In any accounts payable process, the invoice approval process is a crucial step. But when approvals are delayed—or worse, forgotten—businesses face more than just administrative backlogs. Unapproved invoices can cause late payments, supplier frustration, and even financial reporting issues.
If you’re still relying on emails, spreadsheets, or paper-based workflows to approve invoices, you’re not just slowing things down—you’re introducing risk into your supply chain.
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The Risks of a Broken Invoice Approval Process
When an invoice isn’t approved in time, the knock-on effects are felt throughout your finance function and supplier base. Some common outcomes include:
- Late payments: Payment terms are missed, and suppliers may hold or pause deliveries as a result.
- Supplier disputes: Missing approvals or unclear workflows can lead to duplicate charges, incorrect balances, or strained relationships.
- Manual workarounds: AP teams spend time chasing approvals, answering status queries, or resolving mistakes—taking time away from strategic tasks.
- Cash flow issues: Poor visibility into invoice status can distort your short-term financial outlook or budget planning.
- Audit and compliance risks: Unclear approval trails can create gaps in your audit history and also weaken internal controls.
And it’s not just about the invoices—debit notes, credit notes, and queries also become bottlenecks if there’s no consistent invoice approval process or visibility.
How to Fix Invoice Approval Delays with Automation
To avoid these problems, businesses need to streamline how they manage the invoice approval process. That’s where B2BE’s Accounts Payable automation solution comes in.
With automation, you can:
- Digitally route invoices to the right approver based on rules like department, value, or cost centre.
- Automate reminders and escalations to reduce approval delays.
- Track and audit every step of the invoice approval process in real time.
- Match and resolve debit and credit notes without manual intervention.
- Handle queries via automated workflows, so they don’t sit in inboxes unanswered.
Most importantly, automation brings structure and consistency to a process that’s often unstructured and slow. By speeding up invoice approvals and giving full visibility to AP teams, you can pay suppliers on time, reduce friction, and strengthen your financial operations.
Read more about our Accounts Payable Solutions to discover how automation can help your business.
About B2BE
B2BE delivers electronic supply chain solutions globally, helping organisations to better manage their supply chain processes, providing greater levels of visibility, auditability and control. We’re driven by a passion for what we do, inspired by innovation, and underpinned by a wealth of knowledge. With over 20+ years of experience, the B2BE teams operate worldwide.
Ga voor meer informatie naar www.b2be.com.