Invoice automation has a simple goal: move a supplier invoice from your inbox to a posted, matched voucher in your ERP without anyone re-typing it. The technology to do this well has changed dramatically — AI vision now reads any invoice layout the way a person does, instead of relying on brittle per-vendor templates. Here is the end-to-end process, step by step.
The 5 Steps of Automated Invoice Processing
1. Capture
Pull invoices automatically from email, EDI, scans and portals — PDF, image or paper. No manual sorting or filing.
2. Extract with AI (not templates)
AI vision reads header and line-level data — vendor, PO number, amounts, tax, line items — on any layout, including new vendors it has never seen. This is the step where template-based OCR fails and digitization stalls.
3. Validate against the ERP
Match the vendor, items, ship-tos and amounts against live ERP data so errors are caught before posting, not after.
4. Two- and three-way matching
Automatically compare the invoice to the purchase order and goods receipt, flagging only true exceptions for a human to review.
5. Post to the ERP — touchless
Write the voucher directly into Epicor P21 or IFS through the ERP's API, so clean invoices post with no human touch at all.
What Separates Real Automation From a Scanner
Many “invoice automation” tools stop at extraction and hand you a spreadsheet to import — which just moves the manual work downstream. True automation closes the loop into the ERP:
- No templates: AI vision handles any vendor and any layout, including first-time invoices.
- ERP validation: data is checked against your real customers, vendors and items.
- Direct posting: the voucher is created in the ERP, not exported for someone to key in.
- Exception-only review: clean invoices are touchless; people only see the ones that genuinely need a decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you automate invoice processing?
Automate invoice processing by replacing manual data entry with AI: capture invoices from any source, use AI vision to extract the data (without per-vendor templates), validate it against your ERP, run two- or three-way matching, and post the voucher directly into the ERP — with people only reviewing exceptions.
What is invoice automation?
Invoice automation is the use of software to receive, read, validate and post supplier invoices with little or no manual keying. Modern systems use AI to read any invoice layout and write the result straight into the ERP.
Does invoice automation work with any ERP?
The best approach validates and posts directly into your specific ERP. ESS provides AI invoice automation purpose-built for Epicor Prophet 21 and IFS, writing vouchers through a dedicated ERP API rather than handing back a file to import.
What is three-way matching?
Three-way matching compares the supplier invoice against the purchase order and the goods receipt before approving payment, so you only pay for what was ordered and received. AP automation performs this match automatically.
Automate AP in Your ERP
ESS provides touchless AP automation for Epicor P21 and IFS and AI vision document processing that validates against your live ERP and posts directly — no templates, no re-keying.