified in ReadSoft and then auto-posts if possible. If not, then we start workflows that go out for approvals, coding, or any kind of PO update or fixes, freight approval–things like that. Then when it comes back, we will post it then process it for payment within terms.”

Combined with automated data capture, the workflow deployment reduced the company’s cost per invoice from more than $7 to $1.50 in Asia and Europe, and from $5 to $2.25 in the U.S. Invoice cycle time also significantly decreased, as 83 percent of payments were made electronically. The company’s discount capture rate climbed from 40 percent before automation to 85 percent, and for the first time, all stakeholders had complete visibility into the invoice process-whether an SAP user or not.

With ReadSoft solutions in place, W.R. Grace further consolidated its two primary AP centers in North America and the Philippines, which together processes approximately 440,000 invoices per year. “In 2009, we went global with ReadSoft,” remembers Global AP Manager, Michele Blessing. “AP was one of the first areas to consolidate. We created our own shared service center in Manila.” The consolidation of AP into a single shared service center saved the company $500K per year.

Case Study:


W.R. Grace recently upgraded its long term AP solution to ReadSoft’s most recent best practice solution, and facilitated a two-week training schedule in Manila. “A lot of customizations that we had are now standard with ReadSoft, and we wanted to take advantage of that,” reports Michele Blessing, “I would say that the upgrade was 100 percent successful. It was transparent to the users and valued by members of executive management.”

Today, the company’s invoice processing performance has reached best-in-class status, including an invoice cycle time of 2 ½ days, and cost per invoice at an astounding 95 cents. Even with this achievement, AP continues to improve efficiencies under Blessing’s direction. W.R. Grace works closely with vendors to submit invoices straight to AP rather than local sites. “That’s what we’re working on now. In North America, we have 65 percent of our vendors sending invoices directly to AP. In other regions, we still have invoices going to local sites to validate, so we have room to improve process efficiencies even further.”


For over a decade, Recall has been providing companies with complete control over their information with an integrated and centralized approach to securely manage physical and digital assets. Recall’s solutions empower their customers to make efficient business decisions while maintaining compliance with increasing regulations. These solutions are designed to eliminate low value tasks, saving valuable time and reducing cost. Recall’s leadership, solutions, and services offer users the tools and processes needed to securely leverage their information for higher value and competitive advantages.

Through shared operations, logistics, systems, and streamlined processes, Recall is able to nimbly adapt, localize, and deliver their global-forward, leading-edge solutions to businesses of all sizes, in any location. Recall is uniquely positioned in the marketplace by providing not only a world-class Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system with Workflow software, but also mailroom services for invoice processing and data capture—ultimately giving their clients a turnkey, scalable, end-to-end solution.

Website www.recall.comFounded 1999Headquarters Atlanta, GeorgiaOther Locations 23 countries globallyNumber of Customers

80,000 globally

Target Verticals Manufacturing, Retail, Entertainment, Consumer/Packed Goods, Transportation, Services


Hyland Software – 2014 Platinum Reseller Hyland Software – 2014 Diamond Support Winner

Solution Name ReView, Powered by OnBase


Recall’s end-to-end solution is comprised of two main components:

» Recall Mailroom Services for the conversion and data capture of all inbound invoices (both hard copy and electronic)

» Invoice workflow processing/approval routing and storage within the ReView Enterprise Content Management system

Recall


ReView, powered by OnBase, is completely configurable to meet each Recall client’s specific business requirements, and can be deployed on-premise or as a remotely hosted solution. The ReView system is hosted within six primary and redundant data centers located around the globe that undergo regular testing and updates for the system’s certifications, auditing, and security measures. Each data center is ISO27001 certified. Security access rights within the ReView system are configured to users’ specific needs, and can be extremely granular, ensuring that only appropriate users have access to specific content and actions.

ReView provides workflow automation and real-time visibility into critical business processes such as invoice processing. This enables users to leverage immediate and actionable information to make better-informed business decisions, while continuously revealing opportunities for process improvement.

Finally, ReView provides a repository with the complete transactional record associated with all documents, interactions, and approvals for audit purposes.


Recall’s system can ingest transaction-related documents in a variety of methods and formats, and the system supports storing any file type in its native format. Scanned documents and their associated metadata/index values can be integrated in a variety of ways, both ad-hoc and in bulk. Recall’s mailroom services provide a turnkey solution for PO Box management, imaging, data capture, and secure upload of inbound invoices. Clients also have the ability to perform their own imaging directly into the system.

