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Processing Incoming Invoices in SAP AUTOMATED AND EFFICIENTLY DESIGNED WITH FIS/edc

Processing Incoming Invoices in SAP AUTOMATED AND EFFICIENTLY DESIGNED WITH FIS/edc

In finance and accounting, countless invoice documents are daily received via different channels – PDF, EDI, XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X or FatturaPA. This results in high efforts, long processing times, lack of transparency and errors in account assignment and update of invoices. With FIS, manual invoice processing belongs to the past: automated processes, transparent release workflows and smart machine learning applications will take your invoice receipt to the next level.

These customers are already convinced of our expertise in the area of FIS/edc:

RECEIVING and PROCESSING INCOMING INVOICES IN A COMPLETELY DIGITAL MANNER

By using the FIS/edc Invoice Receipt Monitor, the FIS/eInvoicing and FIS/fci SAP optimizations as well as the SAP DRC solution, incoming invoice documents can be processed in a consistent procure-to-pay process – digitally, in a completely automated way and in accordance with country-specific requirements. Regardless of the channel via which the document is received, a master data matchup is carried out in an automated manner as well as an initial invoice verification, including factual check. If the incoming invoice can be assigned to a specific purchase order, a background posting will directly be made, where no-touch quotas of up to 90 percent can be achieved. This significantly reduces processing times, reduces the workloads of financial accounting employees and prevents manual input errors. 

If postprocessing or a release is required, this can be controlled by smart workflows. The use of artificial intelligence in the form of machine learning applications for the automated assignment of incoming invoices provides additional saving potentials. With FIS/edc, FIS/fci and FIS/eInvoicing, you will create consistent digital invoice receipt processes. 

Your benefits by using FIS/edc in invoice receipt

  • Time saving and reduction of error rate through high degree of automation  
  • Improved liquidity management through maximal cash discount exploitation 
  • Invoice processing for different channels and formats – including international formats such as XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, FatturaPA and many more 
  • Fulfillment of most country-specific requirements 
  • Deep integration of incoming invoice processing in SAP and high compatibility with other system components 
  • Location-independent approvals through mobile releases  
  • Structured history for faster analysis and complete traceability of current invoice processing statuses  
  • Availability for many countries and languages 
  • Automatic matching with open customer or vendor items when receiving payment advice notes 

Optimized SAP invoice processing IN FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

Incoming invoice processing in FIS/edc is seamlessly integrated in the overall purchase-to-pay process, which enables a step-wise increase of the invoice processing automation degree in SAP. In Financial Accounting, invoices are received as PDF documents, in paper form or as electronic invoices. 

Automatic processing of incoming invoices in paper form or as PDF documents is carried out by means of OCR document recognition with excellent recognition rates being achieved. Moreover, the software supports electronic documents and invoices, such as EDI, ZUGFeRD or XRechnung. Once the documents have been imported, they will automatically be assigned to the existing data records in the SAP system. 

Our FIS software provides automatic matching of incoming invoices with the respective purchase orders, which results in highest efficiency. If there is no match between the two documents, our software will enable easy subsequent invoice verification or the use of a workflow for complementing missing information. By means of internal document assignments, item matchings and data enrichments, invoices can directly be updated in SAP. Optionally, electronic invoices can be saved as visualized PDF documents in an audit-proof way.   

The connected approval procedure rounds off the options of automated invoice verification. This workflow enables a completely paperless release, ensures a respective throughput of the invoice and increases transparency for the management. Once the release workflow has run through, the invoice can be further processed in an accounting-related way (posting, account assignment and payment). 

Useful: mobile invoice release via app     

An SAP Fiori-based mobile app can be used to carry out approval requests in FIS/edc in connection with vendor documents in SAP – i.e. processes such as verification, approval, rejection, commenting, forwarding and account assignment of incoming invoices – anytime, anywhere, without long wait times and irrespective of what invoice type (FI invoice without purchase order reference, MM invoice with purchase order reference) is concerned. 

Artificial intelligence in Financial Accounting – INTELLIGENT PROCESSING OF DOCUMENTS

Automated invoice processing involves work steps that continuously have to be carried out manually. Invoices in the worklist of an accounting clerk have to, among other things, be viewed, assigned to a specific account and forwarded to the appropriate approver for release. These processes can be automated by means of machine learning applications.  

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) will bring a change to your FI processes. In the area of finance and accounting, FIS has developed an efficient user case by applying machine learning. This technology provides major benefits, particularly if processes are to be automated for which no generally accepted rules exist – i.e. if classic Customizing is not sufficient.  

