Vendor Reminders are received from different channels (papers or emails) by different persons (dedicated mailbox, AP Accountants, buyers, etc.), with different support (pdf attached, printscreen of accounting, invoice reference simply written in the mail, etc.) and concerns one or multiple invoices. This is handled manually by Account Payable.
We currently identify the following issues:
- Entry channel : we do not believe a chatbot or a frontpage at disposition of our customers will often be used. Individuals won’t use it and big suppliers are sending list of invoices (Proximus, etc…) won’t use this for one invoice at the time. Ideas?
- If we opt for a specific mailbox, how to identify the vendor and the invoices they are looking for ?
We would need a kind of OCR to read the emails we receive and identify the vendor and the invoice references. What to do with accounting screenshot which are not readable – automatic answer? What to do with emails which are not link to reminders – automatic answer ?
- Once invoices are identified, we could think about a bot /IA in order to :
- Find the invoices in SAP (ex: FBL1N) – Look for the status paid, block, release for payment, automated
the answer of the bot depending on the invoice status (ex: paid on date xxx, release for payment = will be paid on, block = please contact buyer)
- If not in SAP, find the invoice in VIM – Look for the exception status and automate answer depending
on this status + user to contact (buyer or Account Payable or …)?
- If not found, automatic answer “please send a copy of your invoice to the invoice mailbox”
- If invoice is more than x days overdue, we could imagine to forward the reminder to AP for urgent intervention ?
- Attach original reminder (pdf or email) to the invoice(s) and attach the answer of the bot
