6 most common workflow-related questions we get asked:  

1) “How do we set conditions?” 

When creating a workflow, (by going to Business > Settings > Divisions > Workflows), you will be presented with lots of variables to fully customise your workflow.  

2) “How do we set auto workflow and/or select from the list?” 

If you’re not an admin, your settings will already be automatic. 

If you have full permissions, you can choose from all available workflows from the drop-down.  

3) “How do we set Ad-Hoc approvals?” 

Go to the Business menu, click ‘settings’, and then ‘Workflows’. Then, you can select the users who can send invoices for ad hoc approval.  

Set the ‘Reply to’ address and the ‘From address’. Then change the subject to Ad Hoc Invoice Approval Request. 

4) “How do we set up group approvals?” 

Add a workflow step where you select ‘Group Approvers’. You will then be given the choice of three different settings: 

Broadcast- Every approver in the workflow gets an email. Whoever gets there first can approve. 

Round Robin- Take turns to approve. 

Dynamic—To determine who to send it to, we’ll consider who is the fastest approver, who is absent, and who has the fewest approvals to complete.  

5) “How do we set absence and delegates?” 

Let’s start with absences. First, click the ‘help’ icon (?), and scroll to absence settings. You can then enable the absence and set the days you’ll be away.  

To set delegates, go to the Business menu, click ‘Settings’, and then ‘Purchase Orders’. Then click the option ‘Prevent users from approving their purchases’. 

For example, if you want to stop the CEO from approving their own purchases, you could select the CFO as a delegate.  

6) ” How do we set up an approval reminder?” 

Once again, go to the Business menu. Go to Settings and then Workflows. You’ll find a button labelled ‘Enable Digest Email’—just click it! You can customise the time of day and how often you receive these emails. 

Hopefully, that’s a couple of questions ticked off for you! What would you like us to focus on next time? We want you to get the absolute most out of Zahara and benefit from full functionality, so if there’s any aspect you’re unsure about, do leave us feedback in the comments, and we’ll prepare the answers for next time.  

The post Zahara Workflows appeared first on Zahara Accounts Payable Automation Software.

Top 3 Benefits of an Accounts Payable Workflow Automation

It’s time to make the most out of your software’s functionality. Moreover, AP software will allow you to have complex but effective approval workflows in the app. Instead of emailing POs and invoices to higher-ups and waiting for them to approve them, the software will automatically send them for approval to the right people. There’s no lengthy sign-off process; they’ll be able to ‘approve’ or ‘reject’ with the press of a button. Some software will even reward users for having super-fast approval times, utilising our competitive nature to speed up the process.  

Time Savings

Do you really need approval to buy a pint of milk for the office fridge? You can set specific budgets for certain departments and expenses by customising your workflows. Purchases under an amount you choose can skip certain approvers in your regular workflow, meaning that small (yet important) purchases get approved much quicker. Luckily, when you do this in-app, you’ll get a full audit trail, so even though you don’t need approval for these purchases, you can still monitor your spend. A good workflow automation tool will also allow you to modify your workflows to cover all scenarios, such as when your approver goes on holiday. The workflow will automatically select a different person of your choosing to be an approver in their absence. This means there won’t be a massive pile-up of work when they get back!

Reduced Errors & Fraud Risk

With workflow automation comes a new level of control. If there are errors on a purchase order or an invoice that doesn’t seem legit, they will automatically be flagged for the attention of the appropriate person to sort them. This greatly lowers the risk of fraud.

We have published a very informative review on financial fraud. Read our ‘Combating Financial Fraud’ article: here

Improved Visibility

With the mobile app, there’s no excuse for super late approvals! This is especially useful for those of us who work away from the office or onsite, as we can approve from the comfort of a mobile app, no longer having to wait until we’re back in the office. With workflow automation you’ll be able to get full visibility of spend from anywhere in the world, even if that just means in the office or your home. Just remember to keep your notifications on!  

Where do you begin with AP Workflow Automation?

