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Accounts Payable Automation
Accounts payable automation
Unleash the potential of automated accounts payable
Stuck in the endless cycle of invoice matching and manual data entry? Your finance team has bigger things to tackle. Emburse's intelligent accounts payable (AP) automation handles the tedious work with precision, freeing your experts to focus on strategic initiatives to meet your financial goals and drive new business.
Why Emburse?
Automate your entire invoice-to-payment process
95%
user satisfaction with visibility into spend before it happens.
92%
client satisfaction with reducing the costs of processing invoices.
65%
achieved positive ROI within just 6 months.
Automation that transforms outdated AP processes
Transform week-long invoice cycles into hours with accurate and smarter workflows.
- Customize your dashboard to see where your money is going in real-time—no more guesswork.
Keep your data protected and audit-ready with enterprise-grade security and automated compliance checks.
Make more of your existing tools through seamless ERP integration and actionable data insights.
Features that make a difference
Each Emburse solution delivers on the promise to simplify and streamline payment and purchasing, thanks to user-friendly features that include:
Work where and whenever you want with an accessible SaaS solution. Stay productive with our mobile app to review, approve, and track invoices from any device.
Configure approval routings to become more systemic and streamlined with future-ready AP.
Provide the tools your team needs to increase control, efficiency, and productivity.
See the stats of every invoice to ensure on-time payments and visibility into obligations.
Reduce costs through early payment discounts and data-backed vendor negotiations.
Increase oversight and control with an intuitive, online requisition process that ensures compliance and accelerates approvals with customizable request forms, automated budget checks, and real-time spend tracking.
Capture your invoice data with optical character recognition (OCR) technology and sync with your ERP, accounting software, and banking platforms to cut down manual tasks.
Reconcile orders, packing slips, and payments with intelligent matching capabilities.
Punchout to your vendor's e-catalog to save time and simplify the purchasing process.
AP Solutions
Get products that fit your needs
Invoice Professional
- Reduce administrative costs and improve profit margins
- Prevent payment errors and delays
- Control spend easily and mitigate compliance risks
- Provide visibility and insight into the entire invoice lifecycle
Invoice Enterprise
- Increase visibility of spend patterns
- Optical character recognition scans invoice data
- Increase efficiency and maximize agility
- Gain confidence in your procurement process
Implementation process
Your path to fully automated accounts payable software
Discovery and planning
Our strategic account advisors work with you to understand your current workflows and configure the system to match your specific requirements, establishing clear success metrics for success.
Training and education
We provide custom training content and resources to ensure your team can maximize the value of your solution, with ongoing updates as new features are released.
Dedicated support
Our team of experienced analysts is ready to address your questions and support needs throughout the implementation process and beyond.
Expert guidance
Through our managed services offering, we provide tailored consulting and proactive configuration services to match your unique business requirements and help you optimize system performance.
Continuous partnership
Your dedicated strategic account advisors bring deep experience and knowledge to help you achieve your automation goals and adapt the solution as your needs evolve.
AP automation
Elevated accounts payable processes
Emburse helps streamline every stage of an invoice’s journey, making your organization’s complex AP processes easier to manage. The added efficiency automation provides helps:
- Reduce costs
- Discover savings
- Speed up payments
- Make more informed decisions
How automation helps AP
Benefits of automation
Think your AP is already automated? Think again. There are over 24 steps in a vendor invoice lifecycle process. Many organizations only automate some, which leaves most AP teams no closer to having liability, visibility, or control of the process.
With Emburse, you can finally close the gaps in your process without toggling between systems or hunting down missing information. Your team will work from a single, unified platform that connects seamlessly with your existing system, providing crystal-clear visibility into every dollar spent and clean vendor data that updates itself. And the best part? As your business grows, your AP workflow keeps humming along smoothly—no extra headcount needed.
How automation helps purchasing
Smart purchasing
Tired of tracking down unauthorized purchases and matching mystery invoices? Emburse puts you back in control by catching unapproved spending before it happens with smart cards that know your rules and have visibility into exactly where your money is going.
Our automated purchase-to-posting workflow handles reconciliation for you, automatically matching deliveries to invoices and syncing seamlessly with your ERP system. Say goodbye to the paper chase and surprises and hello to smooth, strategic purchasing that keeps your business moving forward.
Prevent unauthorized spending with built-in card controls and pre-coded purchasing rules
Track expenses instantly instead of waiting for expense reports
Streamline approvals with automated routing and pre-set spending parameters
Accelerate reconciliation through automated ERP integration
Maintain compliance with automated purchase coding and matching
Integration with ERP and accounting systems
Keep your systems in perfect harmony
Let's face it, your tech stack is complex enough. That's why Emburse connects with virtually any accounting software or ERP system, including SAP Ariba, QuickBooks, all Sage platforms, Bill.com, and Xero. Our robust APIs and pre-built connectors make implementation straightforward and hassle-free. With bi-directional sync capabilities, data is automatically shared across systems, eliminating manual export-import cycles and maintaining consistency in your financial records across your entire organization. Whether you're running multiple ERPs or planning system changes, our flexible integration framework keeps everything in sync while protecting your tech investment.
Automated matching and validation
Leave the heavy lifting to the AP automation software
Why spend hours matching documents when smart automation can do it in minutes? Our AI-powered system learns your business rules and handles the complex stuff, from partial deliveries to price variations, while flagging only the exceptions that need your attention. It captures every detail automatically, from line items to tax info, and creates a complete audit trail. You get to enjoy the benefits of faster processing and stronger controls, with the confidence that comes from knowing every match is accurate.