The intelligent account assignment and approver determination by FIS uses this technology to independently classify FI invoices and establishes an automatic account assignment system. Subsequently, it finds the responsible approver by means of AI and automatically sends the invoices to them for release. 

By using this smart solution for invoice receipt processing, your employees are relieved for instance, manual processing errors prevented and invoice receipt processes become more transparent. 

E-Invoicing with SAP DIGITAL PROCESSING OF INCOMING INVOICES

E-invoicing in Financial Accounting provides enormous opportunities for automated invoice processes and for increasing their transparency. Accelerate the processing times of your invoices, make processing statuses more transparent and achieve fully automated SAP invoice processes complying with statutory requirements. 

Often, just the automated matching of partial information can help accelerate the process. Important invoice characteristics, for instance, are read, invoices verified formally and arithmetically or compared with SAP master data. Even a simple release workflow enabling an automatic assignment of the invoice to the releasing person might considerably facilitate daily business, even if the volume of invoices is low. 

The FIS solution package compares inbound invoices with existing purchase orders in the ERP system and controls the verification and release processes completely irrespective of the invoice format. This helps you accelerate the processing times of your invoices and make processing statuses more transparent. According to its format, the invoice is converted into a format that can be read by the user (visualization). 

The seamless integration into the FIS/edc Invoice Receipt Monitor enables the accounting clerk in the company to verify invoices for electronically transferred documents in the same way as the procedure focused on paper documents they are familiar with. Consequently, you implement a consistent and completed invoice receipt process. 

Document Processes with FIS – What our customer say

„For our decision in favor of FIS, not just the functionality was decisive, but we wanted a sustainable platform that is no stand-alone solution.“
hristine Wolfrum, Head of Finances, Accounting and, Controlling

High quality standards – our products are certified

FAQ on FIS/edc

FIS/edc is an optimization for SAP for the areas of accounting, purchasing and sales and distribution. The Electronic Document Center for SAP can be used for entering, processing and archiving documents (e.g. invoices, delivery notes, orders) and electronic formats (e.g. ZUGFeRD, EDI, XRechnung) in an automated way. This ensures a high automation degree of processes as well as consistent information flow. 

  • Higher productivity due to automated processes 
  • Full integration into the SAP system 
  • Improved cash management 
  • Shorter payment cycles 
  • Higher transparency of invoice verification 
  • Integrated mobile approval procedures for invoice verification 
  • Automated sales order processing 

E-invoicing is the term for the creation of electronic inbound and outbound invoices in the company. Invoices are no longer sent in paper form but digitally as electronic documents, such as PDF files or standardized XRechnung formats.

According to EU directive 2014/55/EU, an e-invoice must be created, transmitted and received in a structured electronic format. In addition, the format must enable the automated and electronic processing of an invoice.

Interested in Processing Incoming Invoices in SAP? Request personal consulting

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More Information

Optimized processes for efficiency and high data quality

Further services by FIS

Downloads

Flyer:

Document Processes for SAP with FIS/edc

Flyer:

E-Invoicing – Intelligent invoicing processes with SAP

Factsheet:

Payment Advice Monitor FIS/edc

Factsheet:

Order response monitor FIS/edc

Factsheet:

Invoice monitor FIS/edc

Factsheet:

SAP Fiori-App – FIS/edc Invoice Approval

Factsheet:

Sales order monitor FIS/edc

Success Story:

E-Invoicing – The invoicing of the future at Maschinenfabrik Berthold HERMLE AG

Success Story:

Automated invoice processing at the ifm group

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Intelligent invoice processing at electrical wholesaler Sonepar in Germany

Success Story:

ASS-Einrichtungssysteme GmbH Designs Intelligent Processes with E-Invoicing Solution

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Audi AG – Invoice as impulse in the digital nervous system

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GETINGE digitizes international financial processes with FIS

Success Story:

Sto AG frees itself from paper tourism

Success Story:

TE CONNECTIVITY LTD – Invoice processing for the globalized world

Success Story:

Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG – From Cyrilic to Catalan – FIS/edc in international use at Kaercher

Success Story:

FIS/edc Satisfies All Trade-Specific Requirements at SPAR Austria

Training documentation:

Document processes in SAP with FIS/edc

Training documentation:

OCR with FIS/fci

Would you like to take your invoice receipt to the next level and create efficient, transparent and intelligent processes? If so, please do not hesitate to contact the FIS employees by phone or e-mail for your individual solution. 

Olaf Bischoff-Straub
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