Which companies are affected?
Whatever their field of activity, all companies that use suppliers have an interest in equipping themselves with dematerialization software. Craftsman, VSE/SME, large company, industry, services …: if you have to regularly pay third parties for the supply of equipment, raw materials… or for the provision of services, such a solution will facilitate your accounting and financial management.
Is the dematerialization of supplier invoices mandatory?
As part of a financial transaction with a professional or with an individual, the invoice is a mandatory legal document . Electronic invoicing is gradually being imposed in France with certain conditions to be respected. Since January 1 , 2020, it is already mandatory for companies whose client is the State or a local authority .
All professionals are now encouraged to adopt the dematerialization of documents insofar as e-invoices reduce paper consumption, speed up administrative processing and payments, and finally, facilitate archiving and accounting records. The State also has every interest in companies issuing electronic invoices insofar as they make it possible to fight against fraud and to collect VAT more simply. Suffice to say that software for the dematerialization of customer and supplier invoices represents a long-term investment . This tool allows companies to easily take the digital shift.
How to dematerialize invoices issued by suppliers?
The simplest solution, but which has many limitations, is to digitize your invoices, using a scanner for example. But there are management software that allow you to receive your supplier invoices electronically and automate their processing .
Most solutions on the market work as follows:
Invoice capture and recording : thanks to LAD/RAD (Automatic Document Reading/Automatic Document Recognition) and OCR (Optical Character Recognition), the software interprets any invoice, regardless of its medium (paper, digital, etc.) or its format (PDF, jpg, EDI, etc.). The tool can also be connected with your customer area of a supplier platform in order to automatically retrieve invoices.
Invoice compliance check: the tool verifies the existence of the supplier, the presence of mandatory fields, the consistency of invoicing information, etc.
Accounting allocation : the data is automatically injected into your accounting software and, if necessary, it is reconciled with the purchase order or other.
The triggering of the invoice validation and payment workflow : according to a defined scenario, the data is communicated to the employees or departments who manage the invoices and validate the vouchers to be paid.
Invoice archiving : documents are archived and stored on secure servers.
This software also has features that further facilitate the management and processing of supplier invoices. Reporting and monitoring tools thus make it possible to visualize the progress of invoices in the workflow, to notify the supplier of their status, to anticipate future invoices, to manage expenses, credit notes, payment deadlines, etc. It is also possible to easily search for information in the body of an invoice, to create due date alerts, to manage foreign currencies, etc. These tools are robust, efficient and secure; depending on the publisher, they can be completely adapted to your needs.
How to choose software for the dematerialization of supplier invoices?
Many publishers offer solutions for business management and dematerialization of invoices. Examples include Sage, Elo Invoice, Syleg, Zeendoc, Avanteam, Open Bee, Oxalys, Efalia…
The publisher’s reputation : when it comes to managing invoices, traceability and data security are essential. Check the seriousness of the professionals you are talking to. The notoriety and the number of their customers are valuable clues.
The compatibility of the solution with your information system: most often, connectors make it possible to synchronize dematerialization software and your other tools such as ERP, CRM, accounting or financial software, etc.
The ergonomics of the interface , ease of use: the software interface must be clear and intuitive. Your employees will therefore have no difficulty getting to grips with the tool and using it on a daily basis.
The quality of the publisher’s support and support : the implementation of a dematerialization solution is a long-term project , which requires the involvement of all those concerned. Tailor-made support and training are essential to the success of the project. An easily reachable hotline is also an asset for peaceful long-term relationship.
What is the price of supplier invoice dematerialization software?
Manual data entry, approval by management or the accounting department, filing, archiving…: the traditional invoice management process is long, tedious and costly . In addition to these different tasks, we must add the costs of supplies, postage, printing, scanning, archiving… It is estimated that the processing of each document costs 14 € on average.
To know the price of an invoice dematerialization software, it is essential to ask the question of the return on investment (ROI) of such a solution. It is according to the volume of invoices to be processed that you will be able to choose the right tool, adapted to your present and future needs.
How to succeed in your project to dematerialize incoming invoices?
To succeed in your project, call on the right service provider . After an audit of your company, he advises you so that the integration of your software is a real success.
Several steps are necessary:
The definition of your objectives : why do you want to switch to the dematerialization of supplier invoices, how many invoices do you manage per month, which people or services are impacted by this new solution, is your information system compatible, what other software should the solution be connected to, what functionalities do you need, etc. Professionals can help you write specifications and define the scope of