1. Assess Current Workflow

The first step towards moving toward workflow automation is analysing what you’re currently doing. This allows you to both be critical and identify your pain points, as well as make note of the aspects of your process that you like.   

Do you worry about security? Are you concerned about your lack of control in your current process? Have your colleagues made significant or costly errors that could have been avoided? Does chaos ensue when your AP Manager goes on holiday?

Note everything you feel. Work out which features are non-negotiable and which elements of your existing system you want to keep going forward.  

2. Choose a Workflow Automation Solution

Once you know what you want from your perfect workflow software, it’s time to see what’s out there. You will likely find that good workflow software comes with many other features. If you want to keep your existing accounting software, such as Sage, Xero, or QuickBooks, it’s essential to find a bolt-on that seamlessly integrates with it.   

It’s also important to read customer reviews. Find out if your front-runner has a reputation for terrible customer support or if there’s a feature you hadn’t considered but users rave about. Once you have a rough idea, you can draw up a shortlist of your favourites.   

3. Train Employees

It can’t be emphasised enough how important this is, and how many well-meaning finance teams skip this step. You can set yourself up for success by making sure everyone understands the premise of workflows and the software in–and-out. It can be understandably difficult, because team members will join in the implementation process at different points, meaning that you’re working with varying levels of knowledge. Providing thorough training and budgeting for professional training, if needs be, will ensure a smooth transition.

4. Monitor and Evaluate

Optimising your process is an ongoing journey! It’s important to take time to get to grips with and understand your new software, and regular reviews help you make sure you’re consistently getting the most out of it. A worthwhile workflow automation provider will help you adjust to the changes and rejig your package when your needs change.   

Making changes can feel daunting, especially when you’re moving away from a process you’ve followed for years and will have such a big impact. However, it can’t be stressed enough that this is a positive change and, if you follow these steps, you can’t really go wrong. Careful consideration of these steps will lead to a successful transition, and your process will be streamlined in no time at all.  

Success Stories

Lush

Since adopting Zahara, Lush has improved its on-time supplier payments from 80% to 95%. As a result, it has been accredited by HMRC as a Prompt Payer.

Zahara has enabled Lush Retail to transform an inefficient and error-prone accounts payable process into a fully optimised, fast, and compliant paperless workflow. 

Shift Media

Shift Media are a marketing agency dedicated to cycling. We knew our workflows would be a game-changer when they came to us and needed advanced control over the AP process. 

 Shift found that the sophisticated multi-level approvals workflow provided the flexibility and controls needed to meet their requirements.

Read more of our success stories: here

Pricing Information and Reviews

“How much is accounts payable workflow automation software?”

This is an excellent question and one that’s not so straightforward to answer. The price of an AP workflow tool depends largely on the functionality and size of the package you need. If you want workflows, you will typically buy them as part of a wider AP package. Generally, accounts payable automation software starts from around £120 per month if you’re starting with a provider’s smallest package, but with 4-in-1 functionality. There are cheaper solutions if you need one feature like receipt capture or payments, but you then have the inconvenience of using a different app for each element in the process.

If you’re a large enterprise it could be £500-700+ per month, which sounds like a lot but is minuscule when you consider the impact it has on efficiency, and the amount of people you’d need to hire to get the same results. You can embrace a true 4-in-1 system with Zahara for £142 per month or as little as £118 per month if you pay annually.

Reviews & Comparisons

Zahara Vs Lightyear

Lightyear is a more comprehensive system than apps like Dext, with invoice scanning, approvals, and a variety of integrations. It includes workflows, but there are some features that Lightyear doesn’t offer which would (quite rightly) be a dealbreaker for most teams. For example, Lightyear doesn’t offer budgets as part of any of their packages, and you’ll only get access to purchase orders once you move up to their Business package, starting at £129 per month.  