Vendor Portal

Recall’s External Access Client functions as a customizable vendor portal interface that brings self-service capabilities to vendors and allows them to submit and view select documents (invoices, etc.). Exception checking and notifications can be configured in the workflow functionality to meet a client’s specific requirements.

Data Capture

Recall’s Mailroom Services offering provides clients with a complete digital conversion and data capture service. This eliminates the need for maintaining advanced capture software, or any type of manual data capture intervention from the client.


As an additional data capture option, ReView offers traditional and zonal OCR/Automated Indexing, as well as template-free Intelligent Capture. ReView provides robust functionality for managing documents and a variety of search/retrieval interfaces that enable users to quickly and accurately locate specific documents, sets of documents, or an entire transactional record. Recall’s storage and archival functionality for captured images and data includes Document Retrieval, Custom Queries, and Foldering.

ReView organizes documents using an extensive layered method. The top level organizes by Document Type Groups (DTG), which allows the system to search and access documents according to the characteristics by which they are grouped or by date range. This layered organization method makes retrieving documents quick and simple in ReView. ReView also supports retrieving documents using their electronic file cabinet and folder interface, as well as custom queries.

Approval Workflow

ReView features a robust workflow engine which provides the means for PO-based matching and Non-PO approval routing. The workflows are configured to each client’s specific business requirements to ensure adherence to control measures. Automated notifications, approval interactions, and even GL coding can occur in a variety of interfaces including a desktop client, a web client, Microsoft Outlook, and Mobile (iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry).

Individual or group security rights are administered at a granular level. Users can be allowed or denied specific options/abilities within the system (e.g., view, edit, add, print, export). In addition to supporting users’ specific controls, other advanced features can be employed to enhance processing, such as Ad Hoc Routing, Timers, Escalations, and Load Balancing. The solution integrates with ERPs and financial systems in a variety of ways, including the ability to post approved transactions to the general ledger.

Application Enabler provides a way to seamlessly integrate an organization’s core line-of business applications with ReView. The functionality allows users to open or prompt the user to select a Workflow queue directly from the line-of-business application.

Reporting and Analytics

ReView’s Report Services is a stand-alone client application that enables organizations to run reports against ReView to observe valuable statistics on business processes. The solution provides optimized, pre-configured reports covering both business and system activity, and daily operations can be monitored in real time. Content activity statistics provide a


360-degree view of how information is entering, transitioning through, and impacting the business, and workflow reports provide detailed analysis of lifecycle behavior that is crucial to maintaining and developing core business processes. User productivity statistics measure performance, allowing for the rapid identification of process or resource bottlenecks. In addition to these areas, data on capture, usage, system configuration, and security provide organizations with specific results with which to set benchmarks, analyze trends, and identify areas requiring attention.

The stock reports included with Report Services are optimized to ensure maximum statistical capture while also minimizing database impact. Numerous parameters are configurable, enabling the user to gain a precise view of target activity. Once generated, the reports can be displayed in a number of presentation formats including bar graphs, charts, and tables, along with a number of export options, such as Microsoft Excel and XML, for further data manipulation and display.


Recall’s typical deployment is completed in 90 days or less. Recall’s standard training package is comprised of the Solution Knowledge Transfer approach (developer to administrator) and the Train the Trainer approach (installer to trainer). Recall makes Customer ReView administrators available for all training classes.

For ongoing application support, Recall Digital Solutions Architects may be contacted via phone or email during regular business hours. This service is offered to assist with more complex or serious support issues, while first-line support tasks are to be performed by the client (IT help desk, administrator, etc.). Pre- and post-implementation support includes user setup and administration (except for the initial configuration performed by Recall), basic end-user application training, and basic IT support.

The solution is available on a subscription basis, with a monthly fee based on user licensing, modular functionality, hosting services, and storage. Included with monthly subscription fees is software maintenance that features the latest upgrades and support for any software issues that may arise.


PayStream Advisors is a technology research and consulting firm that improves the way companies plan for, evaluate, and select emerging technologies to achieve their business objectives. PayStream Advisors assists clients in sorting through the growing complexities of IT applications related to business process automation with the goal of making objective, analytical, and actionable recommendations. Wherever business process automation technology is an issue, PayStream Advisors is there to help. For more information, call (704) 523-7357 or visit us on the web at www.paystreamadvisors.com.

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