Back

10 Questions To Ask AP Automation Solution Providers

The decision to partner with a software provider for Accounts Payable Automation can be a complicated one. We understand that your organization is looking to solve problems in Accounts Payable, but conveying those issues to a vendor can be difficult.

The trouble is, with so many vendors offering so many different products, it can be difficult to trust that the one you’re being pitched is the best fit for your organization’s specific needs.

This article discusses 10 vital questions to reference when vetting AP Automation solution providers. These questions will help you gauge the possible benefits and drawbacks of any AP Automation partnership.

How Does Your AP Automation Software Actually Work?

Before diving into features or integrations, it’s important to understand how the software functions at its core. Ask providers to walk you through the day-to-day of their AP automation solution, how it captures invoices, handles paper and digital formats, performs matching, and routes approvals.

For example, IntelliChief collects invoices from fax and email the moment they arrive, scans invoices, and uses intelligent automation to match them with purchase orders and receipts. This level of automation should eliminate manual sorting, data entry, and endless searches, giving your team a single, streamlined platform to manage everything. If a vendor can’t clearly explain how their solution works step-by-step, it’s likely not the right fit.

What Can AP Automation Solution Providers Like IntelliChief Do for Your Business?

IntelliChief’s AP automation solution eliminates manual tasks like data entry, invoice matching, and approval routing. It streamlines everything from PO and non-PO invoice processing to GL coding and voucher creation, automatically syncing with your ERP. With built-in validation, exception handling, and discount detection, your AP team saves time and cuts costs by up to 80%.

Plus, you gain complete visibility and audit-ready records, all in a flexible, scalable platform built for your workflows. As your accounts payable automation provider, IntelliChief ensures every feature supports real, measurable value.

Does the Accounts Payable Automation Solution Integrate With Our Current Technology?

Integration is the crux of successful Accounts Payable Automation implementations. AP automation isn’t just a piece of software you upload to your computer. It must be integrated with your existing technology, such as your ERP system or any other system of record you utilize to run your business. It needs to be able to access and affect this information; otherwise, your solution will be hamstrung from the beginning.

As mentioned previously, working with AP automation solution providers that understand both your business and the importance of seamless integration with core technologies is key to ensuring the success of your AP Automation journey.

Don’t be shy. Request a demo to see for yourself

How Do You Plan to Address Our Specific Needs and Communicate Results?

When speaking with vendors, detail your specific needs and requirements, but don’t forget to follow up with them to see how they plan to address these concerns. Furthermore, remain steadfast in your pursuit of measurable results.

You can’t track what you can’t measure, and any AP Automation solution worth its salt will be able to provide you with data to verify that you’re meeting important KPIs, such as:

  • The overall cost per invoice processed
  • Number of invoices processed straight-through (touchless) per day versus manually processed invoices
  • The average percent of invoice exceptions
  • Average time per invoice processed
  • Reduction in received but not vouchered invoices

Will We Have to Change the Way We Process Invoices?

There will be some changes to your process flow when implementing AP Automation; however, these changes should only serve to benefit your team and make their jobs easier. Understandably, businesses are reticent to alter workflows that have served them reliably for years, but keep in mind that reliability doesn’t equate to cheap or fast.

That’s why a trusted accounts payable automation provider should guide you through these adjustments with clarity and purpose. The important thing is to ask how your workflows will be changed, and whether those changes will improve results

Now, here’s what you should look out for. If a company doesn’t offer a tool for designing, editing, revising, fixing, or eliminating workflows in accordance with your business needs, it’s probably not going to be a long-term, viable solution. You only want to eliminate steps in your process that hinder your bottom line, such as:

  • Manual data entry
  • Searching for files in a filing cabinet
  • Printing, scanning, copying, etc.
  • Manually verifying invoice matches
  • Manually performing 2-, 3-, and 4-way matches

Does Your Solution Put Style Over Substance?

When it comes to AP Automation, no amount of surface sheen can overcome a solution with limited capabilities. Clean interfaces, bright buttons, and attractive analytics dashboards are superficial if they don’t serve your overall automation goals or exist solely to mask a lack of functionality.

That’s why choosing an accounts payable automation provider with proven functionality, not just flash, is essential.

When digging for the truth about the functional capabilities of an AP Automation solution, “can” questions are important, for example:

  • Can your solution automate invoices with multiple lines or pages?
  • Can your solution resolve exceptions automatically by scanning multiple database tables and performing complex functions?
  • Can your solution integrate with all of my core technologies to boost overall performance?
  • Can your solution solve my company’s specific problems?
  • Can you demonstrate that your solution meets all the claims you make? Or does it simply “look” like it’s up to the job?

How Does Your Strategic Approach Align With Our ROI Goals?

When it comes to Accounts Payable Automation, one of the greatest differentiators is the strategy being proposed to help you meet your ROI goals. As you perform your due diligence, you may find that some vendors are eager to throw around jargon while providing scant evidence of a cohesive, strategic plan.

Remember, your company is seeking a solution that will help them cut costs, save time, reallocate resources, and improve business for everyone, not a solution that relies on confusing technobabble to circumvent your real concerns.

Will We Be Included in the Implementation Process?

Yes—and you should be. At IntelliChief, we treat implementation as a collaborative effort. As your AP automation solution provider, we work closely with Accounting, IT, and leadership to map and refine your workflows.

Being hands-on ensures that your unique processes are understood, tested, and optimized for success. Implementation isn’t just about going live—it’s about building a system that truly works for you. With IntelliChief, you’re not just a client; you’re a strategic partner throughout the entire journey.

Can We Speak to One of Your Customers About Their Results?

Absolutely. At IntelliChief, we believe real results speak louder than sales pitches. As an experienced accounts payable automation provider, we’ve helped organizations across a range of industries achieve measurable success with our AP automation solutions, and many of our customers are happy to share their stories.

How Will IntelliChief Demonstrate a Successful Accounts Payable Automation Project?

You’ve invested in an AP automation solution, but 90 days in, your team is still buried in paper, missing invoices, and struggling with a confusing new system. Searches yield no results, approvals stall, and your workflow feels more broken than before. Sound familiar? That’s exactly what IntelliChief helps you avoid.

As a leading AP automation solution provider, IntelliChief ensures your project stays on track with clearly defined milestones. From day one, we align our solution with your existing processes, not the other way around. During implementation, we use your real data (not generic models) to simulate actual performance, giving you visibility into how the system will work post-launch.

We encourage 30/60/90-day benchmarks so you can track progress, measure ROI, and confirm your accounts payable automation provider is delivering on its promises. If your automation solution isn’t saving you time or money before going live, it’s not a success, and we don’t settle for that.

Successful Accounts Payable Automation Starts With a Strategic Partnership

Are you ready to automate Accounts Payable to cut costs, save time, improve visibility, preserve supplier relationships, and increase your bottom line? You can’t do it alone, but you can transform your business by aligning your organization with the right AP automation solution providers for Accounts Payable Automation.

Together, you and your strategic partner will build a business case for AP Automation that will “wow” leadership, provide clear evidence of ROI, and present a comprehensive plan that accounts for every minute detail of your business processes.

If you can find a solution that can be expanded to other departments, like Accounts Receivable, Human Resources, Customer Service, and more, you can squeeze even more value out of your solution without muddying your technology with various point solutions. You might even find that your best friend on the job is your strategic partner.

Let us help you achieve successful accounts payable automation with a solution built to grow with your business. Contact us today to get started.