Zahara Vs Tipalti

Tipalti is an extensive system with a hefty price tag. There’s not much that Tipalti can’t do, but that often leaves teams paying for features they don’t get any value from. Tipalti’s strengths work well for large corporations that need one system for the entire finance function and have the money to spend on it. The pricing is worth it for big companies, but for SMEs, the price range understandably takes Tipalti out of the running. 

They don’t offer a free trial, but you can pay £129 to start using the platform with limited functionality to get a feel for it. You can then pay extra for more functionality.  

Accounts Payable Workflow Automation: The Next Steps

With new technology, there are many ways to make your accounts payable workflows as efficient as possible. Just remember to automate and keep those notifications on, and you can’t go far wrong. If you need more advice, our friendly team is always on hand for a call to talk you through it! 

Improving Your AP Workflow

Now that we’ve covered the benefits of a strong AP workflow and how automation can streamline processes, let’s explore ways to enhance your current system.

Centralize Communications

One of the most effective improvements is streamlining how stakeholders communicate. Instead of relying on emails, phone calls, and scattered messages, adopt a centralized communication platform.

AP automation simplifies this by consolidating all invoice-related discussions in one dashboard. This ensures nothing gets lost and provides a complete record of every interaction.

Integrate with Your ERP

Modern AP automation tools connect with ERP systems to sync data and communications. This keeps everyone on the same page and reduces the risk of errors caused by outdated or conflicting information.

Zahara integrates seamlessly with the leading cloud-based ERP systems, ensuring a smooth flow of financial data and real-time visibility into your accounts payable process. Whether you’re using Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage Intacct, or Xero, Zahara helps eliminate manual data entry and reduces the risk of invoice discrepancies.

Strengthen Internal Controls

Manual processes like invoice verification and check approvals are vulnerable to fraud and human error. Strengthen internal controls by implementing segregation of duties and using AP automation to enforce policies automatically. Automation also maintains a detailed audit trail, making compliance easier.

The post Accounts Payable Workflow Automation: Getting Started appeared first on Zahara Accounts Payable Automation Software.

AP Workflow Automation!

 We sound like a broken record at this point, but automating is the single most effective thing you can do to speed up and consolidate your process! You can tackle the problem at the source by raising purchase orders in app, and eliminating manual data entry. This means you’re starting your workflow off on the right track by optimising those crucial first steps.  

Electronic Approvals 

It’s time to make the most out of your software’s functionality. Worthwhile AP software will allow you to have complex but effective approval workflows in app. Instead of emailing POs and invoices to higher-ups and having to wait for them to approve them, with software they will be sent for approval automatically to the right people. There’s no lengthy sign-off process, they’ll be able to ‘approve’ or ‘reject’ with the press of a button. Some software will even reward users for having super-fast approval times, utilising our competitive nature speed the whole process up.  

Bringing in Budgets

Do you really need to get approval to buy a pint of milk for the office fridge? By customising your workflows, you can set specific budgets for certain departments and expenses. Purchases under an amount of your choosing can skip certain approvers in your regular workflow, meaning that small (yet important) purchases get approved that much quicker. Luckily, when you do this in-app you’ll get a full audit trail so even though you don’t need approval for these purchases, you can still monitor your spend.  

Turn Notifications On 

All of this advice is meaningless unless all approvers have notifications on so there’s no excuse for super late approvals! This is especially useful for those of us who work away from the office or onsite, as we can approve from the comfort of a mobile app, no longer having to wait until we’re back in the office.  

With new technology, there’s an abundance of ways to make your accounts payable workflows as efficient as possible. Just remember to automate and keep those notifications on and you can’t go far wrong. If you need more advice, our friendly team are always on hand for a call to talk you through it! 

The post Accounts Payable Workflow for Approvals appeared first on Zahara Accounts Payable Automation Software.

According to Levvel Research’s 2019 Payables Insight Report, 80% of invoices require multiple approvals. In many companies, that means at least 3 people need to take time out of their busy days to manually look at, read, assess, check and approve each and every invoice. Some business need 6 sign-offs on every invoice.

