There are many good reasons for automating logistics invoice verification in SAP. Companies can thus compensate for potential staff shortages. Furthermore, the high processing times and error rates associated with manual processing of incoming invoices are minimized. Several methods and tools are available to SAP customers to optimize invoice verification.
Manual invoice verification presents many companies with significant challenges. It requires an enormous amount of time and cost and often occurs under considerable time pressure – for example, when the monthly closing is due or valuable cash discount periods must not be missed. It is easy for undesirable errors to creep in, which can lead to financial irregularities and impair the efficiency and accuracy of the entire accounting processes.
Companies that use logistics invoice verification as a central component of SAP Materials Management (MM) can choose between various approaches to solve these problems through automation. This allows errors to be reduced and processing times shortened.
How Can Quick Wins Be Achieved with the Right Customizing Settings?
SAP customizing represents an important approach. It offers numerous setting options for optimizing logistics invoice verification.
Process Automation in SAP MM: Numerous Customizing Settings for Optimizing Invoice Verification
For example, by adjusting tolerance limits for price variances, quantity variances, and small differences, or supplier-dependent tolerances, potential sources of error can be reduced. This ensures a more efficient invoice verification process.
Process Automation in SAP MM: Supplier-Dependent Tolerances Reduce Sources of Error
Furthermore, automated posting rules enable smooth and consistent processing of incoming invoices by applying business rules and logic tailored to the individual requirements of a company. These measures contribute significantly to process optimization in logistics invoice verification in SAP, as manual interventions are minimized and the accuracy of postings increases.
What Advantages Do IDocs, Workflows, and Approvers Offer?
IDocs (Intermediate Documents) enable standardized data exchange between SAP and external systems. This reduces the need for manual interventions and accelerates the processing time. With IDocs, invoice data can be transferred automatically and without errors, leading to a significant increase in efficiency. This is particularly useful for companies that collaborate with numerous suppliers and partners, as it ensures data integrity and consistency.
Additionally, workflows offer the possibility to automatically forward invoices for review and approval. This not only ensures seamless traceability but also accelerated processing, as approvers are automatically notified and integrated into the process. Workflows can be adapted to a company’s individual business processes and allow for the definition of various approval levels and criteria. This ensures that no invoices remain unnoticed and all necessary approvals are granted promptly.
How Does SAP Document Pre-entry with Microsoft Power Automate Support Processes?
SAP Document Pre-entry via Microsoft Power Automate offers an innovative way to optimize invoice verification and digitize business processes. Through the integration of SAP and Microsoft Power Automate, invoice data can be captured and validated even before the actual posting. This improves data quality and significantly reduces manual effort. With Power Automate, complex workflows can be created that automatically collect, validate, and integrate data from various sources into SAP. This leads to significant time savings and reduces errors.
A concrete example is the automation of data transfer for invoices from emails or other systems into SAP. Power Automate can extract and validate this data and automatically perform the corresponding postings in SAP. Further information and examples on using this function can be found in our article on electronic invoicing in SAP, available in the XEPTUM Newsroom.
How Do You Manage Differences on the GR/IR Account?
Since SAP S/4HANA 1809, SAP has finally offered an optimized app-based solution for this problem (Reconcile GR/IR Accounts and Monitor GR/IR Account Reconciliation). With these apps, differences can be graphically prepared and clearly displayed at any time. This facilitates the clarification of discrepancies that arise during monthly closing activities.
Manual analysis of differences is time-consuming and often unclear. With SAP S/4HANA 1809 and the apps “Reconcile GR/IR Accounts” and “Monitor GR/IR Account Reconciliation”, relevant KPIs can be evaluated in real-time and GR/IR account reconciliations monitored.
A minimalist design and chat functions for clarifying differences improve the efficiency of both apps. In addition, intelligent learning functions increase the degree of automation and accelerate the process.
What Support Does XEPTUM Offer in Automating and Optimizing Your Logistics Invoice Verification in SAP?
Whichever of the described approaches you may be interested in: With XEPTUM by your side, you can specifically leverage the automation potential of logistics invoice verification in SAP. Thanks to our many years of project experience and our comprehensive process and technology know-how, we will find the right solution for you to make processes more efficient, minimize sources of error, and accelerate processing times. Benefit from a significant improvement in process automation in SAP MM and the digitization of your business processes. Please feel free to contact us – our experts will support you with advice and practical support!
