Frequently asked questions
Contact us and we will show you DocuWare for invoice processing in a free web presentation. You also have the opportunity to test the solution free on a trial, even with your own data.
DocuWare’s invoice processing solution uses DocuWare Cloud as its platform with preconfigured workflows, profiles and settings to simplify deployment.
The solution’s pricing model is based on DocuWare Cloud tiers, which defines users and storage as follows:
Cloud Base: Includes 4 named client users with 20 GB storage
Cloud Professional: Includes 15 named client users with 50 GB storage
Cloud Enterprise: Includes 40 named client users with 100 GB storage
Cloud Large Enterprise: Includes 100 named client users with 250 GB storage
The invoice processing solution is not an additional cost. As it leverages the features and capabilities already within DocuWare, everything you need is built-in. Pricing is based upon which tier you need, whether you select an annual or multi-year contract, and the amount of professional services required to ensure a successful deployment. To discuss pricing in detail, please contact us.
Yes.
If you’re running SAGE, QuickBooks or other financial software, integration is possible. DocuWare has successfully integrated with over 500 unique applications across 12,000 customers in 90 countries. We offer robust integration methodologies, from point-and-click simple to deep API-based integration. There are also dedicated connectors for SAP, Outlook and more available.
The invoice processing solution collects transactional data throughout the process. Once invoice processing is completed, this data is available for download to be used as input to your accounting systems.
DocuWare’s preconfigured solution for invoice processing can be deployed in three days or less depending on the complexity of your implementation, including user training.
We have a Statement of Work that defines the simple implementation steps.
We do this installation and training remotely, ensuring minimal disruption of your operations while increasing your AP department’s efficiency and productivity in days. Users access the DocuWare system with any standard web-based browser — just log on and go. We provide your users (typically a non-technical system administrator) with the ability to change users, roles or other non-workflow related fields.
DocuWare’s invoice processing solution is a great tool to help you prepare material and respond to audits in an efficient and complete manner.
All invoices are searchable in a few clicks and easy for auditors to use and findable by vendors, amounts, dates or whatever other data is needed. And if you have integrated with your financial application, invoices can be accessed directly from there as well.
Unlike competitors, DocuWare does not tier pricing on features. Any tier of DocuWare Cloud (which is the foundation of our invoice processing solution) comes with every feature and capability unlocked and available on day one. This enables you to grow and configure DocuWare in a way that supports your unique organization and not worry about “does it have this” or “does it have that”.
The invoice processing solution is deployed with all workflows ready to use. However, you only need to use what you need at first and adapt as you grow.
The solution is deployed and configured by one of our AMS DocuWare Professional Service Team members.
Because the solution is a preconfigured version of DocuWare Cloud, it provides the best of two worlds: always-on, highly flexible cloud platform (no local data centres and long IT schedules) with everything you need for invoice processing preconfigured and ready to go. Deployment takes days, not weeks.
Yes.
DocuWare’s solution for invoice processing is a preconfigured version of DocuWare Cloud. This means you get every feature and capability of DocuWare Cloud (plus the security, scalability and flexibility of a cloud-native application) but with profiles, workflows, settings and other relevant material already setup and ready to go.
DocuWare Cloud is “software-as-a-service” (SaaS) application built on the public cloud, using Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. DocuWare Cloud maintains feature parity with DocuWare on-premises, which means you sacrifice no capabilities with either deployment path.
DocuWare is available as an on-premises application for organizations that require deployment within their own data centre. However, the workflows and templates for invoice processing would need to be manually configured with a traditional professional services engagement. DocuWare also supports hybrid cloud and on-premises environments.
DocuWare’s solution for invoice processing uses DocuWare Cloud as its platform, but provides preconfigured workflows, profiles and settings to simplify deployment and get your team up and running quickly.
The solution is based on DocuWare Cloud tiers, which defines users and storage as follows:
- Cloud Base: Includes 4 named client users with 20 GB storage
- Cloud Professional: Includes 15 named client users with 50 GB storage
- Cloud Enterprise: Includes 40 named client users with 100 GB storage
- Cloud Large Enterprise: Includes 100 named client users with 250 GB storage
For any plan, you can scale upward with additional users or storage.
With the foundation DocuWare’s fourth-generation cloud architecture, the invoice processing solution can effectively scale to almost any number of users or invoice documents.
DocuWare has over 12,000 customers globally. Of those, more than half use DocuWare for different functions in finance – accounts payables, accounts receivables, employee records, contract management, and more.
For processes like invoice processing within accounts payables, DocuWare is used by Accounts Payable Specialists, Senior Accounts Payable Specialist, Accounts Payable Managers,“ as well as Directors of Finance and CFO for day-to-day operations. These staff members ensure processes run smoothly, and handle exceptions that fall outside automated workflows.