By their very nature, if you have authority to approve an invoice, you’re probably middle or senior management. So your time is valuable and probably better spent on higher-impact tasks.

Dependent on the volume of purchases, do these senior people have time to check every invoice, or just the higher value ones? Does that mean small invoices are over-looked due to lack of time?

And what, exactly, is each approver actually checking?

Is each and every person in the approvals chain assessing the same thing, or looking into different information in order to authorise the invoice for payment? Is the supplier manager ensuring that the supplier is suitable to trade with? Are procurement enforcing best practice purchasing in advance of saying ‘yes’ to the invoice? Does the budget holder check that the invoice is within their budget? Are management required to sign-off higher value invoices and if so, what critieria do they use to assess the invoice? How about the accounts payables team – are they only checking coding and reconciliations with POs? Is the accountant, ensuring that there’s sufficient cash to pay the supplier before they will approve the invoice?

Nearly half of small businesses walk the invoice around the office to get approvals. That’s a lot of worn out carpets and tired accounts payables staff.

Isn’t approving purchase invoices simply a waste of time?

It’s too late in the process to effect the choice of supplier, the specification of the product or service, the quantity, the price and the deliveries. All of these decisions need to be made in advance of placing the order.

That’s what purchase orders are for.

Have a think about the implications of multi-level invoice approvals. So what happens when all but one person approves the invoice? It might have been passed across 5 people’s desk only to get blocked by 1. If its rejected, and re-submitted does it need to go through the entire chain again, or just to the rejector? There might be multiple line items on a high value invoice and there’s a query over a £10 order. Do you hold up the entire invoice? Its a strategically important supplier who is critical to your business – how much does everyone in the approvals cycle really understand the importance of keeping the supplier onboard? And if anyone person is too busy, away from their desk or on holiday, the invoice might sit, un-approved, for days or even weeks.

What a pain. Life is too short to waste this much time.

DITCH YOUR INVOICE APPROVALS PROCESS – MAKE BUDGETS AND PURCHASE ORDERS THE PLACE WHERE YOU APPROVE COSTS.

Get Zahara and do more interesting things with your day.

The post Ditch your invoice approvals process – its a waste of time. appeared first on Zahara Accounts Payable Automation Software.

However, an increasing number of business owners and clients are demanding more. These days, access to accurate real time business information 24 x 7 is essential to running a successful company. In the connected economy business leaders need to monitor company performance from where-ever they are located. Business systems need to be joined up and processes automated to eliminate inefficiencies.

Better business decisions need to be made faster. Managers cannot wait for monthly or quarterly financial reports – they require instant access to the information they need to run their business.

So, what does this mean for bookkeepers and financial controllers?

Dependent on your point of view, this drive toward efficiency and transparency is either an opportunity or threat. The days of healthy fees for low value tasks are at an end.

Forward thinking accounts payable professionals are staying ahead of their internal customers and external clients by introducing cloud based accounting systems such as Xero and Quickbooks Online. However, even these platforms often don’t have the capabilities to effectively streamline purchase requisitions, orders and invoice approvals for employees. Therefore, adding cloud based accounts payable solutions such as Zahara provides the ideal solution.

For companies using installed accounting software, Zahara revolutionises the processes of raising and managing purchase requisitions, orders and invoices.

Increasingly, smart AP professionals are seeing the opportunity for managing their client’s purchasing approvals to help them stand out from their competitors and expand their range of services.

PURCHASE APPROVALS – THE OPPORTUNITY

Accounts Payable (AP) is more than ready for automation and this presents one of the most compelling business opportunities for bookkeepers and financial controllers.

Cloud based Purchase Approval Platforms, such as Zahara, are capable of delivering control over purchase requisitions, orders and invoice approvals for all business units, departments and locations of a business. Unlike traditional accounting software which is only used by knowledgeable financially trained employees, Purchase Approvals has to be user friendly and accessible to all employees, approvers and managers across the company. Additionally, platforms such as Zahara enforce budgetary control and auditable data and integrate seamlessly into accounts software such as Xero, Sage and Quickbooks online.

