08Mar 2017 by Doctor P2P

True SaaS Accounts Payable Workflow vs SaaS “Impersonators”

Accounts Payable Automation, AP Automation, AP Workflow, SaaS Automation, Software as a Service
Software as a Service (SaaS) AP Workflow in effect replaced the term ASP (application service provider) of the past.  However not every accounts payable solution provider claiming to have a SaaS AP workflow solution is a true SaaS solution.  Many accounts payable solution providers are just hosting their on-premise AP automation solution and calling the accounts payable automation solution SaaS just because of the nature of the hosted delivery model.  However most on-premise accounts payable solutions have the same level of effort to set up the accounts payable automation solution even when offered as a SaaS model with the main benefit being you as the accounts payable customer does not have to deal with hosting the accounts payable automation solution. Other accounts payable solution providers have created web applications that…
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07Mar 2017 by Doctor P2P

Accounts Payable Software as a Service (SaaS) does not always mean true SaaS

Accounts Payable Automation, AP Automation, AP Workflow, P2P Automation, SaaS Automation, Software as a Service
Although the Accounts Payable automation market has been trending toward the Software as a Service (SaaS) approach as the best option for your AP workflow solution, be aware that not all Accounts Payable SaaS solutions are the same under the hood.  Many new accounts payable automation providers in the Accounts Payable automation marketplace are claiming to offer a SaaS based AP workflow solutions but many of these companies do not offer a true SaaS based automation solutions and are just trying to use the SaaS name as a marketing ploy to capitalize on the growing popularity of a SaaS based accounts payable solution.  A true SaaS based solution is by nature multi-tenant.  Wikipedia gives a clear definition of multi-tenancy referring to software architecture where a single instance of the software…
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22Feb 2017 by Doctor P2P

How SaaS AP Workflow Automation may benefit your AP Department

AP Automation, AP Workflow, SaaS Automation, Software as a Service
When you decide to use a Software as a Service (SaaS) AP workflow application, you avoid the overhead associated with implementing traditional on premise Accounts Payable software. Using SaaS AP workflow eliminates the need to use your scarce IT resources to install, maintain and support the AP workflow application and its infrastructure. Monthly subscription costs for SaaS AP workflow applications reflect the economies of scale achieved by a key aspect of SaaS which is “multi tenancy”. A Multi tenant AP workflow solution implies multiple companies use the same instance of an AP workflow system with separate security rights controlling access. SaaS AP workflow providers using a multi-tenant architecture are able to achieve economies of scale which leads to less internal cost to support which therefore translates into lower monthly subscription…
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16Feb 2017 by Doctor P2P

What to do with all these paper invoices?

AP Automation, Invoice Capture
Many AP professionals are swimming in a sea of paper with invoices coming from vendors directly to the AP Department and other invoices being routed directly to accounts payable approvers. These invoices coming from the accounts payable approvers are the ones that we in AP are always blamed for losing even when they never get to the accounts payable department. Many of us AP professionals still process paper based invoices and then store the paper invoices either internally or at an offsite records center for up to seven years. Some AP Departments have started scanning invoices on the back-end after invoices have been entered into our ERP or AP system. Others are scanning invoices somewhere in the middle of the invoice approval process and then emailing invoices around the company…
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09Feb 2017 by Doctor P2P

What does a CFO look at when evaluating AP automation investments?

AP Automation
Too often, AP automation business plans don't go far enough in taking into account the ways CFOs evaluate projects. The CFO is your customer for selling AP automation and you need to understand his or her needs and concerns and address them accordingly. Regardless of how your proposal is delivered, whether on the back of a napkin or in a formal presentation, here are some points to consider when making your business case. It is not just ROI. If your project promises an acceptable ROI, of course it will merit consideration. ROI alone will not net you the win. A CFO will evaluate the project based on key factors including: • On what factors do you base your return stream? • What is the likelihood your projections are accurate? Your…
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