A Buyers' Guide to AP Automation Software

Completing a successful transformation project within the accounts payable (“AP”) function can be both a straightforward and rewarding process.

Like any impactful project, its success depends on a high level of planning, commitment, and support from various stakeholders within the enterprise and strong, decisive leadership by the AP team. Given the overall efficiency, intelligence, and financial benefits that a successful AP automation project can deliver, the effort is well worth it.

One of the most important decisions in an AP transformation is selecting the underlying solution that will enable and support the overall project.

Accounts payable automation tools have an enabling effect for AP/finance/treasury teams: with them, teams can run tighter, leaner, and more efficient operations that can help to keep pace with the digitization happening across the rest of the enterprise. By removing manual and paper-based tasks, eliminating data entry, compressing approval times, enabling touchless processing, streamlining payments, and improving cash management and analytic capabilities, AP automation solutions have the potential to dramatically transform an AP operation.

This “Buyers' Guide” lays out a best practice approach that can be used to identify, evaluate, and ultimately select the best-fit solution based upon the organization’s unique budget and requirements. It also walks the reader through the seven key steps used to buy enterprise software solutions. The process has been designed for use by AP departments both large and small, and across all verticals and regions.

More detailed questions regarding AP automation and solution selection may be forwarded to research@ardentpartners.com.