Case 01 / P2P · Invoice automation · OpenText VIM
85% touchless invoices across several countries
Invoice automation rolled out across several countries, covering 1.5M invoices a year, with 85% now processed with no manual touch.
01 The problem
Invoice processing ran differently in every country. High volumes moved through manual touchpoints, exceptions and rework, which kept skilled finance teams busy with work that added no value and made performance impossible to compare across markets.
02 Who it was for
Shared services teams processing the volumes, country finance organisations depending on accurate and timely postings, suppliers waiting to be paid, and the finance leadership accountable for cost and compliance.
03 My role
Global process ownership for Procure to Pay: owning the standard, the automation roadmap and the performance conversation with regional and executive stakeholders.
04 The process
It started with workflow automation in one region and grew into a multi-country VIM deployment. The global standard was fixed before automation was built, so the programme automated one way of working rather than many. After go-live, enhancement cycles kept raising the touchless rate.
05 The numbers
06 Key decisions
- a.Standardise before automating, even when it slowed the start
- b.Measure the programme in hours and FTE rather than activity counts
- c.Keep improving after go-live with enhancement cycles
The result
85% of 1.5M invoices a year now process touchlessly across several countries. 34 FTE of capacity released, ≈46,000 hours a year, and €1.33M in yearly savings.
07 What I learned
Automation multiplies whatever process it lands on. When the standard is clean, the savings are real and they hold. When it is not, automation just makes the mess faster.