If your finance team spends hours every week sorting invoices, manually entering data, and chasing missing documents, you’re not alone. Most accounting departments waste 15-20 hours monthly on invoice processing alone—time that could be spent on analysis, strategy, and closing books faster.

Here’s how automated invoice processing works and why finance teams are making the switch. For a deeper dive, see our complete guide to automated invoice processing.

The Problem with Manual Invoice Processing

Every invoice that arrives via email requires someone to:

• Download and rename the file
• Sort it by vendor, client, or entity
• Manually enter line items into your accounting system
• Match against purchase orders
• Route for approval
• File it in the right location

For companies processing 100+ invoices monthly, this adds up to days of manual work. Worse, manual entry leads to errors—typos, duplicate entries, missed invoices, and incorrect amounts that create reconciliation headaches later.

How Automated Invoice Processing Works

Automated invoice processing captures invoices the moment they arrive in your email inbox. Here’s what happens:

1. Automatic Capture Invoices arrive via email and are automatically captured—no downloading or file sorting required.

2. Data Extraction OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology extracts all relevant data: vendor name, invoice number, date, line items, amounts, and tax information.

3. Validation & Matching The system validates the invoice against purchase orders, checks for duplicates, and flags any discrepancies for review.

4. Automatic Routing Invoices are automatically routed to the right approver based on amount, vendor, or department rules you’ve configured.

5. Integration Approved invoices flow directly into QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, or your ERP system—no manual data entry needed.

The Time Savings Are Real

Companies using automated invoice processing report:

• 20+ hours saved per month on invoice handling
• 95% reduction in manual data entry errors
• 3x faster invoice processing times
• 100% capture rate—no invoices get lost in email inboxes

These results are part of a broader shift in how finance teams are automating accounting workflows.

What About Exceptions?

Good automation solutions flag exceptions automatically—missing purchase orders, amounts that don’t match, or invoices from new vendors. These get routed to your team for review, so you’re only handling the cases that need human judgment.

Getting Started

The best part? Automated invoice processing works with your existing accounting system. Whether you use QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, or an ERP, automation solutions connect seamlessly and start processing invoices immediately.

Most implementations take less than a week. You connect your email inbox, configure your approval workflows, and you’re done. Your team starts saving time from day one.

The Bottom Line

If your finance team is drowning in manual invoice work, automation isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s essential. The time savings alone justify the investment, but the real value comes from fewer errors, faster month-end closes, and a team that can focus on analysis instead of data entry.

Ready to see how automated invoice processing works for your business? Book a demo and we’ll show you exactly how much time your team will save. Or learn more about our invoice processing automation services and how we implement automation solutions.