Welcome to our first eNewsletter of 2023, which includes a thought-provoking article from our old friend and regular DM Awards judge Harvey Spencer, on emerging trends in the electronic payment/invoicing space.

It is interesting to consider that accounts payable has been seen as 'low hanging fruit' in terms of possible applications for digitisation for probably as long as document management has existed. Invoices are generally very highly structured documents with predictable fields and values that are relatively easy to cross-reference against an organisation's own financial systems. Nonetheless with every year that passes we once again bemoan that significant numbers of businesses simply aren't automating their invoice processing.

Clearly it's more complex than simply throwing a capture/classification tool at your accounts department and hoping it sticks. Harvey's article discusses new standards and approaches that - in theory at least - should be far easier to adopt and deploy than previous EDI technologies that never gained the footholds they expected. If what Harvey describes as 'electronifying' invoices does progress as he suggests, then perhaps we will finally start to see invoice automation deliver on its long-held promises - but his article makes it clear there is still a long way to go.

David Tyler, Editor
Document Manager Magazine

To make sure you get your copy of the Newsletter emailed to you personally, every time, click here to register.