“”We’re happy we switched from Concur. Emburse automated many AP tasks and cut invoice processing time by 90%, resulting in more time for higher-value work.
Adrienne Kuhel
Accounting Operations Manager
Hinshaw & Culbertson
Customer success
What our customers love about us
“Working with Emburse feels like a true partnership where they really listen to our needs and care about our success and happiness, which is something we didn’t have with Concur.
”
Dawn Conway
Senior Business Analyst at BELFOR
“Emburse solutions humanize work by providing products and services that make it easier for people to do their jobs.
”
Craig Lundskog
at Great Basin Industrial
“Any company that is expecting growth needs to automate AP processes. Emburse will save you the cost of hiring additional AP staff and also give you time back for more innovative work to help your company grow.
”
Dan Sangeorge
at ALKU
“We now have happier users, and the streamlining of processes and workflows, combined with the improved spend visibility has delivered huge benefits for the firm worldwide.
”
Neil Ackley
at Latham & Watkins LLP
“Modern solutions like Emburse help support our mission and enable us to deliver educational programs to the world's most vulnerable communities.
”
Shari Freedman
at Room to Read
“Emburse is intuitive to use and easily integrates with our other finance systems and credit cards. The result is a 100% paperless expense reimbursement process.
”
Michael Sullivan
at PX Technology
Companies around the world choose Emburse solutions to gain timely insights to control spend
Put our expertise to work
Regardless of the challenges you face, we have tailored solutions to help. Let our friendly experts be your guide.
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FAQs
AP automation FAQ
Yes, absolutely. Modern AP automation solutions like Emburse can automate everything from invoice capture and data entry to approval workflows and payment processing. This includes automatically capturing invoice data using OCR technology, matching invoices to purchase orders, routing approvals, and processing payments.
Yes. According to our customer surveys, 65% of organizations saw a return on their investment with Emburse within 6 months. Furthermore, 95% of surveyed organizations reported satisfaction with Emburse's ability to reduce their invoice management process time from input to payment. Beyond just saving time, automation also helps organizations gain better visibility into spend, with 96% of organizations reporting improved spend visibility before transactions occur.
Key benefits of using AP automation software include:
- Dramatically reduced processing times (from weeks to hours)
- Lower processing costs per invoice
- Real-time visibility into cash flow
- Fewer errors and duplicate payments
- Better vendor relationships through timely payments
- Ability to capture early payment discounts
- Enhanced fraud prevention
- Easier compliance and audit trails
AP automation software eliminates manual data entry and uses intelligent matching algorithms to validate invoices against purchase orders and receipts. The system automatically flags discrepancies, duplicates, and suspicious activities before they become problems. For example, one of our customers, Educational Alliance, reports they now catch 90% of errors upfront using automation. This significantly reduces payment mistakes and helps maintain compliance while streamlining the entire process.
Accounts payable automation, or AP automation, leverages technology to streamline the traditionally manual process of managing vendor invoices and payments. By digitizing and automating tasks such as invoice receipt, data extraction, invoice approval workflows, and payment processing, AP automation eliminates inefficiencies and reduces errors. The process typically involves scanning invoices using OCR (optical character recognition) to extract data, matching invoices with purchase orders and receipts, routing them for approval, and executing payments electronically. This end-to-end system ensures faster processing, improved accuracy, and enhanced financial visibility.
AP automation improves accuracy by removing the reliance on manual data entry, which is prone to human error. Advanced technologies like OCR and artificial intelligence ensure that invoice data is captured accurately and discrepancies are flagged automatically. Automated three-way matching of invoices, purchase orders, and receipts ensures consistency across documents. Additionally, built-in compliance controls prevent duplicate payments or unauthorized transactions. By standardizing workflows and providing real-time visibility into the AP process, automation minimizes errors while enabling teams to focus on higher-value tasks.
Key features to look out for when choosing accounts payable automation software include:
- OCR technology for automated data capture
- Intelligent matching capabilities
- Customizable approval workflow capabilities
- Integration with your existing ERP system
- Mobile accessibility for remote work
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- Vendor payments portal functionality
- Trusted security and compliance features
- Scalability to grow with your AP department and business
Modern AP automation solutions offer seamless integration with major ERP and accounting systems through pre-built connectors and APIs. They provide bi-directional synchronization, meaning data flows automatically between systems without manual intervention. This ensures your financial data stays consistent across all platforms while eliminating the need for manual data entry or exports.
There are many leading AP software solutions available, each catering to different business needs. Emburse offers a robust AP automation platform that fully automates accounts payable processes while integrating seamlessly with existing ERP systems. Emburse's platform provides features such as automated invoice processing, approval workflows, electronic payments, and analytics dashboards. Finding the right choice depends on factors like company size, industry requirements, and existing financial systems.
Working with an AP automation provider like Emburse offers several advantages:
- Expertise in implementation and best practices
- Ongoing support and training
- Regular updates and new features
- Secure, cloud-based infrastructure
- Proven integration capabilities
- Scalable solutions that grow with your business
- Dedicated customer success teams
An AP automation solution streamlines your entire accounts payable process where:
- Invoice capture occurs through various methods (email, scan, direct upload)
- OCR technology automatically extracts and validates invoice data
- The system matches invoices with PO invoices and receipts
- Invoice automation through automated workflows route invoices for approval based on your business rules
- Approved invoices are automatically processed for invoice payment
- All data syncs with your accounting system
- Real-time reporting provides visibility into the entire invoice processing