For bookkeepers and financial controllers, the new breed of cloud based Purchase Approval Platforms, such as Zahara, seamlessly integrate with accounting software to co-ordinate supplier information, enforce budgetary controls and streamline approvals from initial requisition through to order and purchase invoice.

Unlike manual approval processes or the cumbersome approvals workflow in traditional accounting software, employees love the ease of use, speed of working and the 24×7 access to information. With cloud based Purchase Approval Platforms, management have full control over company expenditure, real time view of KPIs and a full audit trail of every transaction.

Purchase Approval Platforms makes life easier and more efficient.

Purchase Approval Platforms removes the manual menace of data entry, the pain of chasing invoice approvals, eliminates duplicate invoices and dramatically reduces the potential for fraud with a resultant cost saving for client organisations.

Innovative AP Professionals are recognising the opportunity for being an agent for change. They are either recommending tried and tested cloud based systems to their clients or delivering web enabled services such as accounts payables.

Technology such as Zahara can enable bookkeepers and financial controllers to set up and manage multiple clients or business units in a single platform. They can define user permissions, set budgets and controls, manage suppliers, store important documents, produce reports and automate information into accounting workflow. Management can provide easy to use, cloud based software, to all employees within the client organisation in order to capture requests, raise POs and approve invoices.

For the new cloud enabled world of accounting, Purchase Approval Platforms is critical to delivering ongoing value to clients and gives finance real time visibility of client data.

Armed with such powerful information, the new breed of AP Professional will be the analyst of financial data, the controller of company spending, the investigator into excessive costs and the trusted advisor to help management make better, more informed decisions.

NEW SERVICES, NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

With increasing levels of process automation and integrated workflows, bookkeepers and financial controllers are freed up to add more value to clients, expanding their range of services, delivering web based services in return for recurring income from retained client base.

An ongoing monthly fee is often attractive to clients and enables bookkeepers to spread their workloads, deliver more services and increase efficiencies.

AP Professionals of the future will continuously monitor the real time financial health of their clients using best of breed cloud based platforms such as the Zahara Purchase Approval Platform.

So, for bookkeepers with an entrepreneurial spirit, Purchase Approval Platforms is an essential technology to help grow ongoing relationships and revenues with clients.

To find out how you can deliver more value to your clients, take a look at Zahara.

The post Purchase Approvals – The Opportunity for Accountants & Bookkeepers appeared first on Zahara Accounts Payable Automation Software.

As a speaker at Accountex, Practicing Accountant and a 2018 Accounting Thought Leader of the Year, Andrew has real insights into the challenges business managers have in setting and managing budgets, controlling spending, ensuring a proper approvals process and reducing administration and errors involved in processing supplier invoices.

Fresh (!?) from his flight from Oz, Andrew spent the day with the team, learning more about Zahara’s cloud purchase approvals platform and how accountants can really help their clients to manage budgets, purchase approvals and automate invoicing.

Andrew’s firm Illumin8 Partners works with many small and medium sized businesses and so he understands the challenges faced when it comes to controlling purchasing costs.

Andrew shared some great ideas to help improve Zahara’s product and service offering further.

We caught up with Andrew again at Accountex and shot some more interviews and videos on budgeting and purchase approvals, which we are sharing in the coming weeks.

Find out more at zaharasoftware.com

The post Budgeting & Approvals with Andrew Van De Beek appeared first on Zahara Accounts Payable Automation Software.

You can now start a workflow automatically based on the value of the order / invoice

You will find the setting in the Division > Workflow >

Firstly switch it to On.

Then set your value range as shown above

This is effectively the entry point of the workflow.

Create your workflow or edit as required

Then finally set the default workflow for Orders to Automatic as shown below

When the user creates a Purchase Requisition now, the default workflow will be automatic.

The first workflow with a matching entry point will be used.

Make sure you don’t have any overlaps in your entry points

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