Managers with approval rights would also use DocuWare regularly. Their responsibility is to review and approve, which typically takes seconds. (DocuWare can also enable Purchase Order (PO) creation, serve as a secure document archive, or handle other processes within which these managers might participate.)
Often, Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) will use DocuWare to approve key invoices, review important documents, or examine process efficiency. Depending on the size and setup of your organization, this may or may not be day-to-day.
In a nutshell, our solution is used by your accounts payable department and by invoice approvers to automate your accounts payable process, with a focus on these key steps:
- Capturing invoices from a scanner, MFP, email, or drag-n-drop from desktop
- Validating invoices based on your defined business processes and rules
- Reviewing invoices, GL coding, and approval process
- Approving invoices by your organization’s stakeholders from any device at any time
Let’s break that down with some detail:
How are AP invoices captured in the solution?
Invoices are quickly and easily captured into DocuWare from a network connected scanner, multifunctional printer (MFP), directly from your email, or drag-n-drop from a desktop. DocuWare can capture invoices from different types of sources (e.g. PDF, TIFF, JPEG and other graphical formats including text-based formats such as email).
How are my invoices validated?
DocuWare Intelligent Indexing (a machine-learning technology) automatically captures the predefined data fields from an invoice that is required for processing (including Vendor Name, ID, Invoice Number, Sub-Total, Tax, Freight and Total Amount).
These captured data fields can be customized to your organization. With a library of over five million documents from various vendors all over the world, DocuWare recognizes over 80% of all invoices correctly — typically in less than a minute.
When invoices are not recognized, users simply highlight the correct information on the invoice and the solution will automatically remember this for future invoice processing. This takes only seconds.
How are invoices assigned to the correct approver in the solution?
- First, it checks for duplicate invoices. This helps eliminate fraudulent invoices.
- DocuWare will then check the invoice’s vendor name against the Vendor Records in DocuWare. If no vendor exists, the solution initiates an automated vendor onboarding process.
- Invoices will be assigned for approval by one of the following methods:
- QuickMatch (fully automated): Vendor invoices you receive that are fixed or repetitive can be identified for QuickMatch. A QuickMatch vendor is set up with a predefined dollar limit in your vendor master record. If the invoice falls under the QuickMatch thresholds the invoice will go directly to the booking process without any manual intervention.
- 3-Way Match (fully automated): The required documents are a purchase order (PO), packing slip, and invoice. This process will match the invoice total with remaining open PO amount, and if there is a match the invoice will go directly to the booking process.
- Cost Center Approval: For invoices that fall outside the automated process, DocuWare provides three approval options to suit your business needs.
- No Approval: Once invoice details are checked, send it directly to the booking process without any additional approvals.
- Requestor Approval: The invoice is assigned to a specific person or cost center for approval.
- Multilevel Approval: The invoice is assigned to multiple cost centers with the ability to divide the invoice amount among the different cost centers.
How does the invoice approval process work?
QuickMatch (fully automated): Invoices that are fixed or repetitive can be identified via our QuickMatch process. A QuickMatch vendor is set up with a predefined dollar limit in your vendor master record. If the invoice falls under the QuickMatch thresholds, the invoice will go directly to the booking process without any manual intervention. This process also requires no time or energy from your staff and happens instantly.
3-Way Match (fully automated): When an invoice, purchase order (PO) and packing slip match, you have the option of “straight-through” approval for posting. Thus, for established vendors where the invoice is read properly and there is no variance from the PO amount (you can set the tolerance level), the invoice will move from initial capture, to approval, and back to booking for posting with no manual intervention. This happens instantly and requires no time from your staff.
Invoices requiring departmental approvals (cost center approval): For invoices that fall outside the automated process, DocuWare provides three approval options to suit your business needs.
- No Approval: Once invoice details are checked, send it directly to the booking process without any additional approvals.
- Requestor Approval: The invoice is assigned to a specific person or cost center for approval.
- Multilevel Approval: The invoice is assigned to multiple cost centers with the ability to divide the invoice amount among the different cost centers.
DocuWare kicks off a workflow to notify the assigned approvers who will see the pending invoice in their task list. The task’s due date will align to the due date of the invoice; if a task is not completed in time, DocuWare forwards the task to a substitute delegated approver. DocuWare stores every user’s authorization level and approval limits in addition to the user’s delegated approver and the user’s manager.
DocuWare uses Stamps, which are placed via an overlay that can be displayed or hidden on the invoice and provides a full audit trail of who approved what and when.
The DocuWare workflow collects transactional data throughout the process. Once invoice processing is completed, this data is available for download to be used as input to your accounting systems.
DocuWare also has a separate workflow for invoices that are rejected, and they can be restarted in the process with